Step 1 Use a fork to mix together the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Toss the butter chunks with the flour mixture and chill 10 minutes in the freezer.
Step 2 Blend the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the dough is partly the texture of coarse meal, with some chunks of butter flattened but still whole. When you're three-fourths of the way to this point with the butter, add the shortening, blending it in the same way.
Step 3Using a fork, stir the water into the flour-butter-shortening mixture 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, just until a piece of dough holds together when pressed between your fingers. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, press it into a disk and chill 15 to 30 minutes.
Step 4On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8-to a scant 1/4-inch thickness and fit it into a glass or dull aluminum perforated 9-inch pie pan, guiding the dough downward to hug the sides of the pan. Using scissors, trim the dough to a 1/2-to 3/4-inch overhang. Fold this extension under itself to create a rim. Use the side of your index finger and thumb and the index finger of your other hand to crimp the edges of the dough. Chill or freeze the crust until ready to fill, at least one hour.