Yes!  The kamado comes standard with a lower cast iron charcoal grate and a ceramic diffuser plate should you wish to use the entire upper cooking grate to hold food.

That said, with our Elevated Cooking grate and the Slow ‘N Sear installed, you’re not losing any cooking space AND you get the added benefit of easy access to the coals if you need to refill or want to quickly switch to high-heat searing.