Carving the Christmas turkey is a trial for all but the most unreconstructed Victorian patriarchs. We all share a Dickensian vision of steeling the knife over a huge bird with a breast bronzed and pumped like a Governor of California. The reality is much more prosaic, as we hack at the unfortunate creature unceremoniously. Hardly anyone knows how to carve any more, but it doesn't have to be this way. I travelled recently into the wilds of Dorset for a masterclass in turkey carving from meat guru Ray Smith. You'll find the full method in this gallery.
Ray has worked with meat all his life. He began in the kosher butchers of north London and is today Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's butcher and teacher of all things meat-related at River Cottage. He's dealt with more turkeys than most of us would ever want to contemplate but still prepares one for his family each year. The birds we used were an average 14lbs or so in weight with a healthy layer of fat, slow-reared, and beautifully dry-plucked.
You'll need: a small boning knife; a large slicing knife; two cutting boards - one large and preferably with a juice channel, the second smaller; 150cm butcher's string; serving plates and clingfilm. A carving fork helps in moving the bird from roasting pan to plate but isn't necessary for carving. Also have some kitchen roll or cloths on hand to catch running juices.
Meat left on the carcass continues to cook through and will leak juices, becoming dry and unpleasant. Even if you only need to serve one breast and one leg to a smaller family, be sure to carve off the other breast and leg as you serve, then wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate them. These pieces will stay juicy and delicious for much longer than they would stuck to a huge skeleton, taking up your fridge space until mid-January.
Learning from Ray completely changed the way I go about carving, taking out that whole performance of tableside knife and steel wielding which has always ended up in public humiliation on previous Christamases. I loved the way he made it about getting the very best from the meat, quickly delivering moist turkey in manageable portions to the waiting crowd and, best of all, ensuring that the leftovers stay appetising for as long as possible.
