Cooking with the Carrolls

by Dr. Jack Shock 

If you’ve been to a Bison football game in the last 40 years, you’ve seen Coach Charlie Carroll ('79) on the sidelines running the chain gang. Carroll has more than four decades of service as a teacher and coach, and the Searcy School District named the high school track in his honor. And Coach Carroll makes biscuits — "world famous biscuits.”

They threaten to steal the show at Guess and Company in Des Arc, Arkansas — the largest Christmas warehouse in the South. Coach Carroll and his wife, Clara ('79), spend many Christmas season weekends cooking and sharing recipes for the crowds in Miss Carroll’s Kitchen at the warehouse, created by owner Paul Guess.

Clara taught home economics at Guess’ alma mater, Des Arc High School, and they became lifelong friends. She is also emeritus associate dean and professor in Harding’s Cannon-Clary College of Education and the creative director of events at Guess and Company. Her recipes range from Christmas morning breakfast casserole to cowboy candy jalapeno peppers and everything in between. Clara’s Grandma Eula’s coconut cream pie would be perfect after a traditional Christmas dinner, and despite what the name implies, no possums were included in her Arkansas possum pie.

Coach Charlie bakes his “world famous biscuits” and serves them with country gravy, which sounds perfect for Christmas morning. Here’s his recipe:

Coach Carroll’s World Famous Southern Style Biscuits

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 15-20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: Makes 12  2-inch biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder 
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ cup cold butter, cubed
• 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening
• 1 cup buttermilk. Might need ¼ cup more

Mixing and Baking

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

1. Use a pastry blender to cut in 6 tablespoons cubed butter and 2 tablespoons of Crisco shortening. Mixture should be like small beads.
2. Add buttermilk. Gently stir until mixture is slightly moist. Here is where you might need some extra buttermilk. Gradually add the extra buttermilk until it’s a moist ball.
3. Apply 1 ½ cups of self-rising flour to your working surface. Gently knead dough in flour. Roll and push dough in the flour until it becomes a nice round ball of dough covered with flour. Push or roll dough until it's ¾ - 1 inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cutter dipped in flour to cut the biscuits out of the dough roll.
4. Place biscuits into slightly greased cast iron skillet.
5. Bake until lightly brown on top. 15-18 minutes.
6. Brush 3 tablespoons of melted butter on top of biscuits.