Smoked Pecan Pie

1. Get out and measure your ingredients.

Pie Crust

1. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in food processor that's fitted with a steel blade. Scatter chilled butter and frozen shortening over dry ingredients and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle egg white mixture over flour mixture and use blade of rubber spatula, to fold the egg into the flour mixture. Then press down on dough with flat side of spatula until dough sticks together.
3. Shape pie dough into ball using your hands, then flatten it out into 4-inch disk. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
4. Lightly flour work surface and roll chilled dough into a 13-inch circle. Then transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, preferably metal. Press dough into corners and sides of pan, being careful not to stretch dough. Trim edges of dough leaving a ½-inch overhang. Tuck overhanging dough under so that folded edge is flush with rim of pan. Flute the edge of the crust by using your fingers to pinch the edges together.
5. Chill shell until firm, about 1 hour. Prick sides and bottom with fork.
6. Line entire shell with heavy-duty aluminum foil, pressing foil firmly against shell and extending it over fluted rim. Prick foil with fork and return shell to refrigerator while oven is heating.
7. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F with the oven rack in the center of the oven. Bake, pressing the dough down to flatten ay puffing using mitt-protected hands. Bake until crust is firmly set, about 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake again until bottom begins to color, about 10 minutes. Remove the crust from oven, brush sides and bottom with egg yolk, and bake again until yolk glazes over, about 1 minute longer. Remove from oven, and set aside while preparing the filling.

Maple Pecan Filling

1. Melt butter in medium heatproof bowl set in skillet of water maintaining the temperature at just below simmer. When the butter is melted, remove bowl from skillet.
2. Add sugar and salt to the butter and mix with wooden spoon until butter is absorbed. Beat in eggs, followed by maple syrup.
3. Return bowl to hot water; stir with a wooden spoon until mixture is shiny and warm to the touch, about 130 degrees F.
4. Remove the bowl from heat and stir in pecans.
5. Pour mixture into warm shell.
6. Smoke at 250 degrees for 90-120 minutes, checking every 30 minutes until crust is golden brown..
7. Smoke until center feels set yet soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed.
8. Allow to totally cool on a rack to set, at least 4 hours.
9. Serve pie at room temperature or warm.
10. Slice.
11. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
12. Enjoy every bite.

Oven Instructions

1. Warm baked pie crust in oven until ready to add filling. Pour the filling into the warm pie crust and bake at 275 degrees F until center feels set yet soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer pie to rack; let cool completely, at least 4 hours.