Okay, so this is a long overdue request by CeresStar on how to de-bone your holiday turkey. So this is your only warning, if you are squeemish, vegan, or generally grossed out or offended by pics of dead animals- DON'T READ FURTHER. If you do, and you complain I will simply tell you to fuck off, so please just save us both some time.
Alright.
So you will need a few things,
1) a large cutting board, mine is custom made for me by a former employee for when I completed my Journeyman in Meatcutting. It has various cherry woods and cedars, and measures 2.5' by almost 3.5'.
2) a boning knife or any sharp kitchen knife such as a paring knife, but the boning knife is easiest.
3) Kitchen twine and a quality steel. I cannot stress the "quality" enough, a cheap steel will simply fuck up the microscopic edge on your blade. Also, don't do that show chef B.S of slapping your knife against the steel when using it. A steel does not sharpen, it hones the edge by cleaning that microscopic edge magnetically. Caress the edge, keep the angle consistent. You will need this because frequent contact with the turkey bones is going to mess up your knife.
4) Start with the bird tits down / ass up (hold for dirty comments)
5) Make your first incision from the neck, all the way down the backbone to the bum.
6) Follow the hip bone with the edge of your knife, pulling away the meat from the spine and exposing the hip joint.
7) Stick the tip of your knife in the joint, it should glide in easy if it doesn't you are poking at the wrong place. Adjust and try again. Once the first inch is in, twist the knife firmly and the joint should pop and the tendons should sever, thus releasing the thigh.
Alright.
So you will need a few things,
1) a large cutting board, mine is custom made for me by a former employee for when I completed my Journeyman in Meatcutting. It has various cherry woods and cedars, and measures 2.5' by almost 3.5'.
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)
2) a boning knife or any sharp kitchen knife such as a paring knife, but the boning knife is easiest.
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)
3) Kitchen twine and a quality steel. I cannot stress the "quality" enough, a cheap steel will simply fuck up the microscopic edge on your blade. Also, don't do that show chef B.S of slapping your knife against the steel when using it. A steel does not sharpen, it hones the edge by cleaning that microscopic edge magnetically. Caress the edge, keep the angle consistent. You will need this because frequent contact with the turkey bones is going to mess up your knife.
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)
4) Start with the bird tits down / ass up (hold for dirty comments)
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)
5) Make your first incision from the neck, all the way down the backbone to the bum.
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)
6) Follow the hip bone with the edge of your knife, pulling away the meat from the spine and exposing the hip joint.
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)
7) Stick the tip of your knife in the joint, it should glide in easy if it doesn't you are poking at the wrong place. Adjust and try again. Once the first inch is in, twist the knife firmly and the joint should pop and the tendons should sever, thus releasing the thigh.
![](https://dz3ixmv6nok8z.cloudfront.net/static/img/ph-508.604ed20cffa9.gif)