Asian markets tend to have the best price on pork belly. I pay $1.50/lb. 200-225 is way to hot. Go lower if you can unless you really want your bacon precooked. After curing and rinsing, give it one more day in the fridge uncovered to form a sticky film, called the pelicle. This will help the bacon grab the smokey flavor. Enjoy.

Mycroft, precooked turkey could be okay... depending upon how she reheats it. Problem is, if the meat's already cooked, reheating will dry it out (as you've guessed) HOWEVER one can reheat meat without (too much) drying by a nice slow steam. Cover it with foil, toss some stock in bottom of roasting pan and bring heat up to 250. Be sure to put turkey into cold oven and have stock slightly warm to start with. Still don't want to heat too long as even steam will over cook the meat and it will be grainy. The best thing to do is to pour some fat over the turkey while its reheating.

Yeah I noticed that too...but do you know anything about the precooked birds???

I am getting scared.

So DJ seriously... I need to know. Have you or any every heard of ordering a Turkey precooked? And should I be worried that it will taste like cardboard?

Last year, my girlfriend and I tried Alton Brown's Brine Turkey recipe...Man oh man, it was so good. If you haven't brined a turkey I recommend you do. It is fan-freakin-tastic.

This year we are going to my sister's, which could be bad... Apparently, she is ordering a precooked organic Turkey(does anyone know anything about this??) and then she is going to reheat it in the oven. It sounds like a terrible idea to me, but what do I know. It has prompted my dad and my other sister to politely suggest that we should make the turkey, but my sister is a little bit of control freak.

Any thoughts?

MH