To create a wood fire that burns continuously without smouldering, it is important to use dry, well-seasoned hardwood, maintain an ample bed of hot coals, and provide sufficient airflow. This can be a challenging task with traditional offset smokers.

The Materia fire management basket helps to solve this problem by concentrating the wood and hot coals in one place rather than spreading thinly across the base of the firebox. Air flows into the fire from all directions, while ash falls through the bottom grate, allowing for a clean and efficient burn.

Additionally, due to the concentrated heat source, newly added splits catch fire much quicker and wood with a less than optimal moisture content can be used.