Boned Turkey

If you work carefully, you can slip off the skin of a chicken just like a glove. Unfortunately, turkeys don’t work the same way because they are too big and their bones are too hard. To bone a turkey you must slit the skin down the back, remove the bones, and reattach the two sides.

The ideal size turkey for boning is 12 pounds or so. Do not attempt this on a turkey larger than 15 pounds.

Set the turkey on a flat surface, breast side down, with the neck cavity facing you. Cut the skin down the center of the backbone from the neck to the tail. Using a sharp boning knife and your fingers, peel the meat back on both sides of the cut.