For the chicken brine, place the chicken in a large bowl, add the buttermilk, sugar, salt and hot sauce and gently stir to combine. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the biscuits, preheat the oven to 450°F, with rack at center.
Place the lard in an 8-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet and heat in the oven for at least 10 minutes while you make the biscuit batter.
Divide the dry ingredients in half and sift in 2 parts into a medium mixing bowl. With a cheese grater, grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Be sure to use all of it.
Incorporate the butter by hand, making sure it is evenly distributed, but don't over handle the mixture. Pour in 1 cup of buttermilk and stir lightly just until all of the dry ingredients get wet, but do not over stir. If needed, add a splash more buttermilk.
Flour your countertop and have the melted butter on hand. Carefully and quickly remove the hot skillet from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface, thick towel or trivet. Flour BOTH hands. Spoon one-sixth or so of the batter into 1 floured hand. Toss the wet (exposed side) into your other floured hand to lightly coat, then dip it into the hot lard and flip it over. Working quickly, repeat with the remaining batter, making sure all biscuits in the skillet are touching. Top with the melted butter and bake for 17 minutes.
While the biscuits bake, bread and fry the chicken. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients, then dump them into a brown paper bag. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, transfer it from the brine to the bag, shake until completely coated and place on a wire rack. Make sure the pieces don't touch one another and let them dry out for about 5 minutes while you heat the oil.
In a 12-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat ½ to ¾ inch of peanut oil to 300 to 350°F. Fry 2 or 3 pieces of chicken at a time, 5 to 6 minutes on the first side and 3 to 4 minutes on the other. Set on a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
For the honey butter, in a small bowl, whisk together the butter, honey and lemon juice.
To serve, split a biscuit in half. Add some honey butter to the bottom half, then top with a piece of chicken, more honey butter, the top half of the biscuit and more honey butter.
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