This Dirty South Biscuit Stole The Show On Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives

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The adjective "dirty" typically has a negative connotation, but when put in front of certain foods or drinks, you know you're about to consume something tasty. Dirty martini. Dirty chai. Dirty South biscuit. Haven't heard of the last one? This was the special dish that took Guy Fieri to a restaurant in Wilmington, North Carolina, for an episode of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

Fieri stops by Cast Iron Kitchen, a brunch powerhouse that has an impressive list of awards, ranging from "Best Sunday Brunch" (WWay Viewers' Choice Awards) to "Best Bloody Mary" (Wilmington Magazine Readers' Choice Awards). Josh Petty, the chef and owner, prioritizes locally sourced food in the kitchen and often uses recipes passed down from his mother and grandmothers. Cast Iron Kitchen serves up Southern comfort food with a contemporary twist, offering dishes like a meatloaf burger (also featured on "Triple D"), shrimp and grits, and chicken and pancake. But it was the dirty South biscuit that blew Fieri away.

Naturally, the foundation of this dish is a biscuit, which is important to get right if you're running a Southern brunch restaurant. Cast Iron Kitchen makes buttermilk biscuits and uses more shortening than what is standard for a tender texture. 

In the "Triple D" episode, Josh Petty demonstrates how the kitchen makes its own country sausage from scratch and incorporates the meat into the house-made gravy. The rest of the dish consists of fried chicken, bacon, Muenster and pepper jack cheese, and a runny egg — but Guy Fieri hates eggs, so his version doesn't have one. These ingredients all get piled on top of a biscuit, then doused in gravy, and served alongside potatoes.

The dirty South biscuit leaves Fieri stunned, and he doesn't know whether to eat it with his hands or with a fork and knife. After taking a few bites, the prominent chef and TV host declares, "That's the kind of dish you fall asleep in." Maybe this wasn't one of Guy Fieri's best one-liners on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", but we think he meant that he liked it.