As for the wooden shank that extends inside the bowl, while some cobbers remove them, I’ve always left them, and over time, have gotten used to them. The models with hardwood plugs are no problem, but other versions will become more prone to burnout if the inner shank is removed. Cobs with paper labels don’t have hardwood bottoms. But then, in 50 plus years smoking cobs, I’ve never had a burnout. And MM will replace any cob that burns out, that isn’t your fault.