Southern Country Ham and Biscuit Stacks

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease an 8-inch cast-iron skillet using shortening.

In a large mixing bowl or food processor, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. Mix or pulse a few times to combine.

Combine butter and 1/4 cup shortening with the flour mixture until you achieve a crumbly consistency. Then, gently stir in buttermilk until just combined, taking care not to overmix.

Transfer dough onto a floured surface and pat it out to about 2-inch thickness. Cut out 6 to 8 biscuits (using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter) and place them in the greased skillet. Bake until golden brown for around 30 minutes.

While the biscuits bake, cook the ham: In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add bacon grease or shortening. Once heated, fry ham slices until the edges turn brown, a few minutes per side. Remove the ham from the skillet, place it on paper towels to drain, and cut each slice in half.

Once biscuits are done baking, let them cool for 5 minutes. To assemble, split each biscuit in half, spread softened butter on each half, and sandwich with a piece of ham.