Place all of the ingredients except for the pecans in a heavy, very large, seasoned cast iron pan or kettle. Bring it to a boil while stirring on high until the sugar melts and begins to foam. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the pecans and reduce the heat to medium if necessary. You must stir them continually!
Stir and stir pecans to prevent any of them from being burnt. This process will take about 25 minutes as the sugar caramelizes and then crystallizes turning to powder. Do not panic as it is supposed to turn to powder. Keep stirring until the powder has melted again making dark melted bumps on the pecans.
Note: This is an advanced recipe and easy to mess up. While stirring, don't answer the door, don't answer the phone, and don't stop to use the restroom. You are just focusing on stirring. Also, don't try to clean the pan. Just add water and let it sit and it will clean up easily.