Back in the day when I 1) did a fair bit of baking, and 2) didn't have much money, and 3) had already decided that Crisco was horrible, I used to save fats from cooking. We ate a lot of chicken then so I would render down the chicken fat (schmaltz, I believe, in Yiddish), and use it in a lot of the things I made. I used it my pie pastry once as an experiment (1/2 schmaltz, 1/2 butter) and it turned out surprisingly well. There was a mild chicken flavor, but for a spicy pie, like pumpkin or mincemeat, it wasn't noticeable. I never had anyone say anything about an "off" flavor. That one time experiment became my standard pie crust for several years. I think I only stopped when I found a source for lard. I have made pastry with just butter, but, while it tastes good, it isn't as flaky. I still make pies at Thanksgiving, for others not for me; 1/2 butter, 1/2 lard.