• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crust

• Prepare the crust by combining 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add ⅓ cup shortening and cut it into the flour mixture with a fork or a pastry cutter until the shortening is the size of small peas.
• Add 3 tablespoons of the 4-6 tablespoons ice water and use a fork to stir the mixture together until it begins to form a dough. Add 1-2 tablespoons of additional water until it's mostly all sticking together. Use your hands to gently knead the dough together and form it into a disk.
• Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and roll out the dough into a 12-14 inch circle. Press the dough into the pie pan, being careful not to stretch it too much otherwise it will shrink as it bakes. Trim off the edges with a sharp knife and add any details you would like to the edge.

Filling

• Add 8 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples to a large bowl and set aside.
• Combine ⅔ cups packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1 pinch salt in a medium bowl.
• Add the sugar mixture to the apples along with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and stir until completely combined and all of the sugar mixture is completely moistened by the apples. Set aside.

Topping

• Combine ½ cup all-purpose flour and ½ cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
• Add ½ cup room temperature salted butter to the flour/sugar mixture and use your hands to rub the butter into it until it's fully incorporated.
• Assemble the pie by adding the apple mixture to the crust, arranging the apples so they fill in the crust completely without holes or gaps.
• Crumble the topping evenly over the top of the apples.
• Place the pie inside a large grocery paper bag so the pie does not touch the bag on the sides or on the top. Carefully fold down the open end of the bag and secure it closed with staples or uncoated paperclips, then place the bag on top of a large baking sheet.
• Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 1 hour.
• Once completely baked, carefully open the paper bag to avoid the steam that will escape from it. Let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.