I'm a "top down fire" convert!

[krosskraft]

We fired up the oven today and did the top-down method (although it seemed counter-intuitive to both me and my husband). We put the big logs on bottom, then smaller wood across those, then twigs, dryer lint, and a fire starter.....it lit like a champ and did not need tending for about 20 minutes when we put the big log on top! We did not cook any pizzas today so didn't get the oven up past 500....baked several casseroles. I hope my pictures turn out.

[DrakeRemoray]

I read that post about the top down fire and last time I built my fire "front to back", putting big logs in the back of the oven and smaller stuff near the front and had a very successful, low maintenance burn. An innovation!!

Drake

[gjbingham]

Drake,
an old technique that should be taught in school. Funny that in your whole life, no one ever sits you down and teaches you how to build a great fire. I bet it was required learning for Homo Erectus.

[Frances]

Boy scouts. And girl scouts, too - they teach you how to light a fire.

Switzerland has this strong hiking and fire lighting culture going, and children do learn how to safely light a fire, contain it in a ring of stones, and put it out when they've finished with it, in such a way that it can be reused later.

Still, they don't use the top down method. Maybe that's why I can't get the hang of it, having been taught to do it differently when I was young (er...)

[talisker63]

I too am a 100% convert to Top Down. It is awesome! Almost no smoke