I guess the center ring was to add more charcoal, but with a second rack it won't work. I'm going to use a couple of fire bricks to keep the lumps piled up on one side so I can put the food on the other side. That way I only need the second rack for smoking. Also I'm putting some 1000 degree high temperature paint on the wires that hold the ash catcher. That might help stop any rust before it starts on them. A lot of people replace the cast iron grate with a stainless steel one because of the weight. I've got a rack that fits, but will wait till I drop and break the cast iron. Other than that I'm with you on the likes.