Holiday How-To: Carve a Turkey Like a Pro in 6 Simple Steps

Thanksgiving is coming up and though you might also have a juicy slow roasted pernil coming out of the oven, chances are you also have a classic turkey roasting as well. So what do you when it comes out of the oven and someone requests a thigh and someone requests white meat and you’re staring a whole bird that you have no idea what to do with? Here’s how to carve a turkey like a pro.

But first… a quick tip. Carve your bird in the kitchen. We know, it’s nice to bring a glistening, golden turkey to the table. It’s a beautiful moment. But you don’t need to carve a turkey under the glare of your tia who insists there’s a better way. So place it on a platter, give it a tour around the table, then head straight back into the kitchen to carve it in peace.

1, Remove any strings and place the turkey on a large, stable cutting board. You want the breasts face up and the legs away from you. At this point, the turkey should be cool enough to handle. Don’t worry about it getting cold, you can always baste it and warm it in the oven for a few minutes.

2. Start with the drumsticks. Slide your knife as close to the body and the leg as possible and until you feel some resistance. You’re not cutting all the way through here, you’re just giving yourself a head start. Put the knife down, and holding the body with one hand, pull the leg portion away from the bird until the joint pops out. You’ll be able to hear and feel it. At this point, you can use your knife to easily cut the leg portion off. Repeat on the other side.

3. Now you have some decisions to make. If you want to separate the thigh from the drumstick, place your knife on the joint between the thigh and the drumstick, and cut all the way through. If you feel resistance, you’re cutting the bone, just try again. Repeat with the other thigh and drumstick combo. Halfway there. [pagebreak]

4. Now move on to the wing. Hold the bird with one hand and with your other, give the wing a gentle tug to see where it’s attached. That’s where you want to put your knife and slice all the way down (through skin and joint, it will sound crunchy). Repeat on the other side.

5. At this point you should have just the body of the bird. With a fork or carving fork, pierce one breast. Then make a long cut along the breast bone, the whole length of the bird. Then using the tip of your knife (you might want to switch to a smaller knife here for ease and comfort), cut down (so your knife is vertical) along the rib cage. Cut all the way down to where the wings were and with your hand, nudge the breast out. Voila, one whole turkey breast.

6. We like to leave the breasts whole for presentation but if you have a large bird, you might want to slice the breast into more manageable portions. Repeat on the other side.

Now your bird is completely carved. Grab a large serving platter and arrange as you wish. We like to lay down bright green bib lettuce and arrange the carved pieces the way the bird looked. Wings on either side of the breast, thighs and drumsticks below.