Want to know how to carve a turkey? There’s no doubt, that during Thanksgiving you’ll need to have the most beautiful presentation of your turkey.
Learn how to carve your turkey perfectly and get the most of your meat!
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Learn How To Carve A Turkey for the Holiday
What you’ll need for turkey carving:
- sharp knife or an electric carver
- cooked turkey
- serving plate
- chopping board
Step 1: Let Your Roasted Turkey Rest
Let your turkey rest for about 30 minutes. This will help prevent the juices from coming out when you start carving and make clean-up much easier.
Step 2: Start With the Dark Meat
Start with the dark meat first. You should be able to notice a natural line going through the leg of the turkey. This is where the joints meet, slide your knife through it.f
Step 3: Give the Leg a Little Pull
You’ll be able to see the connection in the joints, making it easier to cut the thigh with your knife. Do this to the other leg too.
Step 4: Start Carving the Breast
Set the legs and thighs aside and start carving the breast. Slice down the kill bone slightly separating the meat with your thumb. Check where the breast is connected, then slide your knife gently to separate it from the breast bone. Do the same on the other side.
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Step 5: Cut Off the Wings
Time to cut off the wings. It’s better to do this last since leaving it on while carving the rest of the turkey makes it more stable.
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Step 6: Cut the Wing Tips
Since you’re done with the wings, cut the wing tips by following the joints. If your turkey is cooked very well, it should even come off with a little tug.
Step 7: Prepare the Turkey Stock
Now that you have all the prime meat carved, the rest will be your turkey stock. You can use it for soup and whatever turkey leftover recipe you can think of!
Step 8: Separate the Thigh From the Leg
On separating the thigh from the leg, it would be easier to turn it over so you can see where the joint is. Once you see it, just follow and cut it there. You can also bend it back a little bit to make it simpler. And you have your drumstick!
Step 9: Debone The Thigh
Time to debone the thigh! Start by running your knife on one side of the bone, then the other. After that, you can remove the bone and slice the meat.
Step 10: Slice The Breast
Let’s go back to the breast. When slicing, slice against the grain making every cut even. Also, try to keep the skin intact as much as possible, everybody loves that.
Want to see the video on how to carve a turkey? Check out this video from The Culinary Institute of America:
And that’s how you carve a turkey. If you’re concerned about serving a cold turkey (haha!), you can put it in the oven for about a minute or two to make sure you serve your family and friends a delicious warm turkey.
What do you think of these steps on how to carve a turkey? Will you give it a try? Let me know in the comments below.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 7, 2019, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
Great video and very helpful advice from Chef Walsh. Thank you.
What was annoying were the ads that floated in the middle of the screen & blocked a complete view of his carving, and reading the script.
Again, thanks for the help, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all. GBYL. ToddT
Randy Loftis
Get rid of that horrible share sidebar !!