Need hamburger help.

[emjay]

I used to just get medium-fat chuck, but I much prefer Thomas Keller's suggestion of 50% sirloin, 25% chuck, and 25% brisket.

Also, I noticed the OP mentioned pressing it hard to get it thin. I think that is probably one of the most common things people screw up on with burgers, and certainly one of the easiest to remedy. Be gentle when forming your patties! It makes such a huge difference when you keep the "ground" structure/texture intact, and yet so many people manhandle their patties to the point that the meat might as well have just come from a food processor instead of a grinder...

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

Being a cook in a couple short order places and a dive bar with amazing food, my suggestion to keep burgers from balling up, a steak weight. They will hold the patty down and help reflect some of the heat back in to the burger so it cooks faster. This is not the same as pressing on it since its light constant pressure.

 

[madbaldman]

I like starting out with a lean beef and adding bacon for fat. I usually go with 1/2 lb bacon to 2 lb lean beef. God it's good. The first time it made it that way was just because I had just finished grinding pork shoulder and bacon for brats and had some left over bacon (if there is any such thing). So was I was grinding the beef, I threw a couple strips of becan in there too. I had forgotten I put it in there until I made burgers and my youngest son flipped out, proclaiming his burger tasted like bacon. His palate is far more subtle than mine and he picks up things I often miss. All I knew was it was a great burger. When I grind chuck I don't add anything but with lean beef a little bacon will tempt a vegan.