Courtesy of seriouseats.com

Headbanging all night would give anyone a hangover. Just ask the hard-partying guys behind Grill ‘Em All Burgers, the long running heavy metal-themed burger truck that set up a brick and mortar base earlier this year in Alhambra. Now, for those not intimately familiar with the landscape of Los Angeles, Alhambra is part of the rolling procession of suburbia that moves west from downtown and doesn’t stop until it burns up somewhere near the Salton Sea. “Valhalla”, as Grill ‘Em All’s burger base is known, sits next to a Menchie’s frozen yogurt and within thrashing distance of an Applebee’s. Still, these dudes know how to rock.

The next time you wake up with a brain screaming 80’s rock jams at you, hop in your AMC Pacer and drive east until you start to smell sizzling beef and bacon. Eventually, you’ll come across Grill ‘Em All’s Dee Snider burger ($9), a beast of a burger named after the Twisted Sister frontman. The half pound of meat is served medium rare unless requested otherwise. It’s plump, coarsely ground, juicy and perfectly salted, topped with thin strips of smoky bacon and a squirt or three of Sriracha. But that’s not why you’re ordering the Dee Snider. You’re curing your hangover with an 80’s hair band legend’s namesake burger because it has peanut butter and jelly on it.

That’s right; the Dee Snider is a PB&J burger with bacon and a Sriracha kick. And no, this isn’t a one-off stunt burger. It’s a part of Grill ‘Em All’s regular menu, and it’s actually co-owner Ryan Harkin’s favorite thing on the menu. It’s not hard to taste why. The Dee (not to be confused with The D) is slapped up with enough peanut butter to give off a smooth, nutty undertone to all of that juice and salt from the patty. Then, when the chile-laced Sriracha and the bacon threaten to take over with their strong flavors, a cooling dose of grape jelly swings in to sugar up and mellow out the meal. It’s indulgent, but Grill ‘Em All’s Dee Snider burger really works as a confluence of salty, sweet and spicy flavors.

The Dee Snider may not be your everyday burger, but you should put it in your phone under Emergency Contacts the next time your head is pounding like a drum. Grill ‘Em All might be a haul for many, especially anyone rocking a nasty hangover, but the results inside Valhalla speak for themselves. Plus, if you catch a second wind, they pour full 16 ounce pints of some of the best craft brews around town. Heavy metal fan or not, that’s music to anyone’s ears.

Grill ‘Em All Burgers

19 East Main Street, Alhambra 91801  GrillEmAllTruck.com