Top Chef Thanksgiving Day Tips: Lessons From Brad Wise

San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

“People are always like, ‘You’re a chef I’m sure you’re smoking your turkey,’” says Brad Wise, head chef and owner of Trust Restaurant Group. “But I’ve tried it every way and I’m telling you that old bag is the best.” At his restaurants, he jockeys a nightly parade of red oak to smoke and char meats into various forms of yes. But for Thanksgiving turkey—the good ‘ole Reynolds’ Oven Bag. “I told a friend to try this and he said, ‘No way.’ I said ‘OK suit yourself. He came back a week later and said, ‘OK fine I did it and you were right.’ It’s perfect. The bag basically bastes the bird in its own fat and keeps it from drying out.” This episode of Happy Half Hour, we sit down with Brad at Wise Ox, the butcher shop he took over during the pandemic. The little shop in North Park is a throwback to the days when people knew their meat guy; could ask for different cuts. Starting in the ‘80s, the butchering process was shifted further and further away from public view; little butcher shops were kind of tucked into the back of a larger grocery outlet. “I’m from Jersey,” Brad says. “On the east coast there are all these little butcher shops where you get your meat. You know the guy, he knows where the meat comes from.” On the podcast, we pester Brad for all his Thanksgiving tips. We crush one of the best Philly cheesesteaks in the city.