[dwfisk]

I guess the described technique of tightly packed wood, like for a long burn in a woodstove will technically "work", but I'm concerned about what kind of fire & smoke you will get? Like others have said the goal for a stickburner (at least my goal) is for a small, hot & clean fire with thin blue/clear smoke. I guess I'm envisioning a tightly packed firebox with air flow choaked down to burn for a long duration will result in a long burn with dirty white smoke; not the greatest for BBQ. I'll be interested in what you find out with your experiment.