Skip to main content

Join The Table to earn rewards.

Already a member?

Has anyone cooked a Turkey Julia Child style where you cut off the legs? Do you have any tips for someone who is trying this for the first time?

SouthernVintage
  • 1774 views
  • 1 Comment

1 Comment

Order By
Threads
sfmiller
sfmillerNovember 24, 2013
I've done this. It works very well. The thighs are easy to carve, the turkey cooks in substantially less time than a whole bird, and you have more bones for stock-making.

It's easiest if you have a big, heavy chef's knife to cut out the backbone (especially for a big bird) and a flexible boning knife for removing the thigh bones. But doable with a regular chef's knife and a paring knife.

If you're comfortable breaking down and boning out a chicken, it won't be difficult. Same techniques on a bigger, anatomically similar animal.

If you're not confident of your abilities, you can always practice on a chicken first.

If I remember correctly, there was an episode of the show Julia did with Jacques Pepin in which he demonstrated at least part of the technique. It's probably available online somewhere.
Showing 1 out of 1 Comments
Recommended by Food52

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience.

When you visit our website, we collect and use personal information about you using cookies. You may opt out of selling, sharing, or disclosure of personal data for targeted advertising (called "Do Not Sell or Share" in California) by enabling the Global Privacy Control on a compatible browser. See our Privacy Policy for further information.