At times I was having problems getting the charcoal hot enough on high heat cooks (searing). I was thinking that it was because of charcoal blocking the airflow through the small holes of the original egg charcoal grate. Some people on the forums recommended a High-Que charcoal grate that has better airflow. It looks more like a cooking grate. After using it a few times, I feel like it is easier to get the charcoal really hot and use it all the time for steaks. If I’m doing a low and slow I still use the original grate.