This video is part of a Thanksgiving series that celebrates (and eats) the whole bird, from head to feet.
Considering all the time it took to pluck a turkey, removing its innards was relatively painless. It required only three cuts, skin-deep. It’s important to take out everything inside at once while protecting the different systems so that the organs don’t break or leak inside. Paul, one of the farmers from Violet Hill, drew out a map of incisions. And, of course, YouTube provided guidance, as well. Nowadays, when meat comes in Saran wrap, it seemed a bit strange, almost out of place, to watch videos on the Internet about how to gut a bird (like this one, where a woman shows how to do it while carrying a baby on her back). Nonetheless, the videos were informative.
To get to the esophagus and trachea, I cut along the back of the neck. This let me pull them out through the pelvis. I turned the turkey over on its back and cut through the skin, below the ribs, and between the legs. One clean incision, and the creamy intestines spilled out, greenish from the excrement inside. The next stroke made a careful cut down and around the anus so as not to poke any of the digestive organs, many of which would make a mess if they were cut. It is very bad to puncture the gallbladder because the digestive juices will start to break down any meat that they touch.
The whole thing was like an exciting anatomy lesson: finding the crop, which was still full of a mixture of grains that looked like breadcrumbs; wondering if I had found the lungs and then finding them stuck to the ribs; and recognizing the slimy green gallbladder resting on the liver. The air smelled like raw chicken and turkey poop as the feathers fell off to reveal a small turd coming out of the body. The cleaning process felt purely scientific until I tried peeling the skin from the birds feet. When you blanch it, it should come off like a rubber glove, but these feet wouldn’t budge, so I cut a line in the skin to see if that would help them peel. While cutting along the side of the first foot, the paring knife hit a vein. A tear of blood came out. That made it clear to me that forty-eight hours before, all the parts I was taking off, separating, and removing had once worked together to make a living animal.
Most people no longer participate in the raising, slaughtering, or butchering of what we consume. Understandable enough. Some people are uncomfortable with offal because it makes them think of their own brain, lungs, and liver. Maybe instead we can appreciate them as life feeding life. On Thanksgiving, that is something we should be thankful for.
Gutting, also known as field dressing, is an important process when preparing a freshly harvested wild turkey. Properly gutting a turkey cools down the body cavity, removes contaminants, and prepares the bird for further processing. For hunters wondering how to gut a turkey, this step-by-step guide covers the key techniques and tips for quick and effective field dressing.
Why Gutting is Crucial
Gutting a harvested turkey right away provides several benefits
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Removes internal organs that can taint the flavor of the meat
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Allows air flow to cool down the carcass and prevent spoilage.
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Drains blood and other fluids that can harbor bacteria.
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Prevents meat from absorbing fluids that can cause “gamey” taste
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Prepares the bird for transport from the field.
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Readies the turkey for later butchering and preservation.
Proper field dressing is essential for food safety and quality.
Gather the Necessary Equipment
Before getting started, assemble the following:
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Sharp hunting knife for precision cutting.
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Game shears to cut through stubborn connective tissue.
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Heavy duty gloves to protect your hands.
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Cooler with ice for storage after dressing.
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Sealable plastic bags, trash bags or cheesecloth.
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Optional: Plastic or galvanized bucket for rinsing.
Step 1: Position the Turkey
Lay the turkey on its back on a clean surface with the tail facing away from you. Spread the legs open and pull the thighs forward to expose the vent area.
Step 2: Cut Through the Abdomen
Using your hunting knife, make a shallow 2-3 inch cut through the skin right below the breastbone. Cut down to, but not into, the abdominal cavity.
Step 3: Open the Body Cavity
Reach into the cut with your gloved fingers to open up the body cavity. Pull back the skin and muscle to widen the opening.
Step 4: Remove Entrails
Reach into the cavity and scoop out the entrails in one mass. Reserve giblets like the heart and liver if desired. Ensure all organs and connective tissues are removed.
Step 5: Drain Blood and Rinse
Prop up the bird to allow blood and fluids to drain out. Optionally rinse the cavity gently if needed.
Step 6: Prepare for Transport
Place paper towels inside the cavity to absorb moisture. Insert a plastic bag over the neck opening and seal with a rubber band to contain liquids. Place the dressed turkey in a cooler on ice for transport.
Tips for Effective Field Dressing
Follow these tips for clean and efficient gutting:
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Keep the work area and tools clean to prevent bacteria.
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Work quickly to cool the carcass down.
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Be thorough – remove all lungs, intestines and tissues.
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Don’t puncture intestines to avoid contamination.
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Save giblets in sealed bags if desired.
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Keep the turkey chilled after dressing.
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Avoid adding water that can lead to spoilage.
With the right techniques, equipment, and attention to detail, hunters can quickly gut a turkey after harvesting for optimal flavor and food safety.
How to Gut a Turkey 101 with MeatEater’s Janis Putelis
FAQ
When should I gut my turkey?
How to thaw a turkey quickly?
How do you gut a Turkey?
Also be sure to wash under your fingernails, if necessary. Lay the turkey stomach-side down on your work surface or countertop and prepare your materials. Make sure that you have all necessary materials that you will need for gutting the turkey either on your person or within reach.
What to do if a Turkey is gutted?
Wash your hands with warm, soapy water again to rid them of any bacteria. Save the innards that can be cooked, which are known as the giblets. When you gutted the turkey, you set aside its innards in different bowls based on whether they could be cooked later or needed to be disposed of.
Do you need to gut a Turkey?
When you buy a turkey from a farmer or grocery store, you will likely have to gut it, which means cleaning out its inner organs, or innards. While hunters often do this themselves, the average cook who buys a turkey from the store still needs to know how to gut it in order to prepare it for a meal.
How do you flip a Turkey over?
Flip the turkey over onto its back. Do this carefully, since you have already made one cut in the turkey. Flipping the turkey over prepares you to make the cuts that will enable you to pull out all of the innards safely. Cut a horizontal slit in the skin of the turkey between the point its breastbone and its anus.
How do you cook a turkey leg?
pressure cook the leg and season the water with salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper. Once tender, I pluck all of the meat from the bone and return it to the water. I freeze the stock in re-sealable bags that I can use to make any type of turkey-based soups.
Can you put giblets in a Turkey?
Most commercially prepared turkeys are already “gutted” for your convenience. You should find the giblets and other tasty bits in a paper package inside the turkey – be sure to remove it before cooking! You can use the giblets in gravy if you want, it adds quite a bit of flavor.