How to Perfectly Cut a Whole Turkey in Half

When cooking a large whole turkey for a crowd, it can be useful to cut it in half prior to roasting Halving the turkey allows it to cook faster and more evenly. It also makes the turkey easier to maneuver in the oven and when serving

While turkey isn’t the most difficult meat to carve, cutting an entire turkey precisely in half does take some skill. With the right technique and sharp knife, you can cleanly split a turkey into two equal halves ready for roasting and carving.

Why Cut a Turkey in Half?

There are a few advantages to cutting a whole turkey in half before cooking:

• Cooks faster – The thinner halves will roast more quickly than a whole bird. This reduces overall cooking time.

• Cooks more evenly – The thinner profile means the inner breast meat and outer thighs and legs all get exposed to heat evenly No fighting with a whole bird to get the inner cavity hot enough,

• Easier to roast – Flattened halves lie flat in the pan and cook evenly. An unwieldy whole turkey needs support and frequent rotation.

• Easier to carve – Once cooked, carved meat can be plated directly from the halved bird at the table rather than carving the entire thing in the kitchen.

• More oven space – Two halves spread out take up more surface area than crowded whole bird.

How to Choose the Right Turkey

To successfully cut a turkey in half, you’ll need:

• 12-20 pound turkey – Too small, and there’s not enough meat to work with. Too large is unwieldy. This size range provides good halves.

• Fully thawed – Cutting when still slightly frozen makes the process nearly impossible and unsafe. Thaw completely first.

• Backbone intact – You’ll need the backbone as a guide for cutting. Don’t remove it prior to cutting in half.

A broad breasted, fully thawed turkey between 12-20 pounds is best for halving.

Tools You’ll Need

Having the proper tools makes cutting a turkey in half much simpler:

• Sharp chef’s knife – Use an 8-inch or longer chef’s knife honed to a sharp edge. This will make clean cuts instead of tearing.

• Kitchen shears – Strong, sharp shears can help halve the rib area and get through cartilage.

• Cutting board – Choose a large, sturdy board that can hold the turkey securely.

• Kitchen twine – Once halved, use twine to truss the legs into place.

• Meat mallet – Optional for flattening the breastbone if desired.

How to Cut a Turkey in Half

Follow these steps for perfectly halved turkey:

Step 1: Remove Giblets and Neck

Check the inner cavities of the turkey and remove and discard the bag of giblets and neck. This gives you easier access to the turkey’s interior.

Step 2: Position the Turkey Breast Side Down

With the backbone facing up, lay the turkey on the cutting board breast side down. The backbone runs down the center. Legs are at one end, neck at the other.

Step 3: Cut Along One Side of Backbone

Use the chef’s knife to cut down one side of the backbone from the tail end to the neck cavity. Angle the knife inward to hug the backbone without cutting into it.

Repeat this cut on the other side of the backbone. You now have 2 long cuts along either side.

Step 4: Halve the Rib Area

Near the neck are the turkey ribs and cartilage. Use strong kitchen shears to cut through this rib section in between your knife cuts.

Work from the cavity opening up toward the wings, snip-snipping with the shears until the breast half can open away from the backbone.

Step 5: Separate the Turkey Halves

The breast half should now be able to open away from the other half, still attached at the leg end.

Finish separating the two halves with the chef’s knife, cutting through any remaining rib joint tissue. Remove the backbone half.

Step 6: Truss the Legs (Optional)

For tidier roasting and serving, use kitchen twine to truss the 2 legs together on each half. This pulls the thighs in toward the breast for more even thickness.

Step 7: flatten Breastbone (Optional)

Lay the breast half skin side down. Use a meat mallet to gently flatten the curved breastbone. This allows the half to lay flatter in the pan.

How to Roast Halved Turkey

Roast your turkey halves just as you would a whole turkey:

• Season – Liberally season the inside cavities and outer skin with salt, pepper, herbs, aromatics, butter, etc.

• Roast at 325-375°F – Arrange halves skin side up in a roasting pan. Roast until the thickest part of each breast half reaches 165°F internally.

• Baste – Baste periodically with pan juices or melted butter for added moisture and flavor.

• Rest – Allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

Serve the roasted halves as you would a whole turkey, carving the meat from the bone at the table. Cover with gravy and enjoy!

Turkey Cutting FAQs

Here are answers to some common questions about cutting turkey:

Does halving a turkey dry it out?

No. As long as roasted properly to 165°F, cut turkey halves will be just as juicy as a whole turkey. Halving simply reduces the overall cooking time.

Can I spatchcock instead of halve?

Spatchcocking is when the backbone is removed but the bird isn’t fully halved. This still works well, but you may need more roasting time than halved.

Do I stuff the turkey before halving?

No, it’s difficult to evenly stuff both halves. Cook stuffing separately, or place under halves when roasting instead.

Can I brine or marinate the halves?

Absolutely! Cut turkey can be brined, marinated, or rubbed with seasoning like a whole turkey prior to roasting.

Can I roast bone-in turkey breast halves instead?

You can certainly roast 2 whole bone-in breast halves. These won’t contain the leg meat, but make carving at the table even easier.

Let’s Recap

With the right method, cutting a whole turkey in half is totally doable for home cooks. For the easiest, most even roasting and carved results, look for a 12-20 pound turkey and use a sharp chef’s knife and kitchen shears to cleanly divide the bird. Roast as you would a whole turkey until fully cooked. Halving it helps the bird cook faster and more evenly for juicy, delicious results.