Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

ditto that ... great post and you answered all the questions. we did one yesterday at 180 for ten hours in a slow cooker with a beer brine ... very tasty and lovin' the leftovers today!

spent yeserday with Kansas City smoking experts talking turkey and came away with some pretty good tips: Forget what Uncle Sam says. When was the last time a guy with an American flag top hat came to your house and cooked? Breast meat is done at 155 degrees and legs at 160-165 are perfect. Brining is recommended from 12 to 48 hours but don't overdue the salt. Cooking the turkey on a smoker is fantastic but only use smoke for about 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Period. If you brine, then pat the bird dry and leave in the fridge unwrapped or cool place for 24 hours, it'll still be moist on the inside and you'll get crispy skin on the outside. These guys cooked a few birds using very small amount of hickory and cherry wood. Another only used pecan. Rule of thumb was to use only the mildest woods, sparingly ... it doesn't take much for turkey. If you use a shallow roasting pan and baste the bird while smoking it ... WOW, the drippings make for terrific gravy when thinned out in a stock! Smoking was done a little hotter than usual between 250 - 300 degree for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Thermometers are a must. None of these guys stuffed their birds. I'm adding one wrinkle but I've done it a number of times and it takes a little technique - and that's deboning the turkey - spectacular.

My wife and I always make quick friends with the wait staff at restaurants. Push the emotion button: feel their pain, admire their good traits and ask for their advice on the best tables and why. "While we have a drink and wait in the bar, can you make that happen for us?" "In your opinion, whose your best server and what section does s/he work in? And how can you get us there?" On special occasions we have walked into a restaurant in the middle of a week, at a slow time in the afternoon, met with the manager and have him/her point out the best table and server. "We're having a special celebration this Saturday, we'd like a reservation for 8pm, we're going to be drinking some pretty good wine, we'd like that server and that table. We're coming here on recommendation that your chef and wait staff are terrific. Is that true? Tell me about them." Neither of us have ever had a problem ... and the restaurant staff is buzzing that 'these people came in 4 days ago just to pick out their table'. The message is this: most restaurants love being in the hospitality business and when you admire their surroundings and efforts and treat them with respect ... you will be highly rewarded with the best food they can prepare and be served by the friendliest, most professional staff on hand. They'll greet you by name and treat your guests like royalty. You can do this on long or short term notice. Best of all ... no one spits in your food.

saw it yesterday and agree that Julia's story is the stronger of the two ... movie has an opening scene in which a trout is de-boned table side in the slickest, most elegant fashion ... and reminds me how much yet there is to learn ... and how much yet there is to eat!