How to Cut a Turkey with Step-by-Step Instructions

If the thought of a holiday meal brings to mind images of a beautifully cooked turkey, you’re not alone! A traditional turkey dinner with the family is truly a special meal. But making the turkey is a labor-intensive endeavor, and it can be a bit intimidating.

If you roast the bird whole, you’ll need to know how to carve a turkey. Other cooking methods work better if you cut up the turkey before cooking it. Either way, a few handy tips will help you:

Turkey cutting tips:

• If your turkey is too large for your roasting dish, or too much for your family to eat, you may want to cut it in half and prepare one half and freeze the other for another meal. Even if you’re serving a whole turkey, you may like using the spatchcock method to cook it faster and more evenly. And if you’re going to smoke your turkey, that may work best if you cut up the turkey first.
• If you’ve roasted your turkey whole or spatchcocked, you’ll still need to carve the meat for serving after it cooks. When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for at least 15-30 minutes. This keeps the juice in the turkey instead of on your cutting board or serving dish.
• When you’re ready to start carving, the turkey may still be hot, so using paper towels to touch the meat while you cut can keep you from burning your fingers.

How to prepare a turkey for cutting

1. First of all, if your turkey is frozen, you’ll need to thaw it before you attempt to cut it up.
2. Once it’s thawed, you’ll want to remove any moisture that might remain from thawing. You can use paper towels or a kitchen towel to dry it off.
3. Place the turkey on a cutting board large enough for the whole turkey to fit onto.
4. Next, remove any trusses around the legs and any stabilizing twine.
5. Remove the neck and gizzards from inside the turkey cavity.
6. Set them aside in case you want to use them to make gravy.

How to spatchcock a turkey

Whichever way you plan to cut up the turkey, it’s easiest to start by spatchcocking it. This technique is similar to butterflying a boneless cut of meat, but with a whole bird, you’ll need to deal with the bones. To spatchcock a turkey, you’ll remove the backbone. Then you can flatten the turkey for roasting or cut it in half or into pieces before you cook it. 

1. Before you start cutting, smooth the skin on the turkey by pulling any excess away from the bird on the tail and neck ends. Cut this excess skin away. It can also be cooked down for stock for soup or for gravy.
2. The next step is to remove the backbone. With kitchen shears or with a large, sharp knife, make cuts from the neck end down each side of the backbone. This will require some effort, as you will be cutting through bone.
3. When you’ve reached the tail end of the turkey with both cuts, remove the backbone and set it aside.
4. Spread apart the cut edges of the turkey and then flip it over, breast side up.
5. Next, place one hand close to the breastbone and press down until you hear a crack. Then do it again on the other side of the breastbone.
6. Spread the legs of the turkey to get it really flat.
7. Tuck the wing tips under the bird, or alternatively, cut off the wing tips.

Now you’re ready to dress the turkey and roast, grill, smoke, or fry it.

How to cut a turkey in half

1. Remove the backbone. After the backbone is removed, it’s relatively easy to cut the turkey in half.
2. Cut through the breastbone from neck to tail and separate the halves.
3. If you’ll be frying your bird or need it separated into pieces for easier cooking, you can also remove the turkey legs and cut away the wings. Simply pull a leg or wing out from the body to expose the joint.
4. When you can see a joint, you can cut around it instead of through it, making it easy to cut away a leg, thigh, or wing.

How to carve and serve turkey

1. To carve a whole roasted or spatchcocked turkey, you’ll remove the legs and wings and then cut the thigh and breast meat into slices. This is easily done with an electric knife, or you can use a large, sharp knife, such as a butcher knife.
2. To cut off the drumstick for serving, cut into the turkey’s side along the breast where the leg is attached. Pull the leg away to expose the joint and cut around the joint to remove the dark quarter of meat. Then flip the leg over so you can see the internal joint and cut around it to separate the turkey leg from the thigh. Use the same technique to cut away the wings and serve them whole.
3. To remove the breast meat, make a deep cut along the breastbone and use the knife to follow the curve of the breastbone as you pull the meat away.  

How to carve a turkey breast

The turkey breast and thigh can be carved into beautiful slices for serving. Cut across the grain of the meat and slice carefully so that each piece keeps its beautifully browned skin. Arrange the slices, turkey legs, and wings on your serving plate, and you’re ready for dinner.

Serve your family an impressive turkey dinner

Whether your turkey dinner is an expected traditional holiday meal or another special occasion dinner, knowing how to cook and carve a turkey makes it easier to delight your family with an impressive meal!

How to Cut a Turkey

Recipe by InstacartCourse: RecipesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

If the thought of a holiday meal brings to mind images of a beautifully cooked turkey, you’re not alone! A traditional turkey dinner with the family is truly a special meal. But making the turkey is a labor-intensive endeavor, and it can be a bit intimidating. Follow these easy directions to cut and carve a turkey from start to finish.

Ingredients

• Whole Cooked Turkey

Directions

• How to cut a turkey in half
• Remove the backbone. After the backbone is removed, it’s relatively easy to cut the turkey in half.
• Cut through the breastbone from neck to tail and separate the halves.
• If you’ll be frying your bird or need it separated into pieces for easier cooking, you can also remove the and cut away the wings. Simply pull a leg or wing out from the body to expose the joint.
• When you can see a joint, you can cut around it instead of through it, making it easy to cut away a leg, thigh, or wing.
• How to carve and serve turkey
• To carve a whole roasted or spatchcocked turkey, you’ll remove the legs and wings and then cut the thigh and breast meat into slices. This is easily done with an electric knife, or you can use a large, sharp knife, such as a butcher knife.
• To cut off the drumstick for serving, cut into the turkey’s side along the breast where the leg is attached. Pull the leg away to expose the joint and cut around the joint to remove the dark quarter of meat. Then flip the leg over so you can see the internal joint and cut around it to separate the turkey leg from the thigh. Use the same technique to cut away the wings and serve them whole.
• To remove the breast meat, make a deep cut along the breastbone and use the knife to follow the curve of the breastbone as you pull the meat away.

Instacart

Author

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.