[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

The reason Alton grinds his own meat is because that is one of only 2 ways to safely do burgers medium rare. I do it all the time. It eliminates the risks of cooking a ground meat medium rare on a grill.

There is another way. Sous Vide the commercial grind meat patties to 135 for a cpl hours, let cool then add the delicious char. (Blow torch or red hot grill or in cast iron)

Agreed on the thumb trick.

If some grocer close to you happens to carry Boars Head deli items may I recommend their horseradish cheddar if you are making cheese burgers. Best dang cheese burger you will ever make.

[Jeff Chandler]

Yes, with Sous Vide you can hold the burgers at a lower temperature to effectively Pasteurize the meat, but that entails extra processes and hardware. I do something similar with thick steaks, but on the grill. I cook them slowly with low, indirect heat until they're 10-15 degrees from desired done-ness, then reverse sear them. Easy peasy.

Again, the advantage of cooking to medium well is for tenderness, which is automatic with ground beef anyway, and juiciness, which is achieved through light packing of the patties and including sufficient fat content.

But I feel strongly that people should eat what they like the way they like it without regard to what other people tell them they should do. Give me steaks medium rare and hamburgers well done.