Pie Crust

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.
2. Drop in spoonfuls of the lard all throughout the bowl. Then use your hands to work the lard into the dry ingredients until it’s well combined with fine tiny lumps throughout.
3. Add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of ice water. Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough.
4. If it still appears too dry, add the additional third tablespoon of water. The dough should turn shaggy but evenly moistened and it should hold its shape when formed together without sticking to your hands.
5. Form the dough into a ball and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Pat it into a 1″ thick disk and wrap tightly. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425F.
6. Once chilled, place the unwrapped pie dough on a fresh sheet of clean plastic wrap and place another sheet on top. Roll out the dough between the two sheets of plastic wrap until it’s about 1-2 inches larger than the diameter of the 9″ pie dish.
7. Peel back the top layer of plastic wrap to now be left with the pie dough on a single sheet of plastic wrap. This makes it super easy to transfer and maneuver the pie dough to the pie dish.
8. Simply flip pie dough onto the pie dish with the plastic wrap now facing up. Gently adjust the pie dough to fit into the bottom and sides of the dish. Once you have it where you want it, peel back to the plastic wrap to reveal a perfectly placed pie shell.
9. Cut off any excess around the dish and crimp the edges to your liking.
10. Lightly dust the inside with some flour and poke holes on the bottom using a fork. Brush the crimped crust edges with an egg wash.
11. Crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and then unravel it flat. Mold the paper to the inside of the pie shell and fill with pie weights or dry beans.
12. Bake the crust for 20-23 minutes, then remove the pie weights and paper and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until the bottom is baked through.
13. Allow the crust to cool off to the side while we make the filling. Keep the oven at 425F.*I suggest placing the pie dish on a small baking pan which will make it easier to transfer the pie in and out of the oven once the filling is added.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, and brown sugar.
2. Once smooth, mix in all of the remaining ingredients (salt, spices, eggs, vanilla). The batter should be pretty thin.
3. Pour the filling into the crust.
4. Using some small sheets of foil, create a collar around the edges of the pan to prevent the crust from burning.
5. Now bake the pie at 425F for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350F and bake for 30 minutes.

Candied Pecans

1. In the meantime, make the candied pecan mix.
2. In a medium bowl, add the pecans, reserved egg white, and melted lard. Stir to coat.
3. Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to evenly distribute. The mixture should have a syrupy quality.
4. After the 30 minutes is up, remove the pie from the oven and take off the foil collar.
5. Using your fingers (this part gets a little messy), sprinkle the candied pecans all around the edge of the pie. Allow any excess syrup to drip off into the bowl.
6. Return the pie to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant and golden and the center of the pie has a slight jiggle.
7. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill uncovered overnight.
8. The next day, slice and serve with any toppings to your liking (although I find this pie doesn’t need any extras). Enjoy!