Standing over a grill full of hamburgers with a spatula in one hand and a beer in the other is about as American as it gets. So patriotic is this summer ritual that it’s easy to forget how far burger culture extends beyond American soil. (The hamburger is named for a German city, after all.)

Countless cuisines feature their own versions, which, in plenty of cases, are better, or at least more interesting, than our default. So, for the sake of mixing it up — and frankly, because you probably don’t need me telling you how to make a classic hamburger — here are nine burgers that move beyond beef.

Regardless of the final product, you’re best off if you grind your own meat. Doing this is not only safer; it also lets you pick out exactly which cuts you want, with as much or as little fat as you like. (I would err on the side of much, but that’s up to you.) A 12-cup food processor can handle a little over a pound of meat at a time; grind in batches, if necessary. You’re looking for meat that’s chopped; overprocessing will lead to tightly packed, tough meat.

Doneness, of course, is a matter of preference. But in my world, lamb burgers are medium-rare, pork just barely pink in the middle, tuna and salmon practically raw in the center and shrimp and scallops just barely opaque.

For all of these, begin by starting a charcoal or gas grill; the fire should be moderately hot (very hot for tuna) and the rack about four inches from the heat source. You can also broil. These cook times are short enough that you shouldn’t walk away. Just stay at your post; anything else would be un-American.