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How To Carve A Turkey: A Step By Step Guide

Preparing an all-out turkey can be stressful enough without the performance anxiety of carving the bird. Here’s how to serve up a roast turkey with style.

How To Carve A Turkey: A Step By Step Guide

Prep your tools

Avling Kitchen and Brewery’s executive sous chef Steve Allery, who has also worked as a butcher, says a standard chef’s knife is the most important tool. You’ll also need a platter to put everything on, a large chopping board, and a carving fork or tongs.

How To Carve A Turkey: A Step By Step Guide

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Legs first

Find the separation between the leg and turkey breast,and run your knife down it until you cut all the way through the leg joint. For smaller servings, separate the thigh and the drumstick by cutting through the knee joint.

How To Carve A Turkey: A Step By Step Guide

Make a wish

Slice through the skin covering the bird’s neck cavity and remove. You’ll find a v-shaped wishbone that you should be able to pull out.

How To Carve A Turkey: A Step By Step Guide

Breast next

With the tip of your knife, follow the breast bone located between the two pieces of breast meat, and carve out the meat from one side.Repeat on the other side. Check for any bone pieces that may have been taken off with the meat. To serve, slice against the grain for a more tender bite.

How To Carve A Turkey: A Step By Step Guide

Wings last

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Chef Alley says you can either pull the wings off with your hands or remove them with a knife following the joints. You can even break them down further by separating the flat and the drum by cutting through the wing joint.

How To Carve A Turkey: A Step By Step Guide

Save the carcass

Reserve the carcass for stock to make turkey wonton soup or turkey congee. If you’re turkeyed out, separate the leftover meat from the bones and freeze both separately, within 24 hours of cooking, for up to four months.

Now, put this technique to use with one of our all-time best roast turkey recipes.

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