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[okie smokie]

Thin, fat, ?  Best meat for them?  80/20?  85/15? 90/19? etc.  With bacon, tomato, pickles, onions, jalapeños, cheese/ what kind and how much, etc.
I was a fry cook as a teen at a local drugstore that had a full fountain and sandwich counter (a thing of the past).  We made what I feel were some of the best burgers I have eaten. 
1. On a large griddle,
2. About a fifth (the boss was a bit of a Scotsman) of a pound of average ground beef about 80/20 mashed thin between two dinner plates
3. Fried well done
4. Buns toasted in the juices and fat from the meat (done on the grill also).
5. Offered pickles, onions (chopped) mustard and/or Mayo, and shredded lettuce (not a lot).
Secret of their popularity was that they were served HOT off the grill especially the buns.  In fact I have always held that the hot toasted buns are a necessity for good burgers.  Nothing ruins a good burger more than a cold, non-toasted bun. Or a patty that is so thick it tastes like a meat ball.
Comments?

[ylr]

I like my burgers thin, with a little bit of crunch around the edges. I think 80/20 is the best all around combo. I eat mine with mayo, a little pickle, a little onion, and lettuce.

[Free Mr. Tony]

I would agree with just about every aspect of what you posted. Especially agree about the toasted bun. I also do mine on the griddle along side the burgers in the melting beef fat.

I would add fresh home ground beef as the only way to make a great burger. I think store bought beef can make a good burger, but never great. The looseness of the home ground beef makes all the texture difference in the world.

My secret sauce is mayo mixed with sugar. I grew up in a small town with something called dairy sweet. They had what they called big chiefs and little chiefs. The owner was the football coach, and the school mascot was a warrior. That was their sauce, and I make it often. Griddled burger, mayo/sugar mix, shredded iceberg, and sometimes a couple pickle chips on a toasted bun.

[TechMOGogy]

Agree with what has been posted.
I coarse grind probably 80/20 and form 2 3oz balls per person but pack them very very loosely
Nothing added to meat other than salt as they go on the griddle
450-500 flattop and smash burger (just started additionally pressing down the edges to get more contact)
I used to do 1 min, flip, add cheese and pull
Recently, I have fallen in love with 1.5 min, flip, add cheese and do another 1.5 mins - adds more crusty goodness and texture.
Buns on the griddle too and sometimes add an over easy egg.
Now I’m hungry

[reubenray]

I like the 80/20 mix along with about 25% of ground pork.  I recently got a Blackstone 17" flattop, but after cooking burgers on it twice I think I prefer the smoker with grill grates.

[Kristin Meredith]

I like a grilled burger best, something with a little char flavor.  And I like a huge flat patty that I can put grilled onions and sauteed mushroom on and not have them all fall off!

FMT, your sweet mayo sounds like Miracle Whip.  Bent hates it, but I love it because it is sweeter than mayo.  I use it with potato salad (my Mom always did) and everyone loved Mom's potato salad and loves mine -- they say the flavor is better (that's because it is sweeter!).  Bentley hates it, but then again, he wants dill pickles and olives in his potato salad, so that is a dish we don't see eye to eye on.

[BigDave83]

It is hard to find a burger I don't like, unless it is cook to a hard puck. I make thin ones most of the time 1/4 pounders but I like making 1/2 pound burgers and even sometimes go the full pound. 80/20 is great they don;t shrink as much as the 73/27 stuff that we get at times. Make on the grill a lot of the time if I am doing thinner I will use the little Blackstone griddle.

I like a nice potato roll or a big kaiser toasted or grilled.

For topping I am easy, I can eat just about anything, but if I have my choice 95% of the time it is a good crunchy dill pickle, fresh sweet/vidalia onion sliced on the thicker side, some cheese, provolone or american and yellow frenchs mustard.

If I didn't have chicken legs to make to day you'd have me wanting to burgers now.

[Mudflap]

As long as I can find land I don't have to pay to hunt on I will go with 1/2lb Elk burgers....cant remember the last time I cooked a beef burger. 

Mudflap

[okie smokie]

So far, "thin" is the most popular.  Now lets define "thin".  To me that is around half inch or less.   Also, two thin patties, cooked until the edges are crispy, and then placed together on the bun is better than the same amount of meat made into one patty.   

[bregent]

So far, "thin" is the most popular.  Now lets define "thin".  To me that is around half inch or less.   Also, two thin patties, cooked until the edges are crispy, and then placed together on the bun is better than the same amount of meat made into one patty.   

Never measured but probably closer to 1/4" and yeah, 2 patties per bun. Haven't made burgers from commercial ground beef in the last few years. Usually make ground brisket, but last time did a brisket/short rib combo that was amazing. Probably around 75/25 lean/fat.

I used to make thick burger with a panade, which is bread/milk mixture which helps trap the juices inside and allows for a well done burger that is still juicy. But smash burgers cook so quick they stay juicy without any of that, and you can't beat that extra flavor from the crispy edges.

[Free Mr. Tony]

FMT, your sweet mayo sounds like Miracle Whip.

It's very similar. Probably half way between regular mayo, and miracle whip. I grew up on miracle whip thinking that was the same as mayo. Didn't care for it then, but don't mind it now in certain situations. Pretty much that burger sauce and potato salad is about the only time I sweeten mayo. I do like a little pickle relish in my potato salad, but not olives. Just made a batch today. I was cooking for a baby shower.

[cookingjnj]

I guess I will go against the grain a little bit on this one.  I like a thicker burger patty.  It has to be 80/20.  When making the burgers, I will divide a 1# package of ground beef into three portions for 1/3# burgers.  I barely handle and work the meat into patties so they do not become dense and stay nice and airy throughout during the cook.  Usually seasoned with SP or Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Like Kristin I prefer the burger grilled topped with cheese and of course a toasted bun.  Hmm...getting hungry now. 

[urnmor]

IMO if you want thin go to McDonalds if you want a burger go at least 80oz with good marble (Fat content) good over high heat to a internal temp of 130 Hey just my opinion

[okie smokie]

IMO if you want thin go to McDonalds if you want a burger go at least 80oz with good marble (Fat content) good over high heat to a internal temp of 130 Hey just my opinion

80 oz would be over 5 lbs?.   Guess you meant 8 oz.  Half pounders are very popular, but not for me.  However I never cook hamburger to medium or medium rare.  Meat grinders are notorious for harboring bacterial contamination.  Especially store made hamburger.  But TEHO   

[BigDave83]

IMO if you want thin go to McDonalds if you want a burger go at least 80oz with good marble (Fat content) good over high heat to a internal temp of 130 Hey just my opinion

How long does it take to cook a 5 pound burger, and what do you do for a bun? I would try to eat it all.