MISS GRACE’S
BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Yields 1 dozen
biscuits
Ingredients
7 tablespoons lard
2 cups organic all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
You will need:
5 to 6 (2-pound) muslin sausage sacks Butcher’s string
Grind the meat in a meat grinder, or stand mixer fitted with the
coarse plate meat grinder, and use a kitchen scale to weigh out 10
pounds; place the meat in a very clean stoppered-up sink. Grind
the trimmings separately and set aside separately.
Measure the salt, cayenne, red pepper flakes, sage, sugar, and
Instacure into a small bowl and toss with a fork until well
blended. Sprinkle this evenly over the ground meat and mix well
with your hands.
Pinch off a walnut-sized lump and pan-fry it in a cast-iron skillet
over medium-high heat: You are testing the meat to see that it
has enough fat that the sausage does not stick to the pan. Brown
well on both sides, taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
If the sausage still adheres to the skillet, add ground trimmings
to the mixture 4 ounces at a time, mixing thoroughly after each
addition and retesting it, until you achieve a nice, lean sausage
that has just enough fat in it to not adhere to the skillet.
Stuff the meat mixture into the 2-pound muslin sausage sacks and
secure the open end with butcher string. Hang from the garage
rafters, or other protected place, in 45° F or cooler temperatures
for 3 to 5 days, then vacuum seal and freeze. I like to keep one in
the refrigerator to enjoy immediately!
1 cup buttermilk
Directions
1.
2.
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
3.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking
soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Blend
in the remaining 5 tablespoons lard using a pastry blender, or two forks, until
the dough is crumbly. Make a well in
the center, pour in the buttermilk, and
mix quickly with a fork until the dough
forms a ball.
4.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured
surface and knead 15 to 20 times. The
dough should be soft, but not sticky. Roll
out to a ½ -inch thickness, and cut with
a biscuit cutter or a juice glass. Place the
biscuits in the greased pans, turning
once to coat both sides. Bake on the upper rack of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the lard in 2 (9inch) cake pans, or on a large rimmed
baking sheet.
Adventure Outdoors Fall 2016 83