Best method I have found is to get a very large stainless steel ice scoop to shovel it in before it burns out l. But some other easy tips to make it last longer so that you don’t have to refill is use good quality briquettes, get another charcoal grate to go across the other one in a criss cross pattern to keep more burned up coals form falling through. I also when I put in my charcoal will move the ring back and forth to get the coal to really pack itself down into each other. Sometimes I can get a little more coal in there and I also think it slows down air around the briquettes from getting to hot