A number of factors make a good burger, and different weights of meat can be used for different styles. For the best-cookout-of-your-life burgers, aim for four ounces per patty.

Thin patties cook faster and develop a great crust but can dry out. Six-ounce patties may seem ideal, but they can be trickier to cook evenly because of their thickness.

​​If you want more meat, but prefer the crust on thinner patties, then cook more patties that weigh less, and double or even triple the number you layer on a single burger.

When shaping your patties, keep in mind that they will shrink, and therefore weigh less, once they hit the grill.