Basic thin burger patties

Recipe

• ground beef that's at least 20% fat (1/4 lb, 113g per patty, I do two patties per person)
• cheese slices (American cheese is probably best for thin burgers)
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• clarified butter
• buns
• toppings (I do lettuce, raw sweet onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard)

1. If you don't have clarified butter, you can make it by boiling butter over low heat until it's boiled out most of its water and the milk solids are just starting to turn golden, 10-15 minutes. Strain through a paper towel.
2. If you're using freshly ground beef that has a loose internal texture (kinda like worms), it helps to knead the meat for a few minutes until it develops a tighter, pasty texture. This will help a very thin burger hold together as you cook it.
3. I like to cut a parchment paper square for every thin burger I'm going to cook. I divide the meat into individual balls, dip them in clarified butter, then press them into the paper, making them a little thicker along the rim than they are at the center, and making them considerably wider than I want them in the end. I like to season the tops with pepper and garlic powder, but no salt yet. With the paper, you can stack them up and put them in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook — they'll be easier to handle cold.
4. If you're cooking these outside, a charcoal grill is usually the best way to get the extremely high heat necessary for thin burgers. Make your fire about as hot as you can. If you're doing these inside, a wide cast iron pan over high heat is a good option, but be aware this is going to make a lot of smoke.
5. When your cooking surface is extremely hot, peel the burger halfway off the paper before carefully plopping it onto the heat. When the burgers are on, that's a convenient time to sprinkle on some salt — with a thin burger, I don't think it really matters if you season both sides lightly or season one side heavily.
6. When juice is starting to pool on top of the burgers, they're probably ready to flip. Scrape the burger from the bottom before flipping. If you want cheese, put it on immediately after flipping — American cheese is more likely to actually melt in time. When the bottom is brown, a very thin burger is almost certainly done on the inside, or will be done after it rests for a few minutes.
7. Toast the cut sides of the bun in the heat, but keep in mind they'll probably only need 10-15 seconds at these temperatures. Assemble and top your burgers as you desire.