Southern Biscuits By Alton Brown Recipe

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Using your fingers, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. It will be very sticky. Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top of dough with flour and gently pat out until about 1 inch thick. Cut out biscuits with 2-inch cutter or glass with same diameter. You will need to dip cutter often to keep from sticking. Place biscuits so they are just barely touching on cookie sheet. Reform scrap dough and cut again. Biscuits from second and third pass will not be as tender. Bake for about 12 minutes until biscuits are tall and brown.