Slow Food Boulder
www.slowfoodboulder.org

Carving a Turkey

An extremely sharp carving knife or other long knife with a slightly flexible blade and
a carving (or meat) fork will make the difference between a pleasurable experience and a frustrating one.
If you don’t have access to a knife sharpener, treat your knife to a professional honing.

Your bird should rest for at least 30 minutes, otherwise the meat will shred when you carve.
And although your burnished bird may look beautiful on the platter,
it’s best to move it to a cutting board; since china is not knife-friendly.

1. Position the turkey with the large cavity facing you. Spear the leg just below the drumstick/thigh joint with the fork and cut through the skin stretched between the breast and leg, then pull the whole leg down toward the cutting board to expose the ball-and-socket joint. Cut the leg free, keeping the ball end attached to the thigh.

2. Sever the drumstick from the thigh (probe for the point in the joint where your knife will cut through easily). Hold the drumstick almost vertically to cut diagonal slices. (There will be tendons to grapple with as you get closer to the bone.) Keeping the thigh flat on the cutting board, slice the meat lengthwise, parallel to the bone.

3. There are two ways to approach carving the breast: on the bone (more ceremonial) or off (simpler for the novice). A helpful preparation for both is a horizontal cut through the breast to the rib cage; just above the wing.

4. If you choose to carve on the bone, cut lengthwise slices, roughly parallel to the breastbone. Aim for thin slices, since you are cutting with the grain. The horizontal cut in step 3 makes it easier to remove the slices from the carcass. There are no set rules for “where to put the carving fork; use it to steady the bird or even a slice. Whatever is comfortable for you is right.

5. If carving the turkey breast off the bone, cut vertically on either side of the breastbone as close to it as possible, angling the knife around the wishbone and stopping at the horizontal incision to end up with two meaty breast halves.

6. Carving the boneless turkey breast on a cutting board allows you to slice across the grain at any thickness you desire. November 2003 GOURMET