The fire pit works really well with wood packs, but they don’t last very long. This is a good thing at some times, and it’s a bad thing at other times. I have been experimenting with a combination of lump charcoal (not briquettes), smoker pellets, and real split wood to use as longer lasting wood fuel. In all cases, smoke is very minimal compared to a traditional fire pit, and I have always used the wood packs to get it going. I would highly recommend!