How to carve a turkey

Step by step guide and video on how to carve and serve your Thanksgiving Turkey from Chef Jim Pacini with the Clovis Institute of Technology.

What You Need: carving board, chef's knife (or slicing knife), paper towels, platter, cutting board, long, flexible knife, tongs

Follow These Steps:

1. Remove the string tying the legs together, using the tip of your chef's knife.
1. Cut through the skin that connects the breast and the drumstick. Slice until you reach the joint. Grab the leg and push down, separating the leg and thigh from the bird. Use your chef's knife to slice through the joint.
2. Separate the drumstick and the thigh by cutting through the joint that connects them. Set the drumstick on a platter; set aside the thigh meat on a cutting board to slice later.
3. Find the wishbone at the front end of the breast. Use your fingers to pull it out. (this makes it easier to carve the breast meat).
4. Find the breastbone. Position a long, flexible knife on one side of it, and slice downward, as close to the bone as possible. As you slice, use your other hand to pull the meat away from the breastbone, until you've cut the breast off in one piece. Transfer to the cutting board.
5. Using the chef's knife, slicing through the joint to remove a wing, and transfer to the platter.
6. Work on the cutting board. Holding the thigh bone with tongs or a paper towel, remove the meat from the bone with the edge of the chef's knife. Transfer meat to platter.
7. Using the tongs to steady the breast, position the meat so you'll cut it at its shorter length. Slice against the grain, taking care to keep the skin attached. Transfer pieces neatly to a platter.