Ok so I need some advice. I've been working periodically on building my ideal home burger over the last several months. I've tried a lot of different combinations of beef cuts and spicing techniques, and while many have tasted great, they've all suffered from the same textural weakness: they're too soft. The patties are so soft that you can barely tell you're biting through meat. I want something with a much more substantial chew.

I've tried cooking them more thoroughly (up to well done), I've tried giving them a thicker crust, I've tried salting at all possible stages of the process, I've tried packing the patties more tightly, but I get pretty much the same texture every time. What do burger places do differently that I'm not doing? Are my burgers too high in fat? Should I replace the chuck in my blends with Sirloin? Any ideas would be appreciated.