How to Partially Debone a Turkey

This works for a 10- to 11-pound fresh turkey. For a steady work surface, place a damp towel under a large cutting board. To prepare the turkey, remove the neck and giblet packet contents and reserve for making stock. Rinse the turkey, pat it dry and place it breast-side up on the cutting board. If there is a small plastic turkey timer in the breast, remove it and set aside.

1. To remove the wings: Grab the joint where the wing is attached to the bird and pull it away from the turkey until you hear the joint pop. Using a sharp boning knife, cut away the wing by slicing through the popped joint. Repeat on the other side. Cut the wing tips off both wings and place them in the stock pot. Place the wings in a shallow roasting pan.

2. To remove the legs: Grab one leg, pull it away from the turkey and slice through the skin between the thigh and the breast down to the joint. Firmly grab the thigh from the inside and rotate the thigh until you hear the joint pop. Cut the thigh/leg away by slicing through the popped joint. Remove the other leg/thigh in the same fashion and place both legs in the roasting pan.

3. To bone the breast: Turn the turkey breast-side down. With the leg end toward you and starting at the rib cage, begin slicing one side of the breast meat from the carcass. Slice all the way to the crown of the breast bone until you get to the skin, but do not cut through. Repeat on the other side. Lift the turkey so the breast halves are dangling from the bone. Remove the combined breast from the bone by slicing through the membrane between the skin and the cartilage of the breast bone, keeping the skin intact. Set the breast aside.

4. Using a cleaver or a chef's knife, separate the back from the rest of the carcass. Reserve both to make stock.

5. To tie the breast into a roast: Place five 12-inch lengths of kitchen twine horizontally and one inch apart on the board. Place the unfolded breast-skin side down on the twine. Beginning with the middle length of twine, tie a double knot, pulling tightly until the two sides of the breast meat fold into each other. Repeat with the two outermost lengths of twine and then the two remaining.

6. Trim the ends a half-inch from the knots. Tuck the neck flap under the twine to secure. Invert the tied breast and adjust the ties so they are evenly spaced. Pull the skin carefully to flatten out the surface of the roast. Insert the turkey timer, if you have one, in the center of one side of the breast.

7. Place the roast, skin-side up, in the roasting pan with the wings and legs. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. To roast the turkey, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the wings, legs and breast with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake until the breast and legs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove the pan, cover it loosely with foil and allow the turkey to rest for 20 minutes. Transfer the drippings to a fat separator and reserve to make gravy. Remove twine before carving.

 -- David Hagedorn