Fire is an Ingredient: Cooking on the Timberwolf® Smokeless Fire Pit
We live in a world of convenience. A twist of a knob or the push of a button, and we have flame—heat, light, the ability to cook. It’s easy to take fire for granted. But cooking over a live fire—truly building, feeding, and tending it—is a different experience entirely. It’s elemental, meditative, and deeply connected to how food was prepared for millennia. With the Timberwolf® Smokeless Fire Pit, you can embrace that process. Not just for warmth or ambiance, but to cook. To use fire as an ingredient.
What You Need to Cook Over Fire
Before you strike a match, gather your gear. Cooking with fire means being prepared. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Hardwood logs and kindling
- A hatchet or axe for splitting wood
- Fire starter (paper, cardboard, or commercial, natural fire starter)
- Long matches or a lighter
- A long-handled poker, fire screen, and spark screen, which come standard with your Timberwolf®
- Heat protection (gloves, fire-resistant gear)
- Tongs (the longer, the better!)
- A cooking grid or grill grate – Napoleon’s 18-inch and 22-inch charcoal grill grids are designed to fit the corresponding fire pit perfectly
How to Build the Perfect Cooking Fire
Cooking on the Timberwolf® isn’t about rushing. It’s about the journey. You need to plan ahead to get your fire to a cook-ready state, which can take 60 to 90 minutes—but every step is part of the experience.
Build a Log Cabin Fire
- Start with two large logs parallel to each other.
- Stack kindling crisscrossed above them.
- Stuff tinder like a newspaper or a fire starter in between.
- Light the tinder with a long match or lighter and allow it to catch the kindling.
- Add one to three hardwood logs once the kindling is fully ignited.
Or Build a Teepee Style Fire
- Start with a base of fire starter materials like crumpled newspaper, dryer lint, or fire starters.
- Stack small sticks or break apart larger kindling into small and long sticks. Layer these in a conical pattern around the fire starter.
- Ignite the fire starter under the kindling.
- As the fire gets going, add larger kindling to the fire.
- Finally, add one to three hardwood logs, carefully laying them in the same teepee pattern once the kindling is fully ignited.
Let it Burn to Coals
- Once you have a nice fire started with fast-burning wood like juniper, transition to denser hardwoods to generate and maintain even heat.
- Wait until the flames burn down and settle below the rim of the fire pit, then add your grill grate and let it preheat while the wood continues to burn down to low flames and glowing coals.
- Once you’ve got a good bed of coals, spread them out around the edge or push them to one side, using the included fire poker, to create hot and cool cooking zones—just like charcoal grilling.
Using Smart Wood Choices
- Hardwoods: Oak, hickory, apple, maple, cherry, and ash are ideal. They burn longer and hotter, perfect for cooking.
- Softwoods: Juniper or cedar are great for starting the fire, not for sustained burning.
- Avoid: Accelerants, pressure-treated or painted woods, particleboard, or anything with chemicals.
Cook Over Coals, Not Flames
Avoid big flames when cooking. They’ll leave a sooty residue all over your food and make heat hard to control. Stick to wood that has burnt down to coals for clean, even heat.
Cooking Over Live Fire
Cooking with coals isn’t smokeless—any food drippings will cause smoke and flare-ups. But that’s part of the fun. Use longer tongs to stay safe and control flare-ups, and if you need more heat, add small fist-sized hardwood chunks to the coals. This way, fire becomes both your fuel and your flavor.
Timberwolf® Smokeless Fire Pit
22-inch, Stainless Steel
Timberwolf® Smokeless Fire Pit
18-inch, Matte Black
Timberwolf® Smokeless Fire Pit
18-inch, Stainless Steel
People Also Asked:
What is the Trick to a Smokeless Fire Pit?
Keep your pit clean, clear the ash. This ensures airflow and proper smokeless burn by allowing air to be pulled in at the bottom, heated in the secondary chamber, and expelled near the top to ignite the exhaust gases, like smoke, for a smokeless experience.
Can you Roast Marshmallows Over a Smokeless Fire Pit?
Once the fire has burnt down to a manageable level and not completely roaring, roasting marshmallows is ideal and a wonderful way to make even more memorable moments with Napoleon.
How do You Use a Fire Pit for Cooking?
Plan ahead, use hardwoods, build a good fire and allow it to burn down to coals and embers, feeding it small chunks or logs to maintain temperatures while you cook.
Can I Cook Food Over a Fire Pit?
Yes you can. Designed to fit the cooking grids of our Napoleon Charcoal BBQ Grills, the Timberwolf® is a great way to take your outdoor cooking to new and rustic levels. Using hardwoods that you would typically use for smoking will add new dimensions to the food you are cooking. Treating your fire like you would a charcoal fire, you can create hot and cool zones for even easier management by moving the coals or placing the cooking grids closer or farther from the fire by using (or not using) the spark screen.
Make Fire the Heart of Your Outdoor Cooking
The Timberwolf® Smokeless Fire Pit turns a backyard fire into a cooking ritual. There’s nothing quite like preparing food over live fire, feeling the heat on your face, and watching the coals glow as your meal cooks. It’s immersive, elemental, and incredibly satisfying.
So go beyond the button. Take the time, build your fire, and make something memorable. Do you cook over live fire using a fire pit? Share your stories and photos with us on social media like our Facebook and Instagram pages using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills.
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