Carving a turkey is not difficult once you learn how to do it. However, it does require some patience, safety measures, and a few important kitchen tools. This includes:
- A sizeable cutting board
- An apron to protect your clothes
- A long sharp carving knife (manual or electric)
- A sturdy meat fork to help hold the turkey while carving
- A large serving platter for your turkey
- Optional edible garnishes for your plate (fruit, herbs, nuts, etc.)
Make sure your turkey is adequately cooked through. Please head to our Turkey Q & A to learn about testing for doneness. The turkey should always rest for a minimum of 15 minutes for a small turkey and at least 20 to 30 for larger sizes. Use the opportunity while it’s resting to make your turkey gravy using the juices in the roasting pan.
How to carve a turkey in under 10 steps:
- Turn the turkey with the cavity facing toward you.
- If required, remove and discard twine used to truss the turkey.
- For stuffed birds, take the stuffing out of the turkey and place in a serving dish. Cover to keep warm. (Reheat if necessary to make sure it is well cooked.)
- Cut off the turkey legs and thighs. To remove them from the body, experts recommend cutting through the joint and along the body, tilting the knife towards the bone as you make the cut. If you can’t find the joint, steady the turkey, and use your hand to grasp the thigh. Bend it backwards to expose the joint before cutting. Set legs/thighs aside.
- Remove the wings by pulling them back and then slicing through the joints. Wings are often not plated because they don’t contain much meat. Rather, they are used to flavor stock or are reserved for other uses.
- Note that when cutting breast meat, long strokes are recommended. To cut the breast meat, angle your knife to slice along the rib cage. Next, make a long deep cut on each side of the breastbone. This will free the breast meat. Lay the meat on a cutting board. Going against the grain, cut meat into 1/2” thick slices. Place the white meat slices on a serving platter.
- Now back to the legs and thighs. Slice the dark meat by separating the thigh from the drumstick along the joint. Place the drumsticks on the serving platter.
- Remove the bone from the thigh and place the boneless thigh skin side up. Slice and place the thigh meat on the platter.
- Serve immediately as the turkey will begin to cool down. If desired, garnish your platter and brush the turkey with a bit of gravy like the pros do for a beautiful presentation.
Don’t toss that carcass!
We hope the above instructions on how to carve a turkey is helpful. Remember not to toss your leftover turkey carcass. Rather, use the bones to make homemade turkey stock or to flavor soups and gravies.
