First, pour the sugar into a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely melted and a deep amber color. The sugar will clump up first before it melts! Keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.

Once the sugar is melted, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately whisk in the butter until the mixture is smooth. It'll bubble and splatter quite a bit (that's what the heavy-bottom sauce pan is for!)

Next, pour in the heavy whipping cream, bourbon, and the Kosher salt. Stir vigorously until you have a silky caramel. Taste and add more Kosher salt if desired.

Immediately pour the caramel into a heat-proof bowl and cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Roll out the pie dough until it's about a 12'' round. Place the pie dough into a 9'' pie plate. Fold the edges of the dough and crimp. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. Evenly fill with pie weights or dry beans.

Bake the crust for 15-17 minutes, until the pie dough is light golden-brown on the edges. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment with the pie weights/beans. Let the crust cool.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water until smooth. Brush the egg wash all over the bottom, sides, and edges of the pie crust.

Lower the oven to 350°F.

In a medium pan, toast the pecans just until they're fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Cool for a few minutes. Coarsely chop 1 cup of the pecans. Reserve 1 cup of whole pecans if you want the concentric design on top. If you want a smoother filling, roughly chop all of the pecans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the bourbon caramel sauce, dark brown sugar, whisked eggs, melted butter, vanilla bean paste, and chopped pecans just until the filling is smooth. Don't over-mix!

Pour the filling into the par-baked crust. If you're doing a design on top, arrange the whole pecans in a concentric circle on top of the pie.

Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes, just until the edges are set and the center is still a bit jiggly (like Jell-O). Bake for another 5 minutes, if necessary.

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then, wrap the pie and let it cool in the fridge for 2-3 more hours.

Remove the pie from the fridge and garnish with extra caramel sauce and flaky salt. Slice the chilled pie and re-warm in the microwave if desired. (You can also let it come up to room temperature for an hour on the counter). Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!