Leave the heat deflector out for ribs, burgers, steaks, chops, or anything that can take a short amount of direct flame. Try not to use the heat deflector shield anytime you or smoke or grill above 400+ degrees.
You will find that beneath the grill grates there is a domed piece that directs the smoke/heat/air from the burnpot to the left side of the cook chamber, so that it will then flow from left to right across your cooking area. The “heat shield” is a separate piece beneath that domed piece, it sits almost flush with the top of the burn pot