The Cookshack
The Cookshack
The Cookshack features a different kind of hot chicken, and opens 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26. CEO Mark Rogers is quick to point out that The Cookshack is not to be confused with “traditional Tennessee hot chicken.”
Some locations get typecast. The spot at 500 University Drive was once home to a fried chicken joint in Lisa’s Fried Chicken. Now, the lot near the new Austin City Taco and Deep Ellum Brewing has emerged as another kind of fried chicken joint altogether.
The Cookshack features a different kind of hot chicken, and opens 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26. CEO Mark Rogers is quick to point out that The Cookshack is not to be confused with “traditional Tennessee hot chicken.”
He and Stephen Payne, Cookshack’s director of operations, have a background from Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. In fact, Rogers’ father, Doug, co-founded it in 1979. “Stephen and I have been making chicken tenders for over 25 years, and I think we have perfected it,” Rogers says.
You won’t find all the parts on the menu. Most dishes serve just the tenderloins, and the chicken sandwich comes with a breast. But they come in many forms and several heat levels, which are denoted by their trademark red hens with flaming tail feathers.
You can choose from not hot, mild, medium, Texas hot and AMF ― which Rogers clarifies stands for Adios My Friend. It includes all three of the world’s hottest peppers: Carolina Reaper, scorpion, and ghost. You have been warned ― things can get hot at The Cookshack.
Tenders come in three sizes with a side and sauce (two for $7, three for $9, or five for $12). They even come on salads and alongside Belgian waffles if you prefer. You’ll also find applewood smoked ribs in half or full racks. These may be the world’s first “hot ribs” prepared to taste in the same heat levels.
There are six sauces to choose from as well: sweet heat, ranch, BBQ, buffalo, and Cookshack ― which is their version of the classic “Comeback” sauce with mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire, horseradish, lime, and garlic powder.
Whether you choose to go “bird or hog” (or a combination of both) for your entrée, you get to choose a side. The three types of French fries include Dragon Fries, which are seasoned with just a touch of scorpion pepper ― the second hottest pepper on the planet. “It’s just hot enough, but we’re not trying to hurt anybody with our Dragon Fries,” Rogers says.
Other sides include mac and cheese or Texas caviar, tossed with traditional black-eyed peas, corn, chopped bell pepper, tomato, and lime.
This was never intended to be a one-off either. Rogers’ plan is to perfect the concept at this prototype location and then take Cookshack on the road. “We wanted our Cookshack concept to start here and grow from here,” he says. “We grew up in the area, and it’s important to us.”
Hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
