Why would someone debone a turkey? The answer is “it’s all Julia’s fault”! Years and years ago on the farm in South Dakota I watched Julia Child debone a duck on one of her PBS shows. And her reasons for doing so seemed so sensible to me I was immediately convinced. However, right at that moment in my life I didn’t have a duck.
BUT I did have a turkey. Thus began the long tradition in my kitchen of deboning the Thanksgiving bird.
What are the advantages of deboning a turkey? Number one: I want all the bones for creating the 3-4 gallons of stock I want for making a rich gravy; the neck and gizzard that come in the innards package just aren’t enough. With all of the keel and rib bones, the backbone, the thigh bones, and the wing tips there is enough to get a rich stock.
Number two: Carving a bird without all those bones getting in the way is soooo easy! You can carve right across the roast bird.
Number three: If instead of trussing up the bird into its more traditional turkey-ish shape you decide to roast your bird spatchcocked the roasting time is really reduced.
Where do you start in this admittedly messy process? I sharpen my small boning knife for getting into the joints. I work on a cookie sheet to keep the juices from running onto the counter.
If you follow Julia’s method you begin at the back end slowly turning the whole bird inside out, and I have done that a few times. It takes a while but makes a pretty impressive presentation.
Mostly I am a lazy Thanksgiving person; I want everything to be as simple as possible and able to be prepped days or even weeks in advance when possible. So a deboned bird tied in shape or spatchcocked bird is about my speed. Every cookery magazine in the last several years has announced spatchcocking as if it were a new clever thing invented by some New Age chef. All it means is splitting the bird up the back on either side of the backbone and flattening the carcass and cooks have been doing it for centuries. I start there at the backbone. That backbone is a perfect piece for the stock pot.
Then I press the bird open and begin on one side to cut out the bones. There’s no need for the work to look pretty; the first time I did it was pretty messy, and you can see in the pictures it looks messy no matter how many times I’ve done it.
Next, I flatten the leg thigh part and remove the thigh bone first. Then running my knife along the ribs and keel bone I release the breast meat all the way to the cartilage of the keel. Here I go carefully as I don’t want to cut the skin over the breast.
So I leave that for the final step and switch to start on the other side with the thigh bone, ribs and breast meat down to the keel cartilage. At that point the whole breastbone is carefully cut away from the cartilage. And if I do cut through the skin – I just swear loudly and don’t worry about it. A nicely roasted bird will always look super no matter what.
I season the interior side of the bird well with salt and pepper, and garlic powder or roasted garlic if I have it. There are so many other flavors a person can add, rosemary, thyme, lemon but I tend to stay simple. If I intend tying the bird into a turkey shape now, I fold the back together and I use an old large eye needle – especially saved for this job in my utility drawer – and string to sew the bird back up.
Once tied, I wipe the bird well with paper towel and rub it well with butter, and since I’m working two days ahead, I wrap it and stash it in the fridge till the Day!
Now I have a full day to make gravy stock from all the trimmings. Following my Daddy Robert’s tradition, I have already made cornbread on Monday to get firm and dry to be ready to make the dressing on Wed afternoon.
There are probably as many temperatures and crisping method for a Thanksgiving turkey as there are cooks. I’m in the preheated 400-degree oven camp; put in the bird, and in a half hour or so I drape some foil on top and drop the temp to 350 degrees. I keep dripping the bird with lots of butter during the roasting. Can we have too much butter? No. And all those brown crusty pan juices will help make the gravy even more tasty. I do use an instant read thermometer to check for the magic 165 degree of doneness. With no bones and especially when cooked spatchcocked I have learned to watch roasting times carefully.
Note: One time I raised some ducks and was able to use Julia’s method on a duck! Also, this method works well with chicken too!
Deboning a turkey may seem like a daunting task, but with the right techniques, tools, and patience, it can be accomplished by any determined home cook. The rewards are plentiful – faster cooking times, easier carving, and exciting new recipe potential for stuffed roasts. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the turkey deboning process, overcoming every obstacle along the way.
Why Debone Your Bird?
Removing the bone structure from a whole turkey offers several advantages:
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Quicker Cooking – A deboned turkey cooks faster, allowing the meat to stay deliciously moist and tender
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Simplified Carving – With no bones obstructing you, carving is as easy as slicing into a meatloaf.
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Dramatic Presentation – Deboned and stuffed turkey makes for an impressive holiday centerpiece.
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Exciting Recipes – Explore stuffed turkey roasts and intricate meat rolls once the bird is boneless.
Critical Tools for Turkey Deboning
While it is possible to debone a turkey with just a good chef’s knife having the right tools makes the job much less stressful
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Boning knife – A thin flexible blade allows precision around bones.
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Kitchen shears – Useful for removing the backbone and clipping off excess skin/fat.
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Needle nose pliers – Handy for yanking out stubborn tendons.
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Meat mallet – Flattens the butterflied turkey after deboning.
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Roasting pan – Essential for cooking the finished boneless turkey.
Step-by-Step Turkey Deboning Techniques
Follow these 10 key steps to completely debone a whole turkey:
1. Remove the neck and giblets
Discard or use for gravy.
2. Cut out the backbone
Slide knife along both sides to free it.
3. Detach the ribcage
Carefully slice meat from bones using the boning knife tip.
4. Pop out the wing joints
Twist to disconnect from the breastbone.
5. Separate the thigh joints
Press forward and pull legs away from body.
6. Cut through cartilage
Slice through any remaining connective tissue.
7. Remove the thigh bones
Use your knife to shimmy meat off bones.
8. Take out the wing bones
Similar process to thighs. Twist and pull at joint.
9. Inspect and remove any leftover bones/cartilage
Pick out by hand or tweezers if needed.
10. Butterfly the turkey open
Spread flat, cover with plastic wrap, and pound with meat mallet.
Handling Tricky Situations
Even seasoned home cooks encounter a few hurdles when deboning:
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Difficult joints – If a joint won’t disconnect easily, carefully cut through the cartilage.
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Stubborn tendons – Use pliers to remove intact or slice away with your knife.
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Small leftover bones – Diligently feel for any stray bones and remove individually.
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Keeping skin intact – Work slowly and make shallow cuts to avoid slicing skin.
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Narrow neck opening – Widen opening as needed to fit your hand inside cavity for inspection.
Maximize Your Deboned Turkey
Once you’ve successfully extracted all bones, consider these creative options:
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Stuff the turkey with your favorite flavorful fillings.
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Roll, tie, and roast for dramatic presentation.
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Pound into cutlets for quick-cooking meals.
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Chop/shred meat for casseroles, soups, salads, etc.
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Utilize the bones for flavorful homemade stock.
Conquer Turkey Deboning with Confidence
While the process involves some advanced knife skills and time investment, deboning a turkey is an invaluable technique for any passionate cook. Follow the steps, equip the proper tools, and don’t be intimidated. With practice, you’ll be able to butterfly those birds with confidence in time for your next holiday meal. Once deboned, a whole new world of stuffed turkey possibilities awaits your culinary creativity.
How To Debone Your Thanksgiving Turkey!
FAQ
What is the best way to debone a turkey?
Is it hard to debone a turkey breast?
What are the benefits of deboning a turkey?
How long does it take to debone a Turkey?
It also makes carving a cinch. Your butcher might be willing to debone the turkey for you, though usually at a higher price, you can accomplish the surprisingly easy process at home in about 15 minutes, with no tools needed other than a sharp knife and a large cutting board.
How do you Debon a Turkey?
Cut along the rib bones, using a sharp knife. Carefully remove the breast meat from the turkey carcass. Repeat steps 3-6 for the other side of the turkey. Deboning a whole turkey is a daunting task, but it is also a rewarding one. By deboning a turkey, you can create a more evenly cooked bird that is easier to carve.
How do you cut a Turkey backbone?
Alternatively, with a sharp boning knife, slice the turkey from neck to tail down the center of the backbone about a half-inch deep, cutting through the skin and just into the meat. Slice the meat from either side of the backbone, working in shortcuts using just the tip of the knife while keeping it positioned against the bone.
Can You Debon a whole turkey?
Deboning a whole turkey is a daunting task, but it is also a rewarding one. By deboning a turkey, you can create a more evenly cooked bird that is easier to carve. Additionally, deboning a turkey can help you save money, as you can use the bones to make stock or soup. This guide will walk you through the steps of deboning a whole turkey.