The team Full Service Bar-B-Que is making every minute count as they prepare more than 900 turkeys for Thanksgiving Day.
"Proper preparation prevents poor performance, we live by those rules,” said operator Anthony DiFranco.
Between turkey, turkey breast and ham, the company's three locations expect to serve more than 14,000 people. Each turkey spends three to four hours in the smoker. This process began weeks ago and will run around the clock until the big day.
"So after it gets wrapped in the aluminum foil, it goes back on to the smoker and these things will just be lined up on this,” DiFranco explained pointing to their smoker.
Honey baked hams also get a special touch at Full Service.
"We're going to take this and pour it all over the ham and make it look nice. We play with fire on a day to day basis but when we break out the flame thrower there's nothing better than that," another employee said.
That's right a flame thrower.
Full Service is just one of several Knoxville restaurants taking care of the cooking for Thanksgiving.
Say big hunks of meat aren't your thing? Three Rivers Market has you covered - there's a tofurkey celebration loaf perfect for the vegetarian in your life.
There are even fast food options, if you acted fast enough. According to the Bojangles corporate office, they're sold out of their annual thanksgiving turkey across the Knoxville market.
Back at Full Service, the work will continue into the night, making sure each portion is perfect as they do their part to make the thanksgiving holiday special for families across the region.
"It’s truly, truly an honor,” said DiFranco.
Full Service stopped taking Thanksgiving orders Tuesday night, but they say it's not too late to put in an order for Christmas. A smoked turkey or a smoked ham will cost you $50.