Carving That Turkey Correctly Ark-La-Tex? Check This Out And See

I have been doing it wrong for so long that I thought I was doing it right... nope. Maybe you are, maybe not, check out this information, and let's find out together. 

It's really not that hard to carve up that beautiful bird for the family at Thanksgiving or Christmas, or any time of year for that matter. There are a few very important things to do before this delicate procedure begins:

1. Let the bird rest for 30 minutes after you take it out of the oven or fryer or smoker. This is an important step, don't skip it. Letting it rest will retain the juices in the meat, if you just start hacking away chances are you will have a dry bird.
2. Don't carve the bird at the dinner table. This is a messy procedure and nobody needs to see it. Nobody wants to sit there waiting for a piece either. Prep it in the kitchen and bring it out ready to eat.
3. You need a very sharp carving knife, a boning knife would be useful as well but if you only have one choice, a long chef's carving knife will do the job nicely. Not a cerated edge knife, straight edge, non-electric. If it's not sharp you're going to tear the meat and make an even bigger mess. (See #2.)
4. Gloves are recommended but not required obviously. Be careful, sharp blade. (See step 3.)
5. Use a large cutting board, wood or polyethylene are fine but poly boards are much easier to get clean, keep clean, and are cut-resistant.
6. Make sure you have your platter ready to receive these beautiful slices.

Now The Prep Is Done, Let's Learn How To Carve That Bird

I watched 6 or so videos trying to see if one was better than the other and they're all pretty much the same with only slight variations. This one is a good overall representation of the work to be done.

In a nutshell:

1. Remove the legs.
2. Carve off the breasts whole, then slice across the grain.
3. Separate thighs from legs.
4. Remove thigh bones, and slice across the grain again.
5. Leave the drumsticks whole.
6. Retain carcass for stock-making.

There are some great little tricks you can learn in the video, check it out, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Frying your bird can be very dangerous, but delicious when done safely. Click here to find out how.

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