How to carve a turkey
Once your turkey has finished cooking, it needs to rest for approximately 10 minutes, firstly because roasting is very hard work and secondly because this will allow the meat to relax, ensuring it’s nice and juicy. Get your carving knife and fork at the ready. Carving a turkey is pretty much like carving a very large chicken.
1. The carving fork’s job is to hold the bird in place. Begin by separating the two legs from the carcass. Do this by cutting through the skin and flesh between the body and the leg. Find the joint, so that you can remove the whole leg. Do this with both the drumsticks.
2. Cut through the joint between the drumstick and the thigh. You shouldn’t struggle to make this cut, but if you do, try changing the angle of your knife.
3. Now come the wings. Bend the wing away from the body of the turkey and use your knife to search for the joint. When you discover it, cut through it. Repeat this with the other wing.
4. When you’re removing the breast meat, cut along the breastbone, using only the tip of your knife. Work the knife along the breastbone to gently lever off the breast meat. Again, repeat on both sides.
5. Cut the breast meat into thin slices.
Make sure you don’t miss the best bit of all – the turkey oysters – they are found at the back of the carcass, at the very top of the thigh and should be gobbled up before you even take the bird out for carving.
Don’t throw the carcass away, boil it up and keep it for stock. Yum. Who doesn’t like Christmas turkey stock?
And just like that you have nicely segmented bird so everyone can grab their favourite cut.
Cooking turkey this Christmas? Here’s how to roast it to perfection on the Weber.