The simplest way to save yourself a ton of money on your grocery bill is to buy in bulk when possible. That includes meat purchases. What will save you even more money on your grocery bill is doing some of the work yourself.
(O.K. I know. I know. We’re not technically butchering a turkey. We’re parting a turkey, or parting out a turkey, or breaking down a turkey. It depends on who you talk to. But a lot of people have asked me how to “butcher a turkey”, so that’s what I’m calling it, okay?)
Breaking down a whole turkey yourself can save you money compared to buying pre-cut turkey parts. Plus, it allows you to cook the breast, legs, thighs, and wings separately to perfection. While it may seem daunting, breaking down a turkey is easier than you think with the right technique In this guide, I’ll walk you through the whole process of how to break down a turkey into its major component parts.
Why Break Down a Whole Turkey?
There are several advantages to breaking down a whole turkey yourself rather than roasting it whole:
-
Cook faster – The individual parts like breast and legs roast much quicker than a 15 lb whole bird
-
Ideal doneness – The breast won’t dry out while the thighs remain undercooked. You can remove parts when done.
-
Maximize crispiness – All the skin gets direct heat contact to crisp up, not just the top.
-
Enhance flavor – Seasonings and rubs penetrate deeper when applied directly to parts.
-
Easy to carve – No wrestling with a hot whole turkey to carve. Just slice up the ready parts.
-
Use parts creatively – Make turkey tacos, pot pie, soup and more with the different cuts.
What You’ll Need
Breaking down a turkey isn’t too difficult but having the right tools makes it much easier:
- Sharp chef’s knife and kitchen shears
- Large cutting board
- Bowl for scraps and trimmings
- Paper towels
Make sure to thoroughly wash hands, surfaces, utensils and turkey before and after handling raw poultry.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these steps to properly break down a whole turkey into breasts, wings, thighs and legs:
1. Remove the neck and giblets
Reach inside the body and neck cavities to remove and discard the bag of giblets and the neck. Reserve for making stock if desired.
2. Cut off the wings
Bend a wing back to pop the joint and expose where it attaches. Cut through the joint to remove the whole wing. Repeat on the other side.
3. Remove the legs
Pull a leg away from the body, cutting through the skin joining it. Twist until the hip joint pops out. Cut through to detach the whole leg. Repeat on the other side.
4. Cut along the backbone
Use shears to cut down either side of the backbone from tail to neck. Remove and reserve the backbone for stock.
5. Split the breast
Lay the breast skin-side down. Using a knife, cut along one side of the breastbone from cavity opening to tip. Repeat on the other side to split the breast in half.
6. Cut leg quarters (optional)
For leg quarters, place skin-side down and cut through the joint separating the thigh from the drumstick.
The turkey is now broken down into its major cuts – 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 breast halves – ready for your recipes.
Seasoning and Cooking the Parts
With the turkey broken down, now you can flavor and cook the parts perfectly:
-
Dry brine the parts overnight with salt, sugar, and aromatics for enhanced juiciness.
-
Roast at 450F initially to crisp the skin, then reduce heat to finish cooking without drying out.
-
Remove breast at 160F and legs/thighs at 175F for ideal doneness.
-
Make stock from the backbone, neck, and giblets for gravy, soup and more.
Turkey Breakdown Tips
Follow these tips for an easier, cleaner turkey breakdown process:
-
Use a cutting board large enough to hold the whole bird.
-
Chill in the fridge 30 minutes beforehand for easier handling.
-
Keep paper towels handy for getting a grip and drying surfaces.
-
Go slow and steady, letting the joints guide your cuts.
-
Save all scraps and trimmings in a bag for stock.
-
Rinse knife, shears, hands and surfaces frequently to avoid cross-contamination.
Get Creative With Turkey Parts
Breaking down a whole turkey provides so many options beyond roasting it whole. Get creative with recipes using the individual cuts:
-
Grill turkey legs, wings or boneless thighs.
-
Make turkey posole, chili, or jambalaya with shredded thigh meat.
-
Stuff and roast boneless turkey breast wrapped in bacon.
-
Simmer wings and drumsticks for turkey noodle soup.
-
Pound thighs thin and pan fry for cutlets.
-
Slice roasted breast for sandwiches, wraps or salads.
Break down your turkey and discover just how versatile this lean, budget-friendly poultry can be! With the right tools and some practice on the joints, you’ll be a turkey breakdown pro in time for the holidays.
Now on to the legs and thighs.
You might think this step is daunting, but it really isn’t.
Flip the turkey around so that the legs face away from you. Firmly grasp the drumstick and pull it back and away from the bird. You can see where the thigh and the breast pull away from each other.
Give the skin between the breast and the thigh a gentle slice. This will expose the muscles and the joint. Just let the knife follow the natural gaps in the muscle.
Finding the thigh joint can be a bit trickier. Bend the thigh firmly away from the carcass until the joint pops loose. At this point you should be able to see it clearly and move the thigh freely.
Again, we’re going to let gravity do most of the work for us. Just pull up on the leg to expose the joint, and carefully slice along the backbone, through the joint, and out the other side.
There you have it. A perfectly broken down turkey leg quarter.
In case you had trouble visualizing this cut, I’ll show you from the other side. Pull up on the leg and give a quick slice along the natural muscle separation between the breast and the backbone.
Pop the joint loose, then slice through. Done.
Now Then, let’s talk turkey.
For this particular job, you’re looking for a whole fresh or frozen turkey. This isn’t the time for an injected bird, a smoked turkey, or a “cook in the bag” thing. I’d say your best bet is a Honeysuckle White or a Young Tom. You can’t really expect to butcher a turkey that’s been cooked, dried, or stuffed with butter, can you?
If you’ve bought yourself a frozen bird, toss it in the fridge and let it thaw (Do not quick thaw under running water!). This can take up to 6 days depending on the size of your turkey and how cold you keep your refrigerator. Refer to the thawing instructions on the package for a rough guideline.
For instance, this guy came in at around 24 pounds, took 7 days to defrost, and was still ice cold. We bought it for around $0.79 per pound, so it cost around $20.00 total. Of course, prices in your area may vary, and if it’s around the Holidays, you might even be able to find better deals than this.
Now that we’ve got our bird defrosted, it’s time to get set up.
First; clean your counters well. Get rid of anything you don’t need on your surface and scrub it well. I usually cover mine with freezer paper while working, just so I have less clean up at the end. (In this case I skipped the paper, because this is a messy one, and I was going to have to scrub everything down at the end anyway.)
As long as you’ve got a bleach cleaner to finish up the job with, the paper isn’t necessary. You’ll also need a cutting board, so that you don’t dull your knives or scratch your counters.
Next we need to consider knives.
For most of my previous butchering guides, I’ve suggested a Traditional 8-Inch Slicing/Carver Knife
Breaking Down a Whole Turkey
FAQ
How do you deconstruct a whole turkey?
- Step 1: Prepare the turkey. Start with a defrosted turkey. …
- Step 2: Remove the wings. Place the bird breast-side down on the cutting board. …
- Step 3: Remove the legs. Flip the turkey onto its side and pull the leg away from the body. …
- Step 4: Remove the breast. …
- Step 5: Admire Your Handiwork.
How do you break down a cooked turkey?
- Step 1: Rest the Turkey. …
- Step 2: Use a Sharp Knife. …
- Step 3: Remove the Leg and Thigh. …
- Step 4: Cut Off the Wings. …
- Step 5: Remove the Breasts. …
- Step 6: Slice the White Meat. …
- Step 7: Slice the Dark Meat. …
- Step 8: Serve Warm.
How do you break down a whole turkey?
Follow these simple steps to break down a whole turkey: Start with a 12-14 lb turkey, thawed if frozen. Remove giblets and neck. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out. Have a sharp chef’s knife ready. Grip a wing and pull it away from the breast to expose the joint. Cut through the joint to detach the whole wing from the body.
What are the health benefits of ground turkey?
Ground turkey has multiple benefits. It is a good source of minerals, and B vitamins, rich in proteins, low in fat and it is lower in calories than common turkey.
Why do I need to break a turkey into parts?
Keeping the turkey whole looks beautiful when presented at the table, but it causes issues when roasting The breast cooks much faster than the legs since it sits higher up and gets direct heat This leads to dry, overcooked breast meat and underdone legs and thighs. By breaking the turkey into parts, you can:
Should you break down a Turkey before cooking?
Roasting a whole turkey broken down into parts encourages even cooking and allows you to cook each piece to it’s ideal internal temperature. Roasting a whole turkey often ends in dried out breast meat and undercooked thighs. Breaking down the bird before cooking leads to more evenly cooked deliciously crispy turkey.
Should you roast a broken-down Turkey in parts?
Roasting a broken-down turkey in parts has distinct benefits over roasting a whole bird. When I say “in parts,” I mean breaking it down into legs, wings, and a bone-in breast, and roasting these on a large rimmed baking sheet.
How do you cut a Turkey?
The turkey should be well chilled or even not quite fully thawed, which will allow it to be cut up more easily because the tissue will still be somewhat stiff. A very sharp knife, preferably a 6” (15 cm) boning knife, is essential and heavy-duty kitchen shears are helpful to ensure proper results.