How to Carve a Turkey

1. Stage

Prepare the turkey for carving: After the turkey has been removed from the oven and rested anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, place the turkey in front of you on the cutting board, with the legs pointed towards you and the breast away. Remove any trussing you might have used.

2. Stage

Carve the leg and thigh: Hold one of the turkey’s legs with your non-dominant hand. Take the knife with your other hand and then slice down between the thigh and the body. As the skin is sliced, lower the hand holding the leg to the cutting board to help expose the thigh joint. Slice through the meat until the joint is revealed and easily separated. Rotate the turkey 180° and repeat with the other leg. Set aside.

3. Stage

Carve the breast: There are two ways to carve the breast: either as individual slices taken while the meat is still attached to the carcass or slices from a removed breast. I prefer the latter, as the breast is easier to slice when removed.  Rotate the turkey again so the cavity faces you and the breast is facing away. Remove the first part of the breast by slicing down the left side of the keel bone, the triangular bone dividing the breasts. As you slice, carefully pierce the skin to keep it intact and follow the angle of the bone to remove the most amount of meat possible. Remember to use downward pressure smoothly using the entire length of the knife. To aid in removal, you can make a horizontal cut at the bottom of the breast just above the wing. Once the breast is entirely separated, set aside. Repeat on the other side of the breast.

4. Stage

Remove the wings: With your non-dominant hand, grab one of the wings and hold it down. With your other hand, take your knife and slice down towards the joint where the wing meets the carcass. When the joint is exposed, cut away all the meat and separate it. Set aside. Rotate the turkey 180° and repeat with the other wing.

5. Stage

Separate the legs from the thighs: Separate the legs and thighs by visualizing the joint holding them together. It runs on an angle almost parallel to the leg. Slice down and separate.

6. Stage

Separate the thigh meat from the bone: Place the thighs, skin side down, on the cutting board. With your knife, slice the meat away from the bone until the bone pulls free. Turn the thigh back over and cover with its skin.

7. Stage

Slice the breast: Place the breast in front of you with its long edge running left to right. Being mindful not to tear or separate the skin from the meat, slice the breast into half-inch sections.

8. Stage

Separate the wings: Spread open the wing at the first joint from where it was removed the turkey. Slice and separate.

9. Stage

Arrange on a platter and serve: Arrange all the pieces on a platter, being sure to also remove any excess meat from the carcass, especially those tasty “oysters” on the bottom side of the turkey. When arranging turkey on the platter, consider mirroring the placement of the cuts, so guests can reach their favorite type of meat no matter where they are sitting at the table.