How to Skin a Turkey
Excerpt from “Hunting for Food” by Jenny Nguyen and Rick Wheatley
Skinning a turkey to remove the breasts, legs and thighs is very simple if you follow these easy directions. And it’s much quicker than plucking the entire bird. Once accomplished, the meat can be cooked or packaged and frozen.
Many hunters prefer to breast out turkeys because it is faster and cleaner than plucking a whole bird. We will keep the legs, too, which are also easy to remove.
Step 1. Begin by plucking the breast feathers to expose a good area of skin. Then cut through the skin without cutting into the breast meat. Pull and peel the skin away to expose the breast underneath.
Step 2. Carve out the breast meat by following the contours of the rib and keel bone without puncturing the body cavity.
Step 3. With the help of your knife, peel back the skin from both legs.
Step 4. Look for the hip joint that connects the thigh to the body. Cut off both thighs at this joint.
Step 5. Cut off the feet and shanks at the hock joint. Rinse the breast meat and legs under cold water. Pat dry turkey pieces with paper towels before cooking or freezing.
For more wild game recipes, check out “Hunting for Food,” co-authored by Jenny Nguyen and Rick Wheatley.