Come Thanksgiving and you cannot miss the large whole roasted turkey as one of the main meal courses. The enticing and flavorful aroma of a turkey fills every home on this auspicious occasion. While the turkey is the main attraction of the Thanksgiving table, you have to ensure that the bird is served in a way that preserves the flavor and texture of the meat, allowing everyone to relish the meat to the fullest. For, all the difficulties and long hours of preparation and anticipation you have undergone, you simply cannot let the entire turkey turn bland when presented on the dinner table. Carve the turkey with intricate cuts and slices to make it even more appealing and mouth-watering. But, not all people know how to carve the turkey perfectly such that there is more of meat and less of bones on the platter. But with a little guidance, you can improve your technique of slicing the bird properly and giving your loved ones reasons to splurge on the delectably appetizing bird. Here are some tips on how to carve a turkey for Thanksgiving Day.
Equipments You May Need
Turkey carving for the centerpiece at the Thanksgiving Table is an art. Here is an easy method to carve the Thanksgiving Turkey.
Thanksgiving Day » Carving The Turkeys
Carving The Turkeys
- Flexible and sharp Carving Knife
- Meat Fork
- Giant Bi-pronged Utensil
- Jumbo-sized Cutting Board
Method
- Once your turkey is baked into a tempting and luscious roasted bird, remove it from the oven and leave it aside for 15 minutes, to let the juices spread out evenly. Remember to cover it lightly with aluminum foil.
- Time for getting the bird under the knife. After you have identified the joint connecting the thigh to the body, slightly make a cut at the joint.
- Once you’ve made the separation, snap it off to separate it from the body. Repeat with the other thigh.
- Carve down the thighs into big chunks in a decorative manner. To get your share of drumsticks, find the joint connecting the leg with the thigh. Separate the leg from the thigh as you did while separating the thigh from the body. Repeat with the other drumstick, in a similar manner.
- Slice the thigh pieces by cut them into slices of your desired thickness and place them in the serving platter, with their skin side up.
- Follow the same method for cutting slices of drumsticks, but they are best eaten whole.
- Just how you separated the thighs, repeat the same technique with the wings, this time. If you love the dark meat of the turkey shredded, chop the meat into little shreds.
- Use your meat fork to hold the breast firmly and cut down the turkey into slices, by running the knife as close to the breastbone, as possible, to get one big slab of the meat. Follow the same technique with the other side of the turkey breast.
- Cut the breast eat slab into evenly thick slices and arrange neatly on the serving platter.
- Assemble all the cut pieces and slices on the serving platter to give it a more impressive sight to look at and easier to serve and gorge on.
- Let the turkey cool for about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Put the turkey on a carving board using paper towels.
- Cut through the trussing with scissors and remove all the string.
- Remove the drumsticks by placing the knife against the thigh and cut down to the leg's second joint, where you apply the pressure with the knifepoint and twist it to sever the drumstick.
- Make an oval incision in the neck cavity and remove the stuffing, taking care to leave the skin intact.
- Transfer the scooped out stuffing into a serving bowl using a long-handled spoon.
- Slice the thigh meat from the bone.
- Cut carefully while placing the knife horizontally at the bottom curve of the bird's breast and slice in towards the rib cage from the top down.
- Cut vertically through the breast meat while carefully preserving some of the skin on each slice.
- Severe the wings from the first wing joint.
- Arrange the carved turkey on the serving platter by placing the breast-meat slices in rows along both sides of the platter, the slices of thigh meat in the center, the drumsticks crossed at one end and the wings on top, facing each other with the skin side up.