Love my Traeger wood pellet grill! They have small sizes.

Weber Spirit line is a great entry-level propane grill, like teh E-210:
https://www.weber.com/US/en/grills/gas-grills/spirit/

I grilled 2-3x/week (grilling chicken tonight). A gas grill I find easier if you're a frequent griller. Charcoal I see as more for "special occasion" grilling, same with using a smoker.

As for propane safety, always turn off the tank at the valve when not in use, and keep a pitcher of water nearby if you're worried about flame-ups. I had it once with really fatty chicken thighs.

Anonymous wrote:Classic Weber kettle with a chimney starter.

Whoever told you charcoal is "very difficult and time intensive" is an idiot. Pour the charcoal in the chimney, light some newspaper underneath, 10 minutes later you've got a chimney full of hot charcoal. Dump it into the kettle, cook your food. Couldn't be easier and it not only tastes better than gas, it gets hotter faster which is so much better for steaks.

+1. This is the perfect entry level grill. Easy to use but very versatile. You can cook anything from burgers all the way up to a Thanksgiving turkey. After a few years you might want to add a propane or even a Big Green Egg but an old school Weber kettle is the way to learn how to grill.