“The bigger, the better” isn’t a great rule to follow when buying a new grill. A grill that’s too big burns excess fuel, is a pain to clean, and sits discouragingly empty when you’re searing steaks and cooking up burgers for yourself and the husband or wife.
But here’s the thing not everyone tells you: go for the smallest grill at the hardware store, and it can also go wrong for you in more ways than one. A grill that’s too small will get too crowded too quickly, and makes it pretty much impossible for you to control the heat.
The size of your next grill is a Goldilocks dilemma of sorts: it must neither be too big nor too small. And you’ve gotta know what to look for to get it just right.
Maybe you’re a young couple who just moved in. (Trust your old pal Sammy, now, and be kind to each other; it’ll pay off!) Or maybe you’ve been together for longer than you care to admit, and the kids just went off to college and finally left the nest.
Whatever brought you here, it’s good that you stopped by. Because the Barbehow team and I have rounded up some of the best grills for a two-person household. Read on to see our favorite units below.
Best Grills for Couples
- Best charcoal: Weber Original Kettle
- Best gas: Char-Broil Classic 360
- Splurge pick: Weber Spirit E-210
- Portable pick: Weber Traveler
The Weber Original Kettle has withstood the test of time—and for good reason. This grill sells for a good price, roasts and smokes meat perfectly, and lasts a really long time.
Why fix something that ain’t broken?
A Weber staffer invented the Weber Original Kettle in 1952, and the grill maker has stuck to the same design ever since, tweaking it with minor improvements and adding small bells and whistles over the years to make grilling with it even better.
Bells and whistles like the one-touch cleaning system that takes the hassle and fuss out of cleaning the pit. Or the angled lid hook so you don’t have to put the lid on the ground while grilling. The built-in lid thermometer, and so on, and so on.
As for specs, the Weber Original Kettle is a charcoal grill with a diameter of 22 in. and 363 sq. in. of grilling space.
It features two glass-reinforced nylon handles—one on the side for moving the kettle around and one on the lid for use during cooking—and 3 legs, 2 of which have wheels (the third leg without wheels is for stability).
This grill is compact enough so you don’t feel like you’re cooking for a house that’s half empty, and yet spacious enough to smoke a brisket for a 4th of July get-together or turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
Most importantly, there’s enough room in the pit for you to rake the coals over to one side and set up the kettle for direct- and indirect-heat grilling, a cooking technique every griller ought to master.
The Weber Original Kettle is a grill that’s also built to last.
If you use and care for it properly, it will serve you well for at least a decade. Everything about its construction feels sturdy, from the high-quality steel parts to the porcelain-enameled lid and bowl that won’t flake or rust.
All in all, a great charcoal grill that people do not regret buying.
The Char-Broil Classic 360 is reasonably priced, has plenty of cooking power and grilling space, and is equipped with everything you need to prepare fabulous food in the backyard.
The Char-Broil Classic 360 is an affordable 3-burner gas grill that heats up quickly, holds on to heat well, and, as long as you use and clean it properly, lasts a long time.
The stainless steel burners deliver 30,000 BTUs per hour of cooking power over a cooking surface of 360 sq. in. that measures 26 in. wide by 14 in. deep. On top of the grate is a 170 sq. in. warming rack to keep cooked food hot and safe to eat, and on the left side is an 8,000-BTU side burner for cooking up an entrée or side dish in a small skillet or Dutch oven.
The firebox and lid are more from enamel-coated steel that doesn’t peel or rust. This grill unit has 4 legs, of which 2 fixed to keep it stable and 2 fitted with wheels so you can move it around more easily.
Yes, the Char-Broil Classic 360 isn’t the prettiest gas grill out there, not at all.
But if you are grilling for two, which is probably the case since you’re here reading this roundup, it has everything you need to prepare delicious dishes for a Saturday night dinner and entertain 2-3 guests when you occasionally have them over.
When you don’t need the entire grilling space, simply set up your grill for direct and indirect heat by turning off one or two of the burners. This gives you two cooking zones—one with high and direct heat; the other with moderate and indirect heat—to sear those steaks or grill those burgers to perfection.
Opt for this grill if you don’t need anything fancy. It’s reasonably priced, very reliable, and gets the job consistently well done.
The Weber Spirit E-210 offers an unparalleled combination of style, functionality, and durability that only a Weber grill can provide.
If you’re willing to pay up and get the best grill that money can buy, you have more than one reason to buy the Weber Spirit E-210.
This gas grill has 2 stainless steel burners that deliver a total of 26,500 BTUs per hour of cooking power. The grates offer 360 sq. in. of cooking space, and on top is a 90 sq. in. warming rack to keep cooked food hot and safe to eat.
The 2 side tables hold raw meats, seasonings, and condiments during cooking, and the 6 tool hooks are more than you need to keep your knives, spatulas, and forks within arm’s reach. The unit sits on 4 casters (2 of which you can lock) and has AA battery-powered ignition.
The Weber Spirit E-210 starts up fast, heats up well, particularly when both of the burners are on, and the porcelain-enameled grates and flavorizer bars cook meats and veg to deliciousness.
It’s one of the smallest Weber grills, but as far as what you can do with it goes, it’s in no way inferior to its larger counterparts. Thanks to the 2-burner setup, you can use this unit for direct- and indirect-heat grilling; you can even add water and soaked wood chips (in separate, disposable aluminum pans) and smoke some meat in it.
They say you can hardly go wrong if you spend on a Weber, and every owner of a Weber grill can attest to why.
The Weber Traveler's name says it all. Whether you're picnicking, tailgating, tent camping, or RV-ing, this grill turns the great outdoors into your kitchen.
If the two of you go tailgating, camping, or RV-ing often, then the Weber Traveler should be at the top of your wishlist.
This compact gas grill folds up like an ironing board (fortunately, it’s more stable) and fits snugly in the bed of your truck or the trunk of your car, so you can turn the great outdoors into your kitchen no matter where you go.
The single, stainless steel burner delivers up to 20,000 BTUs per hour of cooking power spread out over a total cooking area of 320 sq. in., ideal for both the two of you and for when you’re out with friends.
It heats quickly and rather well, though not as good a grill with multiple burners, and is insulated well enough not to be too affected by strong winds or cold weather—the status quo of outdoor cooking, especially in early spring and late fall.
The Weber Traveler attaches to a 16 oz. gas canister. But you can also purchase an adapter hose separately so you can connect it to a larger tank when cooking next to your RV or at home.
If size and mobility are the requirements, this neat little grill will deliver.
Why Trust Us?
Selecting the right grill for a household of two can be least to say challenging. There are dozens upon dozens of options out there, and weeding out the good ones from the bad can take forever.
We spent 43 hours rounding up the best grills for couples, both charcoal and gas, in this guide so you won’t have to.
For our initial selection, we dug deeply into product specs, read assembly guides and owner’s manuals through and through, and turned the web over for customer reviews, positive and negative, to find out what customers really thought about their purchases.
We then drew on the decades of the hands-on grilling experience of the members of the Barbehow editorial team to scrutinize our favorites and come up with the final list of winners, which you can see right before your eyes:
- The Weber Original Kettle, the best charcoal kettle grill
- The Char-Broil Classic 360, an affordable, feature-packed, 3-burner gas grill
- The Weber Spirit E-210, a great 2-burger gas grill for the times when money is no object
- The Weber Traveler, a transportable gas grill that fits into the trunk of your car
We do hope you found our roundup as useful as we enjoyed putting it together.
