Possible causes (you may see a FAL (“FAiL” abbreviation) message:

• Too much ash in the firebox. Wait until it cools off, and clean the ash out.
• Pellets overfilled the firebox. NEVER turn the grill off and on repeatedly, as this will fill the firebox with pellets. The igniter cannot light the pellets unless air can flow freely through the combustion chamber.
• Combustion fan not operating. Check to make sure the fan blades turn freely and that it runs on Cycle 2 of the 0-1- 2-3 sequence. Replace if necessary.
• Firebox is empty because auger has not fed pellets into it. Click the “Support Tab” for further diagnosis.

Point-to-Point:
This is where the grill emits it’s own WiFi signal. Any device with the GMG app may connect straight to the grill. No internet connection is necessary. You must be within c. 15-23 m (50-75 ft, depending on obstructions) from the grill depending on obstructions. Basically your phone/tablet acts as a direct remote to the grill.

Wifi Mode:
Rather than the phone/tablet being connected straight to the grill, it is communicating through your home wifi network. This increases your range to anywhere within your home network.

Server Mode:
When Wifi Mode is active, you may turn on server mode. In this mode the grill is connected to GMG’s servers, thereby enabling you to stay connected to the grill while away from home. Your phone will need at least 3G coverage for this. You have full functionality as the other two modes with the exception of being able to turn on the grill for safety reasons.  An adult should be near the grill anytime it is in operation.

Although GMG is continually updating firmware and app structure, there is a possibility that your home network and or other devices may need reconfiguring or updating for full Server Mode functionality. If Server Mode is not functioning, you can always use Point-to-Point or WiFi modes.

You MUST be present (at your grill) to start it for obvious safety reasons.

Surprisingly, chimney cap height is crucial to your grill’s proper performance. If you choke it down too far, it creates pressure inside the grill which can result in temperature fluctuations.

The chimney on your Daniel Boone or Jim Bowie series grill should always be open at least as much as shown in the picture on the left.  In warm weather, you should open it even further.

On the Davy Crockett model, swing it all the way open, all the time.

Good question!  And the truthful answer is: It depends.  And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Pellet consumption is goverened by a whole range of variables including ambient temperature, the temperature you’re cooking at, wind, elevation, how often the lid gets opened and closed, and weight of meat when placed in the GMG; and, the pellets you’re using – some woods burner hotter, other less so.

But for guidance, pellet consumption can be anywhere between

Davy Crockett: 140g – 900g per hour

Daniel Boone: 225g – 1.1kg per hour

Jim Bowie: 340g – 1.4kg per hour

If cooking regularly at colder times of year, which is when pellet consumption will be greatest, you’l find the GMG Thermal Blanket is a great investment.

No. We recommend you start with GMG pellets not just because they’re great pellets but they’re also great value – packed in 12.7kg/28lb bags, which is 40% more than most other pellets.  Most of our customers stick with or return to the GMG range of pellets.

If using other brands, it’s worth checking their moisture, ash, and fines content.  If they’re composed of wood that burns at lower temperatures, keep an eye on the cleanliness of your firepot.  And don’t pay any attention to claims about BTUs… there are too many variables to make this meaningful (see above).

Finally, DO NOT USE HEATING or SOFTWOOD pellets.  These are not intended to be used for cooking food and may be harmful to your health.

Yes, it will make it much easier to clean.

Smoke: 65-105C (150-220 F)

Barbecue: 107-135C (225-275 F)

Roast: 137-190C (280-375 F)

Grill: 195-245C (380-475 F)

Sear: 248-260C (480-500 F);  on the Davy Crockett, 285C (550F)

No. The convection-style cooking circulates the air around the food, so a rotisserie would be redundant.

Daniel Boone/Jim Bowie:
Never just use the ON/OFF switch to turn the grill off. Instead, use the down arrow to lower the temperature to 150. Release the button and press it once again to enter “FAN” mode. The grill will power down after the “FAN” mode ends. At that time, you may use the ON/OFF switch to cut power to the grill.

Davy Crockett:
Just press the red power button at any time to turn the grill off and enter automatic FAN mode.

We recommend clean, dry, ventilated indoor storage in the original bags or a waterproof storage container.

Do not let your pellets get damp or wet.  Ever.  Makes Gremlins seem tame (actually, they’ll degrade and at best cause temperature issues, at worst they’ll damage your auger!).

No electrical appliance should be used anywhere near water

Food cooks by three methods:

1. Conduction: food heats by contact with a hot surface such as the grate on the grill or a pan.
2. Convection: hot air molecules bounce around inside the grill cavity and barrage the food.
3. Radiation: infrared rays, if you use GMG’s open flame technology, heat the food.

The grill’s thermal sensor retrieves data from inside the grill. The computer on the control panel analyses the data and responds by adjusting the air flow inside the grill and the pellet flow into the firebox.

Here’s the crux: the data gathered by the PT100 platinum sensor can be erratic. Think about all of the things that affect this data – the cover being opened and closed, wind, cold food, grease splattering on the drip tray, humidity, altitude, and even how level the grill is (which can affect pellet flow into the firebox – gravity!).

So the computer receives all of this data, averages it over time, and provides a reasonably accurate display of the overall temperature inside your grill.

This is why an instant air temperature reading from a 3rd party product such as Maverick, does not really provide much useful information.

Your food cooks, as we’ve learned, by a combination of all three methods. The instant reading tells you only one piece of information from a tiny portion of the total space inside the grill cavity. it does not tell you the whole picture. A reading from one cubic millimeter of a cavity in which there are about 83 million cubic millimeters is not a microcosm of the cavity temperature.

Do NOT use your grill with less than 1 meter (c. 36”) clearance from any combustible object or surface.

This might happen on an extremely hot day, similar to how your car can be hotter inside that it is outside.

The grill needs to produce enough heat to keep the fire going, and rarely, on extremely hot and windy days, the inside temperature may exceed the set temperature.

Opening the lid for a few minutes at a time will normally solve this issue.

GMG make thermal blankets for all models.

We recommend normal cleaning necessary for hygiene and appearance. A thorough cleaning inside and out about every 25 hours of grilling time will insure the best possible results in the future.

Unfortunately, some pellets have a much higher ash content than they should. This may result in larger ash deposits in the firebox which can restrict airflow and cause temperature fluctuations and even soot if the fire gets starved for oxygen.

You should use a shop vacuum to pull the ash out of the firebox every 35-45kg (75-100 lbs) or so of pellets. You may have to do it more often if you use high ash content pellets.

Make sure your grill is cold and there are no remaining embers before cleaning the firebox.

Barbecue and drippings seem to go hand in hand, so some people invest in a grill mat or similar that they place on the ground under their grill.

If you have a persistent leak from your chimney, it’s probable that the nuts need tightening or you may need a new gasket; alternatively, seal with high temperature silicone.

All pellet grills burn very cleanly after start-up.

They put off a thin blue smoke which gives the meat a perfect mild smoke flavour. Those who are used to stick burners will notice this difference. Stick burners put off a dark smoke that may impart a distinct and somewhat bitter taste to the meat. That flavour is because of the bark which may include harmful byproducts like creosote. Pellets do not contain bark.

That being said there are ways to get as much smoke flavor from your pellet grill as possible.

1. The lower the temperature at which you smoke, the more smoke flavour you will get. Low-and-slow is the name of the game!
2. The addition of a smoke tube or other smoke generatating material may help those who are looking for a stronger smoke flavour.

Depending on ambient temperature, the grill can take from 15-45 minutes to cool downafter it exits FAN mode.

Many factors affect the left-to-right temperatures inside any grill. Prevailing winds may cool down one quadrant of the grill. Outside air temperature may require more air infusion from the combustion fan in order to maintain the set temperature. Cold food on one side or the other may produce lower temperatures in that area.

This phenomenon would happen in any brand of pellet grill, in spite of what others’  marketing departments would have you believe.

Fortunately, Green Mountain has a solution in its moveable diffuser.

• in most cases, centering the underside “V” over the firebox will provide satisfactory results from side to side.
• if you move the heat shield (diffuser) to the left, the temperature on the right will increase, and vice-versa.
• Some people still feel more comfortable using instant readings from an instrument such as a Maverick than with the computer’s averages. If you wish to adjust your grill’s temperature to match your Maverick (or similar) move the diffuser to the left (makes the Maverick’s display’s reading hotter) or to the right (makes it cooler)." These are small changes to get it dialed in. Pushing the heat shield left a very small amount from center will direct the flame away from the thermal sensor causing it to read less heat. When it reads lower it will raise the temp of the grill overall. Making it more accurate to what the grill is reading.
• Make small changes of about 5mm (1/8”) only.

Ambient temperature plays a role, but it should reach the maximum temperature within 15-30 minutes.

GMG’s limited warranty is 2 years. Click here to read about the GMG warranty. Click here to register your grill.