Shredded Frozen Butter: The Secret Behind Portland’s Best Biscuits
“I have seen biscuits all over the world, and I have never seen butter shredding,” Guy Fieri exclaimed, watching the team at Pine State Biscuits run rock-hard frozen butter through a grater. That moment of genuine surprise from someone who’s eaten his way across America tells you everything about what makes this Portland spot special.
Pine State Biscuits brings North Carolina biscuit tradition to Oregon, and the results had Guy calling these “some of the best biscuits I’ve ever had.” The texture, he noted, had “the flakiness” while remaining “light, but there’s real substance to it.”
The Biscuit Technique That Blew Guy’s Mind
The process starts simple enough: all-purpose unbleached flour, baking powder, baking soda (the combination delivers “the best rise” and flakiness), and a little salt whisked together. The wet mix combines reduced-fat buttermilk, full-fat yogurt, and eggs.
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Then comes the game-changer: shredding frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients. “It’s rock hard frozen,” they explained, and that’s exactly the point. The frozen shreds create layers of “flight deliciousness” throughout the dough. But speed matters—”we got to act fast because we don’t want that butter to melt.”
The liquid gets just “two or three spins” before the dough comes out for hand-building. Rolling and folding creates even more layers, and the biscuits bake just below 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, getting a butter brush about 2-3 minutes before they’re pulled.
The Reggie: A Sandwich Born from Compromise
The story behind Pine State’s signature sandwich is pure Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives gold. Brian wanted to name his son Reggie. His wife said “No way.” So he figured the next best thing was naming a sandwich after the kid he never got to have.
The Reggie stacks fried chicken, bacon, gravy, and cheddar between two biscuit halves. Guy’s reaction after doing “the hunch” to take a bite? “That’s ridiculous… It’s got everything on it.” He admitted he ate his own Reggie and then most of his wife’s too.
The fried chicken itself soaks for 24 hours in a buttermilk and cayenne marinade. The dredge uses self-rising flour with coarse ground pepper, and there’s hot sauce in the egg wash. Seasonings include garlic salt, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning—applied directly to the chicken before dipping so the spices stay close to the bird and don’t burn during frying.
Beyond The Reggie
Pine State doesn’t stop at one legendary dish. Guy sampled the Double Down Money Ball—two biscuits buried under gravy with an egg on top. There’s also shiitake mushroom gravy for vegetarians, stewed apples for something sweet, and huckleberry jam that’s “an Oregon deal.”
The sausage gravy itself packs serious flavor: ground pork cooked with olive oil and pureed onions, thickened with flour, and seasoned with cayenne, salt, pepper, nutmeg, coriander, thyme, and sage. Heavy cream and whole milk create the base, with a touch of maple syrup adding depth. Guy’s verdict on the gravy was definitive: “I could be eating a paper towel with that gravy on it.”
And here’s something unexpected—”It’s a biscuit place, but the fried chicken is the best in town.”
North Carolina Roots, Portland Soul
The Pine State crew knows what they’re doing. As one of them put it, in North Carolina “that’s what you get judged by in life—can you make a good biscuit or not?” They use really good buttermilk, quality flour, and emphasize not overworking the dough.
For fans of hearty Southern breakfast done right, Pine State delivers what Guy called “not just bacon and eggs and hash browns—it’s something really unique.” Similar to what you’ll find at a LEGENDARY Breakfast Spot in Phoenix, this is comfort food elevated to an art form.
Find Pine State Biscuits and other Triple D favorites in our restaurant directory.