I also just built a table for my XL egg. In order to lift up and in, I removed the fire ring so I could hang on from the inside. My main problem was having something to hold on to while sliding it in. By grabbing from the inside, [ hand down through top and then holding on to bottom vent hole] I was able to get a firm grip while a buddy held from the top. We were able to support the weight and slide it in.

I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer so it took a couple of minutes to figure this out. By removing the enter pieces, it also made it lighter and easier to handle.

Good luck and the table is looking really nice!