Over at Cornell Dr. Calderone got me using wood pellets for smoker fuel. I hadn't heard of this before, but since I heat my home with hardwood pellets anyway, I usually have them around, and now I prefer them for the smoker,too. You have to get a good hot fire going first, with paper/pine needles/twine or whatever, but then the pellets get going easily after they are dumped in on top. A loose clump of grass over all will help to keep hot pellets from rolling out if you tip the smoker downward (like at the entrances). It lasts a long time between fuelings, a real plus, and a smoker will often still be going the next morning. It may look dead, but a few good puffs on the bellows brings it back in short order. Re-load and off you go. The pellets disintegrate after a while, probably due to the moisture given off by burning, but continue to smolder fine even so. If you have access to them, you might give this fuel a try...