Clockwise from above: Riley Stewart, Pepper Patch Salad with steak, three-cheese chicken quesadilla, Berry Good Salad with blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, grilled chicken and citrus vinaigrette dressing served with Strawberry Lemonade, and wood-fired shrimp. Urban Cookhouse is open Monday and Wednesday-Saturday, 10:30 am-8 pm; and Sunday, 10:30 am-3 pm. Located at 914 2nd Ave. NW in the 1960s-era Jack’s Hamburgers – interestingly converted by Cullman architect Jock Leonard – the regional franchise also has restaurants in Birmingham, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Nashville.
Good Eats
Urban Cookhouse
Fresh from local growers, grilled on Big Green Eggs ... any questions? Story by David Myers Photos by David Moore
I
t has been clearly established that I love all kinds of food. Of all the foods I find irresistible, though, none rank higher than grilled meat. At home I grill in all weathers – because I like to eat in all weathers. Grilling is one of the best things about eating at home. However, recently and to my delight, I discovered that I can go out to a restaurant and still eat the grilled meat I crave. That’s exactly what Rose and I did at the Urban Cookhouse in Cullman. The beauty here is that the protein – steak, chicken, 32
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turkey, pork – is cooked in a kitchen equipped with a couple of Big Green Eggs, ceramic grills known for precise temperature control. Owner Riley Stewart smokes meat for 18 hours at 200 degrees inside the mounted grills that burn hickory wood and natural charcoal. “It is,” he says, “the best way to cook meat.” I say it’s the best way to eat meat, and the best way to eat the smoked meat at Cullman’s Urban Cookhouse is spelled out on its menu – in a sandwich, a wrap or with a fork and knife. We arrived hungry and Riley promptly covered our table with food. We dove in like the kitchen was afire. I found the menu
terrific, listing sandwiches, wraps, greens, and fork-and-knife plates. The BALT is a riff on a BLT with avocado and turkey raising it to new heights. It’s a popular and trendy Cookhouse item. The White BBQ Sandwich delivers some heat with its grilled chicken and house-made white sauce layered with pepper jack cheese. The Buffalo Chicken Wrap came off the grill with a crispy and crunchy tortilla folded around cheesy chicken with a kick. The Urban Cowboy is the Cookhouse’s most popular sandwich. It saddled up and rode into our hearts with its delicious limemarinated steak, melty pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions and peppers with a spicy
