Once is luck. And maybe twice is luck. But three times?

We all know how to build a fire, right?

Put some kindling on the grate. Put some bigger pieces on top of the kindling, leaving room for air to circulate, and then stack a couple good sized logs on top (with more room for air). Light a couple pieces of fatwood and stick them under the grate. After the fire starts, poke/roil/stir/curse the mix every 10 minutes or so to keep the flames burning nicely.

WRONG!!! That's the way I've been doing it for 34 years and it's, how can I say this?, WRONG.

Here's the right way:

Turn the whole thing upside down and forget about air circulation. Put large logs on the grate. Put smaller pieces on them. Put some kindling on top of that. Light a couple pieces of fatwood and stick them on top of the pile. Don't poke/roil/stir/curse the mix every 10 minutes. Don't poke/roil/stir/curse the mix at all. After the fire burns beautifully for an hour -- AN HOUR! -- put a couple more logs on. Let it burn for another hour.

I've done it three times now, and it really works.

Want more info? http://lifehacker.com/5144222/the-upside-down-fire-method-creates-long+lasting-flames