Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

This is basically the 'best burger' debate boiled down: The real answer is - they're different. Some say 'Big Mac', some say 'Whopper', and others say 'neither'....guess what? You're ALL right - its whatever YOU think is the best - we just have this unflappable need for a top ten list with only one champ. There are lots of great burgers out there and I, for one, am glad they've gotten so much attention - its raised the bar and introduced us to an endless list of mouth-watering possibilities.

When I started experimenting with different cuts, grinding my own, and constantly experimenting with cooking technique in search of the perfect burger.

Fat Mo's

Prime, dry-aged NY Strip - the king of all steaks

A layer of mashed potatoes, layer of stuffing, layer of gravy, heavy grind of pepper, and then a layer of sharp white cheddar. MW'd until cheese melts - eat it like pie. Every T-Day since I was a teenager.

Um, that doesn't look like salami.

Your comment would have more impact if you used good grammar.

Great research/piece, thanks! You touch on a vital part of succesful burgers of any style: S-T-EA-M. Whenever possible, I wrap burgers of any size asap in aluminum foil. This lets them steam - which produces great results for all of the ingredients. Mainly used on basic burgers/CBs, the other benefit is that they will keep for some time this way, a big help if you have a crowd.

1) Regarding handling the burgers: I've had great success using one of those 'burger presses' - here's how/why: Using a press, you never have to touch the meat, and it is still possible to gently form loosely packed burgers...the best is just-about-to-fall-apart loose - that yields the juiciest result.

2) Meatguy - no offense, but it's tough to call yourself 'meatguy' when you insist on killing burgers at 156deg fahrenheit. I don't recommend serving rare bubbaburgers (actually I don't ever recommend using anything produced in ginormous meat-processing plants). But grinding your own or sourcing from trusted vendors means you're more likely to win lotto or get struck by lightning than get food poisoning.

Does anyone else see anything wrong with a Dominos ad next to Di Fara's?

That article shouldn't even be mentioned (except in ridicule) on AHT. Thumbprints are for those who overwork the meat. Its personal preference, but cmballa is right - handled as little as possible and packed so loose they almost fall apart leads to the juiciest result. 'Exactly 3 mins'? That's ridiculous. Salt and pepper well ahead? Knock yourself out, but don't do that to my burger, thanks. And if grilling buns is the only civilized way to eat them - I'll stick with the cavemen at Shake Shack, PJ Clarke's, White Manna, Corner Bistro, etc.

Thanks, Nick - It's about time Wollensky's Grill got involved in the top tier. It was always pretty good meat, but when they re-worked it a year or two ago it skyrocketed up on my list. The true test of a top burger is one that needs no ketchup - and, though I love ketchup, it would take away from WG's superior product.