If you get carving duty on Thanksgiving, you can wow the family with your turkey-carving skills. Following a simple process can help you carve a turkey into succulent pieces, instead of creating a bird-related disaster area:
Place the cooked turkey on a cutting board.
![Place the cooked turkey on a cutting board.](https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/88518.image0.jpg)
Position it breast-side up with the drumsticks facing you.
Slice through a leg where it meets the breast and pry the leg from the body.
![Slice through a leg where it meets the breast and pry the leg from the body.](https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/88520.image2.jpg)
You want to expose the hip joint.
Slice through the hip joint and separate the leg from the body.
![Slice through the hip joint and separate the leg from the body.](https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/88522.image4.jpg)
You can carve the drumsticks or leave them whole.
Find the thigh bone with your knife and cut the thigh meat off.
![Find the thigh bone with your knife and cut the thigh meat off.](https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/88524.image6.jpg)
Cut the meat parallel to the bone.
Slice through the joint between the wing and breast.
![Slice through the joint between the wing and breast.](https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/88526.image8.jpg)
You should be able to easily remove the wing after slicing the joint.
Hold the knife parallel to the center bone and cut thin slices from the breast.
![Hold the knife parallel to the center bone and cut thin slices from the breast.](https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/88528.image10.jpg)
Begin about halfway up the breast, and start a little higher with each slice.