Collecting dry wood
Breaking up wood
Putting central post in place
Stacking larger pieces of wood against post
Stacking smaller logs around them
Thinner sticks go on now
Dry leaves
Digging soil to make mud
Plastering mud onto mound
The top is left open to vent smoke
Air holes are made around the base to let combustion air in
The mound is set alight from the top with hot coals from a fire
The fire burns back down the heap against the draft
Any cracks are sealed with mud
More wood can be added from the top is space appears for it
When fire can be seen through an air entry in the base, it's time to block that air entry
The air entry is plugged with mud
Do this with the other air entries only when you see fire through them
When the last air entry is plugged, plug the vent in the top
When the mound is cool it's time to open it
The charcoal inside
The charcoal is cooked through
Charcoal is stored in baskets for later use
Charcoal burns without smoke and flames. It can reach temperatures 200 c higher than wood fires