Just Add Bacon? Here Are Some Simple Tricks to Making a Great Thanksgiving Turkey

November 22, 2017

WRITER

How do you cook a turkey without drying it out? Doc and Chef Patrick swapped turkey-roasting tips in time for Thanksgiving on today’s show.

Priceless: Baby boy eats bacon for the first time

Something Doc has always wanted to try is making a bacon-wrapped turkey. In theory, wrapping the bird in bacon can help keep it moist if you do it properly. Chef Patrick explained why “tenting” is the trick to cooking your wrapped turkey while not completely drying out the bacon.

Want more Thanksgiving tips from Chef Patrick? Listen here for a simple, delicious stuffing recipe and more.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

DOC: This is the Glenn Beck Program. I'm Doc Thompson, in for Glenn today. Because Glenn is parts unknown, enjoying the time off on the holiday. We'll be with you on Friday as well. We're off tomorrow. Friday, we'll be with you. And don't forget, we're giving a free commercial with you. If you have a product, service, business you want to promote, you can't promote somebody else's -- not talking about something you found or discovered that's good. It has to be your business. We'll help you. Call up and give you roughly 60 seconds or so to promote it. If you're promoting a website, which, of course, you should have some sort of place you have -- (?) make sure you're prepared for a lot of people to click on it.

We've done this in the past, people have forgotten about that. And then you don't get the benefit. Be prepared Friday morning, during this broadcast. To call us up. 9:00 to noon Eastern, and we will put you on. If you have a Etsy (?) products or services, consider buying for $10 a domain name that is easy to remember. And then just forwarding that to your Facebook or your Etsy account. Because those get complicated to try to -- it's I sell bacon in favor of veterans plus soap on something with till day underscore. (?) it's a little hard to remember all that. Just do kal's website.com or something like that. And it will be easy to promote. Use the #buildingAmerica. You can start using that now on Twitter. And anybody you hear on the air, we'll tweet out a link in realtime, as they're like, okay. Here's my website. Here's what I do. So you can follow along that way.

And then after the fact, if you forget, oh, I want to find out -- what was that gun website they have? You can look it up later. If you don't get through, same thing. (?) people will begin to search through that as well. It's just something we like to do on Black Friday, promote capitalism, entrepreneurship, and hopefully encourage more and more people that in the coming years, you likely will not have one job that sustains you and your family. Glenn talks about this a lot. There will probably be multiple streams of income, making a little bit here and in respect and you'll just be charged with the task of finding a way.

VOICE: It's a gig economy.

DOC: It's a gig economy. It's a new world. Maybe you farm a little bit to take care of your produce news. You do this part-time job. That part-time job. Whatever. You have a side business. This is going to help you.

One of the hardest things today is to get promoted. One of the first -- one of the most significant things when starting a business is marketing. And yet, it's one of the things that people usually don't spend money on. So you have a great product and service, it's out there. It's ready to go. Nobody knows you're there. And if you're waiting for online, everybody else is doing, you know, social media now as well. So you're inundated. You won't break through. At least when you had a brick and martar (?) there's a new pizza place. Bob's TVs, or whatever it is. You're not seeing that now on the internet. Unless you find a way to break out, right?

VOICE: Absolutely. And that's one of the things I talk about to new businesses all the time. You may have an extremely unique product and a really great target audience, that's giant. That really needs your product. But you spend more on marketing, launching a product, than you do on product development and developing the name and everything. The brand. It's really difficult if you don't know what to do. And, again, we've talked about this before. This is a great format to get exposure, (?) to dial the number.

DOC: Oh. Do you know what it would cost, based on the reach of this broadcast? Millions of people. I mean -- I mean, it's worth it. But for the average person, if you don't have that money, while you're starting a business, if you don't have that capital to invest in -- I mean, it's an investment. It works. It's difficult for you, up front, to put that money out there. This is also a part of content. Where everybody wants that information. They're trying to hear products and services. They're happy to hear your business. So Friday morning. It's 888-727-BECK. Tell your friends and family right now. Dinner tomorrow. Say, listen, cousin Pete, you got that whatever business or whatever. (?) tomorrow morning he's going to give them free cherishes. You dial them up there. You can follow me on Twitter. @DocThompsonshow. I'll be promoting that tomorrow and Friday so you don't forget. Follow Glenn. It's at Glenn Beck. Two N's, by the way.

DOC: You'll give me (?) 60 seconds, Doc?

DOC: Yes, I will. I'll give you (?) business consultant. It's Patrick Mosher. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

PATRICK: Yeah, so I've been in the business about 29 years. The restaurant business.

DOC: Okay. Hold it right there. People don't know how to market. It's not 29. It's about 30. (?)

PATRICK: About 30. (?) is that a question?

DOC: So if it's 29. You say -- about when it's round numbers.

PATRICK: Yeah.

DOC: Like Kal is about 300 pounds. About. Right?

KAL: You know, give or take.

DOC: 100 pounds.

KAL: Forty or 60.

DOC: All right.

PATRICK: Yeah. During my career as a chef, I specialized in opening restaurants. I realized I have a real talent for that. And I went the consulting route about five years ago. Well, ten years officially. But five years full-time. And now I lend my expertise (?) looking to expand or improve their operations. And I try to bring a statistic approach to restaurants, that gives (?) that chains and large operators have in looking at their costs on a daily basis and understanding what they need. And (?)

DOC: Consults for nonfood industry businesses as well. Food industry. Go to foodbizpro.com. Foodbizpro.com. I'll tweet out a link.

All right. Let's talk turkey. Literally. These fads pop up from year to year. Some of them, the deep fried turkeys. And different ways to do turkey or whatever. Some of them work. Some of them are good. Some of them, maybe it's the effort is not really good at it. Turkey is pretty simple to cook. Sorry to let the cat out of the bag. (?) turkeys are pretty basic. Pretty simple to cook, right?

PATRICK: They are. Time, right? Twenty to 30 minutes per pound. Fifteen to 20 minutes per pound. And then a way to keep it moist. That's it.

DOC: And the moist would be either roasting pan. Basting.

PATRICK: Roasting bags.

DOC: You don't to have baste.

PATRICK: You may lose a little skin. (?) if you shake the flour in there, like the directions say, it really produces a moist (?)

DOC: You put the slits. That keeps it inflated. If you're worried about the skin. You can put a couple of toothpicks.

PATRICK: It allows some of the steam to escape. You're actually still roasting it in the bag. That picture -- what's that picture you have --

DOC: Okay. Here it is. One of the recent fads, and I have to ask you about this. Is a bacon-wrapped turkey. It's an intricate. (?) imagine you line up a dozen pieces of bacon one way, then a dozen piece the other way. And you weave it into like a basket pattern. You take that layer of bacon. Put it over the outside of the turkey. Wrapping it around. And roasting it like that. Is this a gimmick? Is this worth the effort? It looks awesome. (?)

VOICE: Do I dare suffer the wrath? The bacon wrath of Twitter.

DOC: Pat. (?)

PATRICK: I do love bacon.

DOC: Listen, you're either with us or against us.

PATRICK: I'm with you.

DOC: That's what I'm saying.

PATRICK: What's that website again? Celebrity apology.

VOICE: Generator.com.

DOC: Yeah. You're either with us or you're against us. There's no borderline with bacon.

PATRICK: It's just too much sometimes. After we we had this discussion last week about bacon and turkey, I actually was watching The Chew the other day. The television show. Which I don't watch very often. But I do like some of the recipes they come up with. And I saw them doing this. And, you know,it a good way to add (?) under the skin or inject it. Or season the heck out of the inside or the outside. I can see how this is a natural flavor enhancer. (?) it's rendering the fat from the breakon. It's not just dripping off. It's attached to the turkey. How can that not be a good thing?

DOC: Yeah, and it completely wraps around the turkey. So you have a natural way to keep the juice in. That works. Would the bacon become too crisp? Because I'll bake bacon sometimes. If I'm going to (?) 45 minutes or whatever it is to bake it up crisp like that, you're talking about a turkey that may be in the oven for three hours.

PATRICK: Yeah. What I would do is start out with it covered. Tent it with foil or the lid. (?) crisping the bacon. Maybe the last 30 to 45 minutes, remove that --

DOC: Will that keep it from crisping the bacon?

PATRICK: Yeah. Because it's keeping the steam inside.

DOC: All right. That was the first question I had. Now, part of the turkey would theoretically become a little bacon-flavored. And there's nothing wrong with that. It won't be enough (?) I would probably try a smoked bacon.

PATRICK: Yeah, I wouldn't use anything sweet like the apple wood smoked. Standard cured. (?) and if you don't like cured bacon because you don't like the sufficientlyitis. You can get uncured bacon. (?) it tastes like regular cured.

DOC: Let me pause and say, I've looked for uncured bacon and stuff. That doesn't have the nitrates. And even some without the sugar. And it is as good or better.

PATRICK: It's really good.

DOC: There's a couple of brands. But the one I know is Peter sons. (?)

PATRICK: Path Patterson or peter son.

DOC: You can probably find it out there. They have a really good product. It will be more expensive than bacon. But it is awesome. And it's going to be pretty healthy for you. You don't have to worry about the nitrates in there.

PATRICK: Yeah. And something about the antibacterial (?) it cures the bacon in almost the same manor. Now, is it really good as the an in-house. (?) it's a close second.

DOC: I love it. So if you use the smoked bacon and you wrap the bacon that way, that will work. As long as the (?) you still will be able to slice this off. Or you can have the turkey or bacon together. So that will work. What other potential problems? If you're taking the drippings at the bottom of the pan, you'll have a pretty strong bacon-flavored gravy.

PATRICK: Yeah. You may (?)

DOC: It could work.

PATRICK: It would work.

DOC: Just as long as you're okay with a strong bacon-flavored gravy.

PATRICK: And turkey gives off half a gallon or more of liquid when you're baking it. So there's a lot of liquid. The ratio of fat to -- if you skim the fat off like you spoke about in the morning show, you could skim the fat off. (?) from the actual juices. From the turkey. There's not a lot of liquid that comes out of the -- (?) it's just fat.

DOC: All right. Patrick, I've talked myself in. I've talked myself in. I may do a second (?) to try it, to test it out. I think I'm going to try it.

PATRICK: Grab a chicken.

DOC: Yeah, it would be cool with the turkey.

PATRICK: 12-pounder.

DOC: And we like the (?) do you think I weave it flat on the counter and then lift it up -- (?)

PATRICK: I would just do it on the counter. Drape it over the top. Tuck it under, so it's tight underneath. Then cut a hole where the cavity would be where you can put your onion --

DOC: Do you think (?) I think I'm avoiding the stuffing.

PATRICK: Not with traditional stuffing. Because you're not supposed to do that anyway. Because the internal of the bird. (?) the interior never reaches 165. Which is what kills the salmonella. But I would stuff it with celery. (?)

DOC: I like the idea of the bird cooking much faster. You have to cook it longer. (?) the bacon wouldn't crisp up as much. Let me get a quick break in. Doc Thompson in for Glenn Beck.

DOC: Lots of -- lots of tweets coming in @DocThompsonshow. I've tweeted out a couple of things. I've tweeted out a picture to the bacon-wrapped turkey. You can see that for yourself. It's @DocThompsonshow. And I think Patrick @foodbizpro just tweeted out a link to Petersen's bacon.

PATRICK: Yeah. It's sugar-free. (?)

DOC: Seventy-five dollars for color books! Do you know how much whisky you could buy with that?

VOICE: I know how many of a lot of things I can buy with that. (?)

DOC: Seventy-five dollars for coloring to help you relax, because you just gave me a stroke. (?)

KAL: And hemorrhoids.

DOC: Oh, my gosh. Jim just tweeted something that is either one of the funniest (?) you'll likely get a divorce. He suggested you wrap up those unused color books, give it to her as prevents.

(laughter)

KAL: I don't think that will be a very good idea.

(laughter)

DOC: I think you should do it. And film her opening it up. You to do that.

Let's see here. Just tuned in to at Glenn Beck show. I swear I was listening (?) cooking my turkey, sorry. Yes, but you say that like it's a bad thing. It's not a butterball hotline. We don't just say butterballs. You know. Let's see, Wesley tweeting, turkey in a bag, 220 (?) no carving required.

22 hours. That seems long. 220 degrees. Is that a joke? I don't know.

JEFFY: 200 tent is smoking temperature (?)

DOC: All right. Have yourself a happy Thanksgiving. My best wishes to you and your family. I hope you will take a moment and count your blessings. I think that's the key to the future. And make sure to make your plans now to join us Friday morning on the morning Blaze.

Antifa isn’t “leaderless” — It’s an organized machine of violence

Jeff J Mitchell / Staff | Getty Images

The mob rises where men of courage fall silent. The lesson from Portland, Chicago, and other blue cities is simple: Appeasing radicals doesn’t buy peace — it only rents humiliation.

Parts of America, like Portland and Chicago, now resemble occupied territory. Progressive city governments have surrendered control to street militias, leaving citizens, journalists, and even federal officers to face violent anarchists without protection.

Take Portland, where Antifa has terrorized the city for more than 100 consecutive nights. Federal officers trying to keep order face nightly assaults while local officials do nothing. Independent journalists, such as Nick Sortor, have even been arrested for documenting the chaos. Sortor and Blaze News reporter Julio Rosas later testified at the White House about Antifa’s violence — testimony that corporate media outlets buried.

Antifa is organized, funded, and emboldened.

Chicago offers the same grim picture. Federal agents have been stalked, ambushed, and denied backup from local police while under siege from mobs. Calls for help went unanswered, putting lives in danger. This is more than disorder; it is open defiance of federal authority and a violation of the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

A history of violence

For years, the legacy media and left-wing think tanks have portrayed Antifa as “decentralized” and “leaderless.” The opposite is true. Antifa is organized, disciplined, and well-funded. Groups like Rose City Antifa in Oregon, the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club in Texas, and Jane’s Revenge operate as coordinated street militias. Legal fronts such as the National Lawyers Guild provide protection, while crowdfunding networks and international supporters funnel money directly to the movement.

The claim that Antifa lacks structure is a convenient myth — one that’s cost Americans dearly.

History reminds us what happens when mobs go unchecked. The French Revolution, Weimar Germany, Mao’s Red Guards — every one began with chaos on the streets. But it wasn’t random. Today’s radicals follow the same playbook: Exploit disorder, intimidate opponents, and seize moral power while the state looks away.

Dismember the dragon

The Trump administration’s decision to designate Antifa a domestic terrorist organization was long overdue. The label finally acknowledged what citizens already knew: Antifa functions as a militant enterprise, recruiting and radicalizing youth for coordinated violence nationwide.

But naming the threat isn’t enough. The movement’s financiers, organizers, and enablers must also face justice. Every dollar that funds Antifa’s destruction should be traced, seized, and exposed.

AFP Contributor / Contributor | Getty Images

This fight transcends party lines. It’s not about left versus right; it’s about civilization versus anarchy. When politicians and judges excuse or ignore mob violence, they imperil the republic itself. Americans must reject silence and cowardice while street militias operate with impunity.

Antifa is organized, funded, and emboldened. The violence in Portland and Chicago is deliberate, not spontaneous. If America fails to confront it decisively, the price won’t just be broken cities — it will be the erosion of the republic itself.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

URGENT: Supreme Court case could redefine religious liberty

Drew Angerer / Staff | Getty Images

The state is effectively silencing professionals who dare speak truths about gender and sexuality, redefining faith-guided speech as illegal.

This week, free speech is once again on the line before the U.S. Supreme Court. At stake is whether Americans still have the right to talk about faith, morality, and truth in their private practice without the government’s permission.

The case comes out of Colorado, where lawmakers in 2019 passed a ban on what they call “conversion therapy.” The law prohibits licensed counselors from trying to change a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation, including their behaviors or gender expression. The law specifically targets Christian counselors who serve clients attempting to overcome gender dysphoria and not fall prey to the transgender ideology.

The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The law does include one convenient exception. Counselors are free to “assist” a person who wants to transition genders but not someone who wants to affirm their biological sex. In other words, you can help a child move in one direction — one that is in line with the state’s progressive ideology — but not the other.

Think about that for a moment. The state is saying that a counselor can’t even discuss changing behavior with a client. Isn’t that the whole point of counseling?

One‑sided freedom

Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado Springs, has been one of the victims of this blatant attack on the First Amendment. Chiles has dedicated her practice to helping clients dealing with addiction, trauma, sexuality struggles, and gender dysphoria. She’s also a Christian who serves patients seeking guidance rooted in biblical teaching.

Before 2019, she could counsel minors according to her faith. She could talk about biblical morality, identity, and the path to wholeness. When the state outlawed that speech, she stopped. She followed the law — and then she sued.

Her case, Chiles v. Salazar, is now before the Supreme Court. Justices heard oral arguments on Tuesday. The question: Is counseling a form of speech or merely a government‑regulated service?

If the court rules the wrong way, it won’t just silence therapists. It could muzzle pastors, teachers, parents — anyone who believes in truth grounded in something higher than the state.

Censored belief

I believe marriage between a man and a woman is ordained by God. I believe that family — mother, father, child — is central to His design for humanity.

I believe that men and women are created in God’s image, with divine purpose and eternal worth. Gender isn’t an accessory; it’s part of who we are.

I believe the command to “be fruitful and multiply” still stands, that the power to create life is sacred, and that it belongs within marriage between a man and a woman.

And I believe that when we abandon these principles — when we treat sex as recreation, when we dissolve families, when we forget our vows — society fractures.

Are those statements controversial now? Maybe. But if this case goes against Chiles, those statements and others could soon be illegal to say aloud in public.

Faith on trial

In Colorado today, a counselor cannot sit down with a 15‑year‑old who’s struggling with gender identity and say, “You were made in God’s image, and He does not make mistakes.” That is now considered hate speech.

That’s the “freedom” the modern left is offering — freedom to affirm, but never to question. Freedom to comply, but never to dissent. The same movement that claims to champion tolerance now demands silence from anyone who disagrees. The root of this case isn’t about therapy. It’s about erasing a worldview.

The real test

No matter what happens at the Supreme Court, we cannot stop speaking the truth. These beliefs aren’t political slogans. For me, they are the product of years of wrestling, searching, and learning through pain and grace what actually leads to peace. For us, they are the fundamental principles that lead to a flourishing life. We cannot balk at standing for truth.

Maybe that’s why God allows these moments — moments when believers are pushed to the wall. They force us to ask hard questions: What is true? What is worth standing for? What is worth dying for — and living for?

If we answer those questions honestly, we’ll find not just truth, but freedom.

The state doesn’t grant real freedom — and it certainly isn’t defined by Colorado legislators. Real freedom comes from God. And the day we forget that, the First Amendment will mean nothing at all.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins Megyn Kelly LIVE — One night ONLY in Fort Worth!

Get ready for sparks to fly. For the first time in years, Glenn will come face-to-face with Megyn Kelly — and this time, he’s the one in the hot seat. On October 25, 2025, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, Glenn joins Megyn on her “Megyn Kelly Live Tour” for a no-holds-barred conversation that promises laughs, surprises, and maybe even a few uncomfortable questions.

What will happen when two of America’s sharpest voices collide under the spotlight? Will Glenn finally reveal the major announcement he’s been teasing on the radio for weeks? You’ll have to be there to find out.

This promises to be more than just an interview — it’s a live showdown packed with wit, honesty, and the kind of energy you can only feel if you are in the room. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t miss your chance to see Glenn like you’ve never seen him before.

Get your tickets NOW at www.MegynKelly.com before they’re gone!

What our response to Israel reveals about us

JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Contributor | Getty Images

I have been honored to receive the Defender of Israel Award from Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The Jerusalem Post recently named me one of the strongest Christian voices in support of Israel.

And yet, my support is not blind loyalty. It’s not a rubber stamp for any government or policy. I support Israel because I believe it is my duty — first as a Christian, but even if I weren’t a believer, I would still support her as a man of reason, morality, and common sense.

Because faith isn’t required to understand this: Israel’s existence is not just about one nation’s survival — it is about the survival of Western civilization itself.

It is a lone beacon of shared values in the Middle East. It is a bulwark standing against radical Islam — the same evil that seeks to dismantle our own nation from within.

And my support is not rooted in politics. It is rooted in something simpler and older than politics: a people’s moral and historical right to their homeland, and their right to live in peace.

Israel has that right — and the right to defend herself against those who openly, repeatedly vow her destruction.

Let’s make it personal: if someone told me again and again that they wanted to kill me and my entire family — and then acted on that threat — would I not defend myself? Wouldn’t you? If Hamas were Canada, and we were Israel, and they did to us what Hamas has done to them, there wouldn’t be a single building left standing north of our border. That’s not a question of morality.

That’s just the truth. All people — every people — have a God-given right to protect themselves. And Israel is doing exactly that.

My support for Israel’s right to finish the fight against Hamas comes after eighty years of rejected peace offers and failed two-state solutions. Hamas has never hidden its mission — the eradication of Israel. That’s not a political disagreement.

That’s not a land dispute. That is an annihilationist ideology. And while I do not believe this is America’s war to fight, I do believe — with every fiber of my being — that it is Israel’s right, and moral duty, to defend her people.

Criticism of military tactics is fair. That’s not antisemitism. But denying Israel’s right to exist, or excusing — even celebrating — the barbarity of Hamas? That’s something far darker.

We saw it on October 7th — the face of evil itself. Women and children slaughtered. Babies burned alive. Innocent people raped and dragged through the streets. And now, to see our own fellow citizens march in defense of that evil… that is nothing short of a moral collapse.

If the chants in our streets were, “Hamas, return the hostages — Israel, stop the bombing,” we could have a conversation.

But that’s not what we hear.

What we hear is open sympathy for genocidal hatred. And that is a chasm — not just from decency, but from humanity itself. And here lies the danger: that same hatred is taking root here — in Dearborn, in London, in Paris — not as horror, but as heroism. If we are not vigilant, the enemy Israel faces today will be the enemy the free world faces tomorrow.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about truth. It’s about the courage to call evil by its name and to say “Never again” — and mean it.

And you don’t have to open a Bible to understand this. But if you do — if you are a believer — then this issue cuts even deeper. Because the question becomes: what did God promise, and does He keep His word?

He told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” He promised to make Abraham the father of many nations and to give him “the whole land of Canaan.” And though Abraham had other sons, God reaffirmed that promise through Isaac. And then again through Isaac’s son, Jacob — Israel — saying: “The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I give to you and to your descendants after you.”

That’s an everlasting promise.

And from those descendants came a child — born in Bethlehem — who claimed to be the Savior of the world. Jesus never rejected His title as “son of David,” the great King of Israel.

He said plainly that He came “for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And when He returns, Scripture says He will return as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” And where do you think He will go? Back to His homeland — Israel.

Tamir Kalifa / Stringer | Getty Images

And what will He find when He gets there? His brothers — or his brothers’ enemies? Will the roads where He once walked be preserved? Or will they lie in rubble, as Gaza does today? If what He finds looks like the aftermath of October 7th, then tell me — what will be my defense as a Christian?

Some Christians argue that God’s promises to Israel have been transferred exclusively to the Church. I don’t believe that. But even if you do, then ask yourself this: if we’ve inherited the promises, do we not also inherit the land? Can we claim the birthright and then, like Esau, treat it as worthless when the world tries to steal it?

So, when terrorists come to slaughter Israelis simply for living in the land promised to Abraham, will we stand by? Or will we step forward — into the line of fire — and say,

“Take me instead”?

Because this is not just about Israel’s right to exist.

It’s about whether we still know the difference between good and evil.

It’s about whether we still have the courage to stand where God stands.

And if we cannot — if we will not — then maybe the question isn’t whether Israel will survive. Maybe the question is whether we will.

Glenn's Show Prep