Here's some heresy for you... I use the 93/7 meat for burgers and they are excellent; surely not as good as the 80/20 mix, but still moist and tasty. My keys:
Use fresh meat... Supermarket meat is OK, but frozen and thawed is not.
The most important part: Don't overwork the meat! I form the meat into a loose ball with my hands (maybe 1/3-1/2# per). I then place the ball on a wax-paper covered cutting board, and place another wax-paper covered cutting board on top and press down evenly. If I feel like it, I place something of the right thickness on either side of the meat to get the burger thickness exactly right (I'm lazy, though, so I typically do it by eye/feel).
Second most-important part (and most important if you are grilling steaks): Salt and pepper the burgers about 15-20 minutes before grilling. If you do it while they're on the grill, it's too late. This gives time for the salt to draw out some moisture, which will then dissolve the salt and be reabsorbed into the meat. There will be a bit more salt on the outside, which is great, because you want the outside to cook more anyway. This also helps with the charring.
Then, when cooking, use as hot a flame as possible. Heat the grill, clean it, and oil it (flames are a bonus). Get the grill as hot as possible and put the burgers on. About 90-120 seconds later, rotate them 90 degrees or so to get the criss-cross grill marks. About 90-120 seconds later, flip, reduce flame appropriately, and grill for a few minutes. Rotate 90 degrees, and grill another few until it's done to your preference. Oh, and NEVER under any circumstance press down on the burger while it is on the grill!!!
After that, take them off the grill and let them rest, lightly covered with Al foil, about 5-10 minutes before serving. In that time, toast the buns on the grill.
Use fresh meat... Supermarket meat is OK, but frozen and thawed is not.
The most important part: Don't overwork the meat! I form the meat into a loose ball with my hands (maybe 1/3-1/2# per). I then place the ball on a wax-paper covered cutting board, and place another wax-paper covered cutting board on top and press down evenly. If I feel like it, I place something of the right thickness on either side of the meat to get the burger thickness exactly right (I'm lazy, though, so I typically do it by eye/feel).
Second most-important part (and most important if you are grilling steaks): Salt and pepper the burgers about 15-20 minutes before grilling. If you do it while they're on the grill, it's too late. This gives time for the salt to draw out some moisture, which will then dissolve the salt and be reabsorbed into the meat. There will be a bit more salt on the outside, which is great, because you want the outside to cook more anyway. This also helps with the charring.
Then, when cooking, use as hot a flame as possible. Heat the grill, clean it, and oil it (flames are a bonus). Get the grill as hot as possible and put the burgers on. About 90-120 seconds later, rotate them 90 degrees or so to get the criss-cross grill marks. About 90-120 seconds later, flip, reduce flame appropriately, and grill for a few minutes. Rotate 90 degrees, and grill another few until it's done to your preference. Oh, and NEVER under any circumstance press down on the burger while it is on the grill!!!
After that, take them off the grill and let them rest, lightly covered with Al foil, about 5-10 minutes before serving. In that time, toast the buns on the grill.