I recently made hamburgers with very lean meat, probably 93% fat free. It was tasteless and tough.
What is your hambuger choice of meat. A man at the meat market advised me one day to mix two
meats together and I can't remember what they were.
I like mine fat and juicy, medium rare on a grilled whole wheat bun.
My SO likes them skinny.
These are the options I see most often:
ground beef, ground chuck, ground round, ground sirloin and lean ground beef
Go with 80/20.
I use ground sirloin- I believe it is 85/15 or 90/10 and they always turn out good, whether I make them fat or thin.
Sirloin makes awful hamburgers because it is too lean. I like ground round but no more than 85%.
I’d say 85/15, or 80/20. (I find 80/20 to be too greasy. My husband prefers 80/20.) ) We use ground round, or just ground beef.
For hamburgers, I like the 93% lean. If you broil it, it is very flavorful and not tough at all.
I like the 85% lean for meatloaf. I have made meatloaf with the 93% and did find it tasteless and tough.
We make burgers with the 93% lean and have never had a problem. We barbeque, so maybe the way they’re cooked is making a difference. We just sprinkle ours with a little garlic salt or Black Magic and we’re good to grill. I’m not a big burger fan, but even I enjoy ours.
The less fat in the meat the more tough and dry it is. Fat is what gives beef it’s flavor. So get the less expensive meat and drain it more.
85% lean if I use hamburger at all. I tend to use ground turkey or chicken, and have a great ground turkey burger recipe that my family loves that I get requests for to bring to barbecues.
As for myself, if I ever miss the taste of burgers I just get the vegetarian ones. It’s not even the meat I crave, but what goes on the burgers. So I’m really looking for some good homemade recipes for veggie burgers that will taste good with a little cheese and BBQ sauce or hot sauce.
I like extra lean (93% fat free) - thick burgers cooked rare.
The more fat the better it tastes. For just casseroles and stuff I use the lean meat, but for hamburgers I use fatty. Of course, my husband can’t have beef so if it’s something we’re sharing it’s ground turkey, which is ok, but not has a hamburger.
Mix ground beef and ground pork to get a good hamburger.
I’m a turkey burger kinda’ girl 
I like to use 80/20 ground chuck. Much more flavorful than ground round or sirloin.
I will use leaner ground beef (90/10) for stuff like spaghetti sauce and chili, and more fatty stuff (but not much more - usually 85/15) for grilled burgers. Hubby always complains if the meat is too lean - fat adds flavor!
I ask my butcher what’s good.
Butcher ground groundbeef usually has lots if different cuts.
My personal fav beef option is when its half ribs scraps & part marbled steak scraps along with whatever else has been cut that day.
I love bison, lamb/beef combo, turkey & tap,
For a burger, you want some fat!
Ground chuck.
Normally for other stuff I buy very lean ground beef, like 93% or at least 90.
To me what makes it ALL (no matter the fat content) better is the natural ground beef–no hormones or antibiotics. Pricier, but worth it to me.
My favorite is grass fed buffalo. It is naturally leaner and juicier than beef and has a wonderful, earthy flavor (although it’s not to everyone’s taste).
For beef burgers, I prefer a 85/15 or 80/20 mix. You’re right, the lean meats are not great as burgers.
I also love to mix 2 parts beef to 1 part ground chicken and 1 part ground pork (or ground lamb or ground turkey, really anything will do). Throw in some spices and pan fry or grill.
I’m like your SO - I like them on the skinny side, but medium rare.
Stomach growling now…and I’ve already had dinner.
If you want to use less fat meat then try making them more rare. Otherwise I would use 80/20 or 85/15 for burgers. I just made tacos with the leanest ground beed (93?) and they were fine. But with burgers you need a little fat. I only eat a burger once every few months, so when I eat one I want it to be good!