Need a turkey carving tutorial? —VIDEO

Even if they’ve figured out how to brine, stuff (maybe) and roast the Thanksgiving turkey, many people are daunted by the carving of the bird.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. First, make sure the turkey is on a stable platform, the cutting board is be large enough to hold the turkey and your knife is sharp. Surround the cutting board with a towel or large pan to catch the juices.

2. Turn the turkey with the legs facing you, breast up. Have a serving platter close by.

3. Place your knife between the leg-thigh quarter and the breast. Letting the knife do the work, work it down between the muscles, toward the hip joint. The leg will start to peel away from the turkey. Work the tip of the knife into the joint to separate it; don’t try to saw through the bone, or you’ll damage the knife, the bird or both.

4. Place the leg-thigh quarter on the serving platter and repeat with other leg-thigh quarter.

5. Place your knife between the two breast halves, letting it trace along the bone, down toward the wing joint. As the knife moves down, the breast will begin to separate from the turkey. The weight of the breast will pull it off in one piece.

6. To separate the wings, work the tip of the knife into the joint. When the joint separates, remove the wing and place on the serving platter; repeat with the other wing.

7. Don’t worry about the meat that remains on the bones; use the bones to make pot pie, soup or something similar.

8. Slice the white meat. Whenever carving lean meat, slice against the grain. In a turkey, the grain runs from head to tail end, so slice at a right angle to that.

9. Working the tip of the knife into the joint, separate the leg from the thigh. Slice the thigh, again cutting against the grain.

Instructions in this tutorial are provided by John Kujundzich, assistant executive chef at Red Rock Resort.

TURKEY HELP

Still have questions regarding turkey preparation? Call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, 800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372), which will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday.