Turkey Carving - Gimme Some Skin

[BUM]

Many years ago I watched a black and white Julia Childs video entitled, "How to Carve a Turkey". Its been on my Thanksgiving table ever since. Leave it to Julia, its special.

First using a sharp knife, (I like a fillet knife) hold it close to the tip and sneak it just under the skin up over the legs and around the base and the slide the blade underneath the skin and carefully lift the skin off the turkey and set it aside.

Remove the drumsticks and wings. Set them aside. Now carve the bird. Keep the dark and white meat separate if you wish. If stuffed, put the stuffing in a serving bowl and discard the carcass (or save it for soup). On a large platter, arrange the drumsticks and wings in the anatomically correct position, heap the meat in the center and cover with the skin. Work it a bit, and your carved turkey will look like it did just out of the oven. Put it on the table. Somebody will say, "Hey, I thought you were going to carve this".

 

[haha]

Many years ago I watched a black and white Julia Childs video entitled, "How to Carve a Turkey". Its been on my Thanksgiving table ever since. Leave it to Julia, its special.

First using a sharp knife, (I like a fillet knife) hold it close to the tip and sneak it just under the skin up over the legs and around the base and the slide the blade underneath the skin and carefully lift the skin off the turkey and set it aside.

Remove the drumsticks and wings. Set them aside. Now carve the bird. Keep the dark and white meat separate if you wish. If stuffed, put the stuffing in a serving bowl and discard the carcass (or save it for soup). On a large platter, arrange the drumsticks and wings in the anatomically correct position, heap the meat in the center and cover with the skin. Work it a bit, and your carved turkey will look like it did just out of the oven. Put it on the table. Somebody will say, "Hey, I thought you were going to carve this".

This sounds very nice. Could you make a video and put it up?

I am considered an OK carver, but the turkey sometimes looks like it ran into a saw.

Ha

 

[BUM]

No video this year. I'll be a guest not the host. But after few egg nogs who knows? Stay tuned. Don't worry go for it!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Can't find it on YouTube. We will have to use your written account.

 

[donheff]

On a large platter, arrange the drumsticks and wings in the anatomically correct position, heap the meat in the center and cover with the skin. Work it a bit, and your carved turkey will look like it did just out of the oven. Put it on the table. Somebody will say, "Hey, I thought you were going to carve this".

So do people have to slice off pieces of skin if they like it?

 

[pb4uski]

....arrange the drumsticks and wings in the anatomically correct position, heap the meat in the center and cover with the skin. Work it a bit, and your carved turkey will look like it did just out of the oven. Put it on the table. Somebody will say, "Hey, I thought you were going to carve this".

That would never work for me as i probably could not resist eating a nice chunk of skin as I'm carving.

 

[BUM]

So do people have to slice off pieces of skin if they like it?

use sissors... er, kitchen shears. Yeah, thats the ticket

 

[TromboneAl]

This is the way that I do it, with regard to the breast (starting at 1:00). You can spread the breast slices out in a way that makes them look very fancy.

 

[Midpack]

This is the way that I do it, with regard to the breast (starting at 1:00). You can spread the breast slices out in a way that makes them look very fancy.

We're roasting a turkey breast on the bone as opposed to a whole turkey. I have always taken slices one at a time straight from the bird, but this approach removing the whole breast and slicing 'cross cut' on the cutting board makes a lot more sense to me. That's what I will do later today, thanks for the video!