One of the more vexing parts of the holiday season (for me at least) is carving the turkey.
For some reason, it is considered an honour to carve the giant buzzard but in reality it is usually a pain in the ass and a bit of a mess. The platter is often too small, the host’s knife duller than a rusty teaspoon, and someone insists that it be done at the table rather than in the kitchen. It turns into a nerve-jangling bit of performance art and more often than not leaves a badly mangled bird as the table centrepiece.
But there is an easier way and it starts with one simple trick.
Remove the wishbone.
This is one of the first tricks you learn in culinary school when you start messing with birds. It makes carving SO much easier. Without the wishbone you can remove the entire breast from the bird and then slice it on a platter or cutting board. Below are some photos I took while prepping and carving a chicken this week.
You go from awkward and messy slices like these:
To neat, across-the-grain slices like these:
The technique is very simple. You’ll need a paring or boning knife and your hands.
While you are prepping the buzzard for the oven, reach into the neck cavity and feel upwards for the wishbone. It is a V-shaped bone, not terribly unlike your own collarbone. With your knife, cut along both sides of the bone (above and below on both sides) and then reach in and pull. The bone should pop out and it looks like this:
The larger the bird the tougher it is to yank out, and there is a good chance it might break. Be careful with the sharp bits because they can puncture your fingers.
Once you have the bone in hand you can see why this technique works. Once the bird is roasted you can cut straight down along the breast bone and remove the breast in one piece. From the pic below you can see how the wishbone gets in the way:
This technique works for any other bird you might be cooking: chicken, duck, goose, pheasant, etc. The bone structure is almost identical, but as mentioned above the size of the bird can make it a bit more challenging, and if it is a wild or free-range bird the bones and tendons are more resistant.
So why am I telling you this now? So you’ll have time to practice before your big holiday dinner. In fact, once you master this I suspect you will make it a regular part of your poultry prep.
And if you really want to make a wish on that wishbone? Toss it in the bottom of your roasting pan and it will be brown and ready for snapping when the bird is done.
Like this tip? Let me know what you think at heykettleoffish@gmail.com