Traditional Country Ham Biscuits

Preheat your oven. Grate your frozen butter and cube your cold shortening. In a large bowl, quickly work the cold fats into the self-rising flour using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter remaining.

Make a well in the center and pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pat it into a rectangle, then fold it in half like a book. Turn it 90 degrees and repeat this folding process 4 to 5 times to build those signature flaky layers.

Pat the dough down to about a $3/4$-inch thickness. Using a sharp 2-inch biscuit cutter, press straight down without twisting (twisting seals the edges and prevents them from rising). Place the biscuits on a baking sheet so their sides are just touching—this helps them climb upward. Bake until the tops are a beautiful golden brown.

While the biscuits bake, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Trim any excessively thick rind off your paper-thin country ham slices. Drop them into the dry, hot skillet. Cook them very briefly—just long enough to warm the meat through and render a bit of the fat. Overcooking country ham will turn it tough, leathery, and overwhelmingly salty.

Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar (or honey), and Dijon mustard. Split your hot, fresh biscuits in half. Brush the inside surfaces generously with the sweet butter glaze. Fold a few ribbons of warm country ham into each biscuit, pop the tops back on, and serve immediately.