The vortex will remove all your seasoning the size of the vortex on the cast iron and I am pretty sure if you leave the grate in the grill and don't reseason you will open the lid to a rusty mess about 3 weeks later, I think I saw this in a movie or maybe my dumbass reality. I just take out a section or 2 when adding coals, mine is a 26 and it just weighs way to much to pick the whole thing up.