Reduce the Smoke of Your Fire

It's taken me years to figure out that it's important to keep your fires fuel criss crossed or teepeed. The idea is to maintain as much air flow between the fuel pieces as possible so the fire burns hot and efficiently, without smoke. 

Additionally, if a pit is used over and over, carefully remove old soot and embers before a new fire; this also increases air flow somewhat at first and spreads the ash for vegetation. I say carefully, as you will not carelessly throw a hot coal into the woods.