After a couple of experiences with ground beef that was slimy and gross we started buying it at a local old-fashioned butcher shop/small grocery -- they have specials on 10-lb bags fairly often and it's no more expensive than the supermarket stuff that way.
I think I've read that a lot of meat is packaged with carbon monoxide to keep it red and fresh looking, which would probably explain the burger that is nice and pink outside and brown inside; I've encountered that, too. I'm thinking we should maybe buy a quarter or half a beef from someone locally, but then we'd need another freezer, and really don't have a great place to put one...
