Hi guys. I've been cooking in my reverse smoker that I've built for most of this year. I've never had this type of type of smoker before. I had a charcoal and propane vertical smoker that I loved and passed it on to a friend who wanted to try. My question to you is what should the perfect fire look like? I've experimented with pure splits and also charcoal and small splits. I found that if I make the flame too tall that my thin blue smoke starts making a heavy black smoke and harsh flavors to follow. Most of my fires that I make make almost no smoke out the pipe. The food tastes great but it's hard to tell much difference in the type of fuel I use. I have used what's available locally. I've been lucky to have oak, almond, peach, and cherry. Here are a few pics to show you my progress. Thanks for your help.