Got a 23 pounder from a friend, that bird fought me tooth and nail. I have deboned a chicken, but nothing this large. My cats were scared, they could see me cutting it, and yelling at it. I think they wondered if they were next. I have a 13 pounder I will do for Easter, it will be a lot easier. Thanks for making this a little easier. Cheers!
Dear Chef John, Im an American, married to a Swede and living overseas. Her parents were coming over to our apartment for their first ever "Thanksgiving Dinner", which I was to prepare everything for. The pressure was on, big time. Im not sure that they had the highest of hopes - I've only been cooking for about a year at home, and while I make some pretty yummy shit, I'd never made Thanksgiving Dinner before, and I faced one major problem: in Hong Kong, its a rare apartment that has a full-sized oven, and ours is no exception. Ours is the size of a microwave, and can't fit a whole bird. : l But I had a secret weapon, which was knowledge of your channel, for I have been a subscriber for a a while now, and I just KNEW I'd find something. And here it was. My kitchen looked like a murder scene for a while there, but just like you said, it finally came together (with the help of extra-slippery dental floss) and we managed to cram it into the tiny little bastard of an oven. I also, BTW, used your recipe/techniques for mashed potatoes, green bean casserole (that cool French onion one), and bourbon glazed carrots. They were impressed! Your channel rocks, and you're an excellent teacher. Im sure you know it, but here's one more reminder. Thanks, Chef John!
If anyone is thinking of doing this for Christmas dinner... DO IT!!! I'm only 18 with zero cooking experience and my boneless turkey came out wonderfully for Thanksgiving :) It's not that hard!!
Happy for you! Cooking is a labor of love. It doesn't matter if everything you try comes out Perfect. That is how you learn, hone skills, stretch imagination and discover that 1 recipe can have endless variations. No need to have any meal, even the simplest, be boring. Keep going!🙆👍
I used this recipe last year and it was gone within minutes. Apparently not many people in my family like dark meat because there was only about an inch to two inches of the dark end left on the serving plate, but stuffed with my mothers absolute signature stuffing with the turkey wrapped around it deboned by me, it was the feature of Christmas dinner. I was pretty proud of myself. The sauce came out great as well. thanks chef John. BTW this was my first Christmas cooking something main and big for my entire family. Everyone is already looking forward to it again. Other than the stuffing, I fully deboned and cooked it fully myself and I'm only 21 and still in college. So much for only knowing how to cook ramen packs, eh?
At least your parents didn’t buy a just in case turkey...one year, when I was your age, I was invited to thanksgiving at my boyfriend’s house, and I told his mom I’d make key like pie. Welll...my parents, when they heard I’d be making something I’d never done before, they went and bought a cheesecake, just in case my key lime pie was terrible. Of course, it wasn’t. People loved it so much, it was gone in the blink of an eye, and their cheesecake sat there like a sad little thing. They had to take it home. It wasn’t bad, I tried it the next day, but yeah....
every college kid should know how to cook. When i was i 20-23 i was making all sorts of stuff for my friends, BBQ, steak, japanese food, italian, etc. Its a great life skill
Second in a row Thanksgiving with deboned and stuffed turkey. I will never go back to roasting the whole bird. Last Thanksgiving I deboned two 16 lb turkeys - one was stuffed with butter and my homemade Creole seasoning blend, the other was stuffed with a traditional carmelized onion and leek bread stuffing. This year I'm doing one smaller bird and I had an easier time with the deboning process. Major tip - do this over a counter top and not a table to save your neck and back ;-). I came back to this video for a refresher - thanks Chef John!
Came back again for a refresher, 4th year with a deboned and stuffed turkey. It is a labor of love but so so worth it!! Here are some tips: 1. Debone your turkey a day or two before you plan to cook it. (This helps with #2) 2. Roast the bones and use them to make stock for your side dishes. I use the stock for collard greens and stuffing. 3. Removing the tendons is the hardest part. Use pliers with a good grip and pull hard while wiggling. You might decide cutting them out is easier - you will loose more meat this way but you can add the tendons to the bones in your stock pot. 4. Keep a roll of paper towels handed. Things get wet and juicy. 5. If you get stuck while removing the tendons, you could cut the drum sticks off and roast them while with the rest of your deboned turkey. You will still have a fair bit of dark meat from the thigh. 6. Give yourself 1.5 hours to do this right the first time. Each time after, you'll do it a bit faster and take less breaks.
Hi Chef, Been a long time fan. I used this technique video today to bone and roll a 4 lb chicken. Stuffed and cooked it at 450 for 46 minutes (internal temp of 150F) It worked beautifully, was probably the best chicken I have ever had. I even gave it a tapa-tapa for good measure. Thanks for the great content, keep the videos coming. Regards, Dylan
An actual comment about the topic of the video!😃 I was thinking of a beautiful chicken my daughter gave me that is sitting in my freezer right now. She raises and slaughters her own and feeds them and raises them with care. Best tasting poultry ever. Thought this would be a great way to practice before attempting a turkey. So glad you posted your experience. Thank you! I was thinking of the stuffing I normally make on the side for our turkey meals. While it is a cornbread/sausage stuffing, I could leave out those two ingredients but saute up the fine diced celery, carrot, onion, garlic, and then add the fresh herbs, apple, dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts. ...I'm hungry!!! Love the fall foods.
@@hugh-johnfleming289 Nope. Bone broth is simmered much longer (at least 12 hours), which releases a lot more nutrients from the bones. Collagen, gelatins, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, glycosaminoglycans (which include glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid) are all released with the longer cooking times. 12 hours is the minimum, longer cooking (24-36 hours is common) releases even more nutrients from the bones. These times are for beef bones- turkey bones are much smaller and may take less time. But it still takes much more time than a standard stock or broth and is much healthier. So no, it’s not just a marketing term. Of course, if you’re buying it, you need to know that they actually put the extra time and fuel costs in. Otherwise, you’re just getting regular stock/broth.
My boyfriend and I successfully deboned a turkey this year, thanks to this video...thank you Chef John! We stuffed it, and put it in our smoker and smoked on low temp til it reached 162F. Oh my!! It was delicious and just delightful! Used an electric knife to cut nice even slices and froze about half to enjoy later. A week later we heated up some slices in the oven with bacon fat and oh my goodness. Just soo good!We will do this again next year!
I DID THIS!!! .... I just took it out of the oven ( its only Tuesday but im by myself so I can cook Thanksgiving anytime I want ;-) ) as I was going through the "deboning process" I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth it ... (I can tell you ONE THING ... "Tendons" are NOT your friend! .. removing them was probably the hardest part of the process) but WOW... now that it is out of the oven, rested and tasted ... I would NOT hesitate to do this again ... super excellent ! Love this
You are SOOOOO right about the tendons OH MY GOD removing the tendons probably took me longer than the entire process combined, but it was worth it in the end.
***** Lol after I realized removing them was going to be more labor intensive than chef john indicated I just carefully sliced them out with my knife so as not to lose too much meat. And yes it came out FABULOUS!!!! what did you stuff yours with? I stuffed mine with: chopped parsley, cilantro, mint, garlic, lemon zest and juice, a touch of anchovy paste, scallions, salt, pepper. It came out so juicy I also wouldn't hesitate to do this again.
Yes! I used a knife with the "thick" tendons and ran the knife up the length of the tendon and CUT them out ! ... I used the breadcrumb / fruit adapted recipe that Chef John used in this video... I loved it! I also sliced 3 inch sections and vacuum sealed it for the freezer ;-) Awesome for a really nice meal later on this winter :-D
I did this for Thanksgiving this year, I used a different stuffing, and it came out WONDERFUL. It was moist, flavorful and delicious my family loved it and was so impressed. THANKS CHEF JOHN!!!!!!!! P.S I used the bones to make turkey stock for everything I needed stock for and the gravy.
I got sick of going to Thanksgiving at some awful relative's house years ago, so I started hosting the 'Misfit Toys' Thanksgiving each year. It's a lot of work making the full-on turkey dinner, all the sides, and a couple of pies, but totally worth it to hang out with a table full of black sheep and good friends. Plus, I never have to drive anywhere! I usually brine and spatchcock the turkey, but I might have to do this one this time!
Chef John, I watched a couple of these debone-and-roll videos and I wish I had just found yours first: entertaining, not too long, but detailed enough that I know what to do. your videos have never let me down before, and this is no exception: Thank you so much!
Chef John, Just want to thank you for a very amazing UA-cam and recipe food blog. I had a dinner last night with some of my closest friends 6 couples. I built the dinner around some key items starter soup, main meal with various side dishes. I used your recipes for some of the anchor items. Whole Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey - Posted November 21 2014, Turkey Gravy with Porcini Mushrooms and Marsala Wine - Posted November 9 2011, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - Posted September 29 2015. I’m always surprised when commenters leave negative statements on your youtube recipe blog. I agree with you when you say “this is you cooking”. My dinner was a total success and the food was fantastic. The turkey gravy is “other worldly” it takes some time to make but wow. I don’t usually make comments but wanted to encourage you. What you do and contribute to the community for FREE is great!!! Thanks you and keep them coming.
Hi chef, I did this on thanksgiving. I was very scared to do it because I didn't want to ruin our thanksgiving turkey. But I replayed your video while I was deboning and I did it! Did not take too long. Also, the turkey was so juicy! Thanks chef! I'm going to do this every thanksgiving.
People, of course you use the bones to make the best gravy ever! This was just a video for how you do the bird. Obviously you roast and make your sauce with all those bones ahead of the time using this recipe... ua-cam.com/video/PgO4emPuW9U/v-deo.html
I’ve used this recipe for years for my turkey breast. Now I can debone it from memory. Thank you so much for this guide my husband who typically hates turkey loves it now bc of this recipe!!
Every time it is my turn to cook the turkey, I turn to this recipe. It will be my fourth time this year and now I have adapted the recipe to create two rolls. One with all white meat and one with all dark. Works better for the pallette sensitive : )
It will be my third year doing this. I said I wasn’t gonna do it again this year. But my Brother in law will be here for thanksgiving and here I am rewatching it to freshen up my mind on it. Thank u for making this video.
Did this last year and it was a huge hit, just finished deboning a 23 lb turkey. Stuffed it way fuller than I did last year, wrapped it up and popped it in the freezer for next week. I did not plan on doing it a week early, my brain wasn't seeing the calendar correctly so it's a week early. One less thing I have to do next week, of course I'm sure I'll add something to fill the time...I will tweet it at you after I serve it. Thanks for the technique this is by far the easiest one on UA-cam to follow.
I am totally impressed. Thank you Sir. I will be deboning my turkey for Christmas. The only thing I would do differently is, I would use soy sauce & my island spices as a rub before placing it in the oven.
What is with all these people complaining about this video being gross or grim. All meat is prepared in a butcher shop with similar techniques. Every steak or "boneless" thigh had to be cut away from the meat and bone in order to be sold in those cute little packets we all know and love. If you go to many other "less privileged" countries they will kill and defeather a chicken right in front of you, or better yet, chop off the head and let you do the work yourself. After reading these comments, I suspect that the meat industry hides the reality of butchery for fear of a sudden surge in vegetarianism :)
It's because my generation, despite having more readily-available knowledge at hand than probably any society ever has, typically is exposed to far less of the world than any previous society. As far as most of us know, real life is a big TV show where all food and consumer goods are just sort of magicked into existence in the backroom of the local Shop-Rite or Wal-Mart. Most of our exposure to butchery comes from the likes of PETA or whatever unscrupulous group (all owned by the same few people, by the way) is trying to profit off of shock value and 'going green' this month.
You mean "developing countries." I guess you could say that's where I'm from, this is nothing new. If I go to the local market (not the supermarkets), I can see live fish, eels, poultry etc, being killed and butchered right in front of me.
I’ve done this for three years now. My family won’t let me roast a turkey the traditional way any more. This comes out so nice and quick with minimal cleanup.
Don't sell yourselves short, guys, it's pretty easy to learn. Mince a couple of chickens before this Christmass, that'lll be enough practice - the hardest part is not deboning yourself... so I've heard.
I made this for christmas dinner this year, and it was by far the best we've ever had. my family were absolutely delighted. I de-boned the turkey the night before and took my time. As for today, it was the most hassle free christmas dinner prep ever. the meat was so well cooked, juiciy, tender and just perfect. no dry parts and the drippings made for the best gravy. I'm going for a bone free turkey from now on.
I just knew I would find someone in the comments section complaining about how disgusting it is to watch someone handle raw meat. Those are the type of people who clearly have been spoiled. They love the taste and look of the finished meal but are too good to get down and dirty their hands with a bit of raw meat.
Last week I trapped a groundhog that had been dining upon my garden. When one of my co-workers found out that I was going to butcher and eat it, she asked, "Is that sanitary?" I said, "You need a tour of a slaughter house."
I'm going to attempt this. It eliminates all that turkey carving mess before going to the table. No way have we ever carved a turkey at the table like all those pictures of dad slicing into the turkey. Thank you chef John. You're the best!
I bought a turkey last year. I was inspired by this video to debone and roast it. I'm just now thawing it in a brine. I'm either going to smoke it or roast it. Not sure yet. I've come back to this video for a debone-refresher. Thanks, Chef!
I brined the turkey until it was thawed in about two days in a trash bag lined styrofoam cooler. (My fridge is not big enough.) I deboned and returned the turkey to the brine, adding ice to keep it cold to prevent spoiling for another 12 hours (because it was the day before Thanksgiving. My brother roasted the turkey bones and made turkey stock. Thanksgiving morning, I dried the bread for the breadcrumbs in the smoker with pecan wood smoke. I seasoned the smokey-crumbs as described in the blog-post (using the turkey stock) then stuffed, wrapped and tied the turkey. Definitely not as pretty as Chef John's loaf. Smoked it with pecan wood for about 2.5 hours and checked the temp with a probe. 165F. Done! It was AWESOME! My brother made potato salad with grilled potatoes and smoked eggs (boiled, pealed and smoked for a bit for flavor). As well as grilled seasoned asparagus and roasted cauliflower. As much as I enjoyed the turkey, I have to say that my brother's potato salad and the asparagus was the best things on the table, to me. I shared a plate with my neighbor. Each of us cook and share sometimes. An excellent Thanksgiving meal.
I de-boned a 22 lb turkey today following this technique, was a project for sure, but it looks great. I see you put yours in cater-cornered, mine is a couple inches too long for the 16" roasting pan so I'll do that as well when I roast it Thursday. Letting the salt penetrate for a couple days and air-drying in the fridge. Most of the tendons pulled right out, but this bird had two on each leg that were about an inch wide and attached to the skin. Almost like thick silver-skin that tapered to the end. Took me a while to get those things out without damaging the skin, and man does my lower back hurt right now, but not having to deal with the bones on the day is going to be great. Thanks!
Thanks I made this! It took ruffly an hour and a half most of which was spent looking at what I had just done. Short version…it came out pretty much like you showed excluding my errors of course. Thanks Again!
Haters are gonna hate! Don't let them bother you Chef! I am entertaining the in laws this Thanksgiving, and I will use this technique! Thanks for sharing! I think I might add a few strip of bacon between the turkey and the stuffing for some extra fatty goodness.
Chef John. I want to thank you. In Thanksgiving of 2022, I prepared this dish and used butter and milk to deglaze the roaster afterwards to make a delicious (ill be it very salty) pan sauce. In addition, I coated the turkey in a simple spice mixture of 2 parts salt 1 part black pepper. It was genuinely the best turkey I've ever had/made. It's the first time my family and I didn't have any turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving. Every day since having this turkey, I've been thinking of the amazing, tender, and juicy meat it provided. I'm, for the first time ever, considering making a turkey outside of Thanksgiving. This may be the best food I've ever had, up there with the cheddars Monte Cristo and the red lobster shrimp stuffed crab Rangoon. You've made Thanksgiving into my favorite holiday.
I think this would actually be perfect for a Christmas Turkey. So many people want to see the cooked turkey and watch it being carved at Thanksgiving that it's almost a part of the holiday itself, like having a tree at Christmas or Easter, whereas this would be a visually different and impressive way to serve turkey at a christmas dinner -- when no one will care about watching it carved or seeing the turkey itself. I think I may have to try it someday.
It seems a shame to let people who are more concerned with how a dish looks than what it tastes like dictate that you use an inferior cooking method, purely for a minute or two of show. Also, what is an Easter tree?
I have watched every deboning video on UA-cam. This is by far, the easiest. It seems that after a few years of deboning I should remember how, but I always need a refresher! Thanks for the lesson, Chef John👍
I made this fantastic recipe a few years ago and it was a total hit -- that's why I am doing it again this year. I did add one important step though, and it is a little tricky but absolutely worthwhile. Once the whole bird is boned, I very carefully cut one side of the meat -- breast and dark meat, right or left doesn't matter -- off the skin and flipped it over vertically, placing it on the skin, ready to be stuffed and rolled. Now you have white/dark meat on one side of the bird "book" and dark/white meat on the other side. This ensures that the white meat stays moist and makes for much more fun eating -- every slice gets some dark and some white meat. Happy stuffing, everyone!
I finally made our holiday turkey using this method in 2023. It was a bit of work but worth the effort. Moist throughout and crispy skin. Thanks for this recipe and looking forward to doing this again.
Too funny.. I'm laughing at all the comments where ppl don't like seeing the turkey splayed out on the table without bones. We pay a lot of money in the market to have this done for us so I find chef John's technique to be very helpful. Probably not something I'd want to do all the time but at least now I know how. Have a happy holiday everyone :-)
I made have commented in the past, but it's that time of year again and as such, you deserve kudos again for this technique. It's the easiest for deboning the turkey and if you bear with me, I have a quirky and cute story to share: the first time I attempted this presentation, I found it via some Martha Stewart recipe, though wrapped in cheesecloth. At the time- this is circa 2009/10- I was an instructor at a US Army school down in Texas where we had international students in attendance. This is a course for senior most enlisted so my students were of the mid-30s and up variety, many of whom were married and with their families. This particular Thanksgiving, I invited several students and their families from Italy and Serbia to my house. It was their first American Thanksgiving but I made the turkey in this manner, except wrapped in cheesecloth. As I was readying the bird for removal, they were all standing around, cameras at the ready, waiting for the typical golden, glistening bird, replete with large legs, deliciously and delicately browned skin, all heightened by the sensational aroma that's been permeating the kitchen. Imagine their disappointment when instead of removing a spectacular bird, out comes something akin to The Mummy's Revenge Part Two, a white wrapped glob, still smelling delicious, but not with any of the visuals. It was delicious, but a visual letdown. It simply never dawned upon me that my audience might be expecting something picturesque to bring home. Anyways, I return to your site each year as I get ready to debone, stuff, and grill the bird, sans the cheesecloth. Yeah, it goes on the grill- I think I did it on the rotisserie last year which is what I will do this year. The tines hold it together quite well. Again, thanks for your video and hope you enjoy my story entitled, "How Not to Disappoint Guests"
Wish I could share photos of my journey and final product! WIth patience, a sharp knife, and the guidance of Chef John, THIS CAN BE DONE!!! So impressive - my family expects me to recreate this bird annually.
I’ve been using this video for sometime now and I absolutely love 💕 it. I just sent to to my pastor and another member of my church. They were very impressed and intrigued that a woman (me) was able to debone a turkey and they wanted to know how it was possible....... so I sent them this. Thanks for this fun and pretty simple deboning technique!!
I'm a novice cooker (for family) and I tried this technique last Christmas and it was so surprisingly easy. Of course I came back to find it so I can make it for Thanksgiving! Thank you John!
This video is very impressive. I have wondered for years if there was a way to get turkey sans the bones. I think that the way you explained how to cut a way the bones and tendons and cartilage was very easy to follow. I have to say I had a couple squeamish moments seeing all that meat flop around. But I am a meat eater and I firmly believe that as a carnivore you should respect the resources you use a food, be aware of what those resources are and not be squeamish. I enjoyed this video. Thank you for posting it. Maybe next year we'll go boneless!
I started doing this two years ago and the work is a bit intense but man oh man is it worth it, no waist and it makes the perfect turkey sandwhiches the next day "if" anything is left, and that is why I make two of these for thanksgiving and 1 for friends giving !.. My family no longer wants the turkey made the traditional way. Thank John..great stuff..!
Why do I always catch myself smiling every time I hear chef John commenting on his simple yet delicious dishes ? Merci Chef.pour cette recette simple. Celà parait délicieux . Greetings from Tunisia, Home of the genuine harissa, merguez, brik, fricassé, chorba and couscous with octopus or sea bass. I hope you will come visit and be blown away by our true mediterranean cuisine and tasty wines. Cheers
I made this for the second time today for Easter. My family loves it! I wanted to thank you again for this and all the wonderful recipes you have worked so hard to share with and teach us! You are a gift! Happy Easter!
It's that time again for taters and yams, turkey, prime roasts and holiday hams! Cold crisp walks while dinner is cook'n, through old photo albums, we be look'n. Gather the family and stoke up the fire, with all of the decor, and lights to admire. Eat so much that we just lay here moanin, after learning Chefs tricks for turkey de-bon'n!
I deboned a small turkey before Thanksgiving to harvest the bones to make fresh turkey stock for gravy for the larger turkey that I cooked whole for the holiday. I rolled up the deboned bird and put it in the freezer. Now it's January and snowy weather and we have a lovely weeknight roast turkey to get us through the rest of the week. Delicious! Money in the bank.
Hi ! I followed your instructions to a T and first time for me , it turned out Amazing!!! Omg I best turkey meat I have ever made , in 49 plus years!!! Thank you so much ! I would add, make and cool stuffing beforehand, have a bag of ice to keep one side cool while debone other side, I did it in the kitchen sink so easy to sterilize after. It took me 1.5 hours to debone as a first timer with only a pairing knife and sharpening stone. Everyone was impressed
I now have a whole and entirely new appreciation for the skills involved in being a professional meat butcher. I think they're worth every cent they cost.
Made this turkey yesterday and stuffed it with herb and mushroom dressing. It was AMAZING! Thank you so much for posting. I never would have thought of deboning the turkey, now I will never cook a turkey with the bones again. My family appreciates you! :)
After an existencial crisis, replaying the video several times and being washed by regret that turned into confidence, I managed to pull it off all thanks to your amazing tutorial. Thank you for always sharing techniques and recipes with us! Even though it was a challenge doing this last year, I decided to give your technique another try. Went so much smoother and actually came out looking nice. Chef, you are awesome! I hope you have a great thanksgiving!❤
Note to vegans: Run screaming now and save yourself the trouble later. Chef John, admit it, you only made this video to show how strong your turkey-fu is. ;)
The first Turkey I deboned took me about 4 hours. And I had the nerve to over cook it! Never one to give up, I just finished deboning my second one and it took me about 1 hour! I consider that SUCCESS! And thank you very much. I seasoned it and put it in the fridge for stuffing tomorrow.
I made this 3years ago and it came out just like the picture but my bird was bigger. After that I showed my brother and his also came out perfect. Thank you chef John
This video separates the meat eaters that know where their food comes from and know it's an actual animal, and meat eaters that like to pretend what they're eating wasn't actually alive once.
Chef John made this look so easy!! It took me 30 - 40 min to completely debone my turkey but I was very happy with the end result. Thank you for sharing this awesome technique with us!
Thank you Chef John!!! I made this once for my house, my wife posted it on Instagram and 3 different people invited us over to make at their house. Great technique! Update: I've been making my turkey like this for 4 years. It's so popular, I have had so many people request for me to come to their house to make their turkey. This year, I'm being flown to Az. to debone a turkey for family. Update pt. 2: Still using your technique. Going to make it 3 times this years.
Thank you Chef John you are a master. I finally had the opportunity to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. I deboned a 20 pound turkey and stuffed it with bread stuffing. Baked at 325 for 4 1/2 hours. My family And the friends that we had over were very impressed. I probably will never cook a regular turkey in the oven again. The photo of the finished product could’ve been placed on food and wine magazine.
IT WORKS GREAT!!! Tried it this year and it was yummy and moist, with delectable skin. Only caution: check it for temp doneness after just an hour. We tried two hours cook time with a 17 pound bird and it was at 165 degrees. Miraculously, it was just a touch dry in a few spots.
"....two 45 degreee cuts....which I'm not sure why..." lol this is by far the best and most effective video for this technique on youtube. One could use any filling and also brine the bird beforehand, but the deboning and tying methods are so rock solid. I just did this for the first time after watching this video about 6 times and absolutely killed it. Very excited to put this on the rotisserie tomorrow for Easter. Thank you very much John we are blessed to have you!
This is my third year of using this turkey method and it's still my favourite Thanksgiving recipe to follow. Always turns out great. Thank you Chef John and Happy Thanksgiving 🍂 🍁
Hi Chef John. I followed your recipe a couple of months ago and it turned out great. It took me an hour and a half to perform the 'surgery' with a fish filleting knife, but the results were worth it. We froze a couple of slabs and when thawed, they were almost as delicious as the original. I did not have stuffing prepared but look forward to including it next time. Thanks for the lesson.
Awesome video! Really enjoyed your lesson on removing the bones. I had questions about that and you answered those. Gonna do it this year. Once deboned it will hit the brine bath over night then gets stuffed and tied up and finally smoked on the grill.
This is mostly myth, the bones themselves provide no flavor, as the chemical change undergone by the bones results in nothing that can be tasted. Marrow from within the bones adds flavor, but when you consider the cooking time and internal temperature of the turkey, the marrow will not cook and render much, or have time to leak out of the bones, so only a small about of flavor is lost. You may as well take the carcass and make a brown stock, roasting to get that Millard flavor going then simmered for 4 hours to render the marrow, and reduce that to a jus.
For all those thinking about trying this for thanksgiving before practicing. DONT!! de-boning is much harder than it looks when chef john does it, even on just the leg and thigh areas. Practice a few times before you do it for the whole family. I didn't even know you could de-bone a whole turkey like that, very cool.
Check out the recipe: www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/240457/Chef-Johns-Boneless-Whole-Turkey/
I just found a new Turkey day way of making turkey Thanks 😁👍
@ʙʀᴀᴋᴋᴀ ••• lol I use garlic,onion,celery and a bit of sage,cumin and thyme
Do you have a video on how to carve a whole bone-in turkey? I always mess up when cutting the breast meat. 🦃🍽
@@ntvonline9480 a sharp knife...remove wings and legs..thinly slice the breast at an angel to match the breast bone it's that easy
Not to tell you your craft but wouldn't it be easier to spatchcock the bird and bone it from the inside?
This is the best turkey deboning video & recipe combo! No fluff, no constant talking, straight to the point! Love it!
Got a 23 pounder from a friend, that bird fought me tooth and nail. I have deboned a chicken, but nothing this large. My cats were scared, they could see me cutting it, and yelling at it. I think they wondered if they were next. I have a 13 pounder I will do for Easter, it will be a lot easier. Thanks for making this a little easier. Cheers!
God damn! That was indeed a big bird.
Scared the cats! 😆😆😆😆
Fought you tooth and nail - we raise our own and they’re pretty gentle, so my visual for this was a little different …
How big are the chickens where you live?!
"My cats were scared, they could see me cutting it, and yelling at it. I think they wondered if they were next." LOL
Dear Chef John,
Im an American, married to a Swede and living overseas. Her parents were coming over to our apartment for their first ever "Thanksgiving Dinner", which I was to prepare everything for. The pressure was on, big time. Im not sure that they had the highest of hopes - I've only been cooking for about a year at home, and while I make some pretty yummy shit, I'd never made Thanksgiving Dinner before, and I faced one major problem: in Hong Kong, its a rare apartment that has a full-sized oven, and ours is no exception. Ours is the size of a microwave, and can't fit a whole bird. : l
But I had a secret weapon, which was knowledge of your channel, for I have been a subscriber for a a while now, and I just KNEW I'd find something. And here it was.
My kitchen looked like a murder scene for a while there, but just like you said, it finally came together (with the help of extra-slippery dental floss) and we managed to cram it into the tiny little bastard of an oven. I also, BTW, used your recipe/techniques for mashed potatoes, green bean casserole (that cool French onion one), and bourbon glazed carrots.
They were impressed!
Your channel rocks, and you're an excellent teacher. Im sure you know it, but here's one more reminder. Thanks, Chef John!
Josh Goddard o
Free Hong Kong
Watch Jacques Pepin chicken ballotine for correct instructions. These are bad. Jacques' are much easier and foolproof.
"Yummy Shit"......LMAO......I've been watching this demonstration/instruction forever....It's time.
@@rustydog1236 that is rude just say different there are 10000 ways to debone a turkey just like skinning a cat 😺
If anyone is thinking of doing this for Christmas dinner... DO IT!!! I'm only 18 with zero cooking experience and my boneless turkey came out wonderfully for Thanksgiving :) It's not that hard!!
.m
Happy for you! Cooking is a labor of love. It doesn't matter if everything you try comes out Perfect. That is how you learn, hone skills, stretch imagination and discover that 1 recipe can have endless variations. No need to have any meal, even the simplest, be boring. Keep going!🙆👍
You’re giving me confidence. It’s dangerous and I love it!
What kim said. Nailed it right on the head👍
Right on Sarah!
I used this recipe last year and it was gone within minutes. Apparently not many people in my family like dark meat because there was only about an inch to two inches of the dark end left on the serving plate, but stuffed with my mothers absolute signature stuffing with the turkey wrapped around it deboned by me, it was the feature of Christmas dinner. I was pretty proud of myself. The sauce came out great as well. thanks chef John. BTW this was my first Christmas cooking something main and big for my entire family. Everyone is already looking forward to it again. Other than the stuffing, I fully deboned and cooked it fully myself and I'm only 21 and still in college. So much for only knowing how to cook ramen packs, eh?
life form 🤣
At least your parents didn’t buy a just in case turkey...one year, when I was your age, I was invited to thanksgiving at my boyfriend’s house, and I told his mom I’d make key like pie. Welll...my parents, when they heard I’d be making something I’d never done before, they went and bought a cheesecake, just in case my key lime pie was terrible. Of course, it wasn’t. People loved it so much, it was gone in the blink of an eye, and their cheesecake sat there like a sad little thing. They had to take it home. It wasn’t bad, I tried it the next day, but yeah....
every college kid should know how to cook.
When i was i 20-23 i was making all sorts of stuff for my friends, BBQ, steak, japanese food, italian, etc. Its a great life skill
8 years later, are you sick of cooking the turkey yet? Lol
Second in a row Thanksgiving with deboned and stuffed turkey. I will never go back to roasting the whole bird. Last Thanksgiving I deboned two 16 lb turkeys - one was stuffed with butter and my homemade Creole seasoning blend, the other was stuffed with a traditional carmelized onion and leek bread stuffing. This year I'm doing one smaller bird and I had an easier time with the deboning process. Major tip - do this over a counter top and not a table to save your neck and back ;-). I came back to this video for a refresher - thanks Chef John!
Came back again for a refresher, 4th year with a deboned and stuffed turkey. It is a labor of love but so so worth it!!
Here are some tips:
1. Debone your turkey a day or two before you plan to cook it. (This helps with #2)
2. Roast the bones and use them to make stock for your side dishes. I use the stock for collard greens and stuffing.
3. Removing the tendons is the hardest part. Use pliers with a good grip and pull hard while wiggling. You might decide cutting them out is easier - you will loose more meat this way but you can add the tendons to the bones in your stock pot.
4. Keep a roll of paper towels handed. Things get wet and juicy.
5. If you get stuck while removing the tendons, you could cut the drum sticks off and roast them while with the rest of your deboned turkey. You will still have a fair bit of dark meat from the thigh.
6. Give yourself 1.5 hours to do this right the first time. Each time after, you'll do it a bit faster and take less breaks.
@@creolan excellent tips, thanks!!!
Hi Chef,
Been a long time fan.
I used this technique video today to bone and roll a 4 lb chicken.
Stuffed and cooked it at 450 for 46 minutes (internal temp of 150F)
It worked beautifully, was probably the best chicken I have ever had.
I even gave it a tapa-tapa for good measure.
Thanks for the great content, keep the videos coming.
Regards,
Dylan
An actual comment about the topic of the video!😃 I was thinking of a beautiful chicken my daughter gave me that is sitting in my freezer right now. She raises and slaughters her own and feeds them and raises them with care. Best tasting poultry ever. Thought this would be a great way to practice before attempting a turkey. So glad you posted your experience. Thank you!
I was thinking of the stuffing I normally make on the side for our turkey meals. While it is a cornbread/sausage stuffing, I could leave out those two ingredients but saute up the fine diced celery, carrot, onion, garlic, and then add the fresh herbs, apple, dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts. ...I'm hungry!!! Love the fall foods.
I immediately thought of doing this with a juicy duck.
Be sure to tell people to save bones & fat for making stock or bone broth!
Good one! Perfect for even gravy
Soup!
The best meal from the turkey is after thanksgiving. Simmer the carcass for at least 36 hours, strain, skim fat, then make cream of turkey soup, yum.
Bone broth is a marketing term.
@@hugh-johnfleming289
Nope. Bone broth is simmered much longer (at least 12 hours), which releases a lot more nutrients from the bones. Collagen, gelatins, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, glycosaminoglycans (which include glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid) are all released with the longer cooking times.
12 hours is the minimum, longer cooking (24-36 hours is common) releases even more nutrients from the bones.
These times are for beef bones- turkey bones are much smaller and may take less time. But it still takes much more time than a standard stock or broth and is much healthier.
So no, it’s not just a marketing term. Of course, if you’re buying it, you need to know that they actually put the extra time and fuel costs in. Otherwise, you’re just getting regular stock/broth.
I’m a butcher, I’m going to try this method. It would also work well for smoked turkey! Who would ever thumbs down this?
Vegans. The only people who could dislike this.
Isn't there a pin bone or a piece of cartilage in the tender that he forgot?
My boyfriend and I successfully deboned a turkey this year, thanks to this video...thank you Chef John! We stuffed it, and put it in our smoker and smoked on low temp til it reached 162F. Oh my!! It was delicious and just delightful! Used an electric knife to cut nice even slices and froze about half to enjoy later. A week later we heated up some slices in the oven with bacon fat and oh my goodness. Just soo good!We will do this again next year!
I DID THIS!!! .... I just took it out of the oven ( its only Tuesday but im by myself so I can cook Thanksgiving anytime I want ;-) ) as I was going through the "deboning process" I wasn't sure if it was going to be worth it ... (I can tell you ONE THING ... "Tendons" are NOT your friend! .. removing them was probably the hardest part of the process) but WOW... now that it is out of the oven, rested and tasted ... I would NOT hesitate to do this again ... super excellent ! Love this
You are SOOOOO right about the tendons OH MY GOD removing the tendons probably took me longer than the entire process combined, but it was worth it in the end.
yeah ... Adisha the tendons were horrible ... But I made it through and gosh was it ever WORTH it! ;-) How did you do !?! Did it come out FABULOUS ???
***** Lol after I realized removing them was going to be more labor intensive than chef john indicated I just carefully sliced them out with my knife so as not to lose too much meat. And yes it came out FABULOUS!!!! what did you stuff yours with? I stuffed mine with: chopped parsley, cilantro, mint, garlic, lemon zest and juice, a touch of anchovy paste, scallions, salt, pepper. It came out so juicy I also wouldn't hesitate to do this again.
Yes! I used a knife with the "thick" tendons and ran the knife up the length of the tendon and CUT them out ! ... I used the breadcrumb / fruit adapted recipe that Chef John used in this video... I loved it! I also sliced 3 inch sections and vacuum sealed it for the freezer ;-) Awesome for a really nice meal later on this winter :-D
Did you take a picture? Would be interesting to see what yours turned out like!
I did this for Thanksgiving this year, I used a different stuffing, and it came out WONDERFUL. It was moist, flavorful and delicious my family loved it and was so impressed. THANKS CHEF JOHN!!!!!!!!
P.S I used the bones to make turkey stock for everything I needed stock for and the gravy.
I got sick of going to Thanksgiving at some awful relative's house years ago, so I started hosting the 'Misfit Toys' Thanksgiving each year. It's a lot of work making the full-on turkey dinner, all the sides, and a couple of pies, but totally worth it to hang out with a table full of black sheep and good friends. Plus, I never have to drive anywhere!
I usually brine and spatchcock the turkey, but I might have to do this one this time!
Spatchcock. Hmm.
@@SusanLynn656 You can cook a whole turkey in under 90 minutes if you spatchcock it properly first.
Chef John, I watched a couple of these debone-and-roll videos and I wish I had just found yours first: entertaining, not too long, but detailed enough that I know what to do. your videos have never let me down before, and this is no exception: Thank you so much!
Chef John, Just want to thank you for a very amazing UA-cam and recipe food blog. I had a dinner last night with some of my closest friends 6 couples. I built the dinner around some key items starter soup, main meal with various side dishes. I used your recipes for some of the anchor items.
Whole Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey - Posted November 21 2014,
Turkey Gravy with Porcini Mushrooms and Marsala Wine - Posted November 9 2011, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - Posted September 29 2015. I’m always surprised when commenters leave negative statements on your youtube recipe blog. I agree with you when you say “this is you cooking”. My dinner was a total success and the food was fantastic. The turkey gravy is “other worldly” it takes some time to make but wow. I don’t usually make comments but wanted to encourage you. What you do and contribute to the community for FREE is great!!! Thanks you and keep them coming.
Hi chef, I did this on thanksgiving. I was very scared to do it because I didn't want to ruin our thanksgiving turkey. But I replayed your video while I was deboning and I did it! Did not take too long. Also, the turkey was so juicy! Thanks chef! I'm going to do this every thanksgiving.
People, of course you use the bones to make the best gravy ever! This was just a video for how you do the bird. Obviously you roast and make your sauce with all those bones ahead of the time using this recipe... ua-cam.com/video/PgO4emPuW9U/v-deo.html
Can you show how to make, meatloaf
or save em for a kickass stock the next day!
Miner Z he already made a video on meatloaf.
***** laura vitale is awesome
SoulStealerC She has nice recipes, but she babbles for 20 mins before prep even starts.
I’ve used this recipe for years for my turkey breast. Now I can debone it from memory. Thank you so much for this guide my husband who typically hates turkey loves it now bc of this recipe!!
Every time it is my turn to cook the turkey, I turn to this recipe. It will be my fourth time this year and now I have adapted the recipe to create two rolls. One with all white meat and one with all dark. Works better for the pallette sensitive : )
It will be my third year doing this. I said I wasn’t gonna do it again this year. But my Brother in law will be here for thanksgiving and here I am rewatching it to freshen up my mind on it. Thank u for making this video.
SKIN DOWN, MEAT UP, THAT'S THE WAY WE LIKE TO STUFF
LOL!!
2 LIVE CREW IN DA KITCHEN
Did this last year and it was a huge hit, just finished deboning a 23 lb turkey. Stuffed it way fuller than I did last year, wrapped it up and popped it in the freezer for next week. I did not plan on doing it a week early, my brain wasn't seeing the calendar correctly so it's a week early. One less thing I have to do next week, of course I'm sure I'll add something to fill the time...I will tweet it at you after I serve it. Thanks for the technique this is by far the easiest one on UA-cam to follow.
My uncle Roscoe once boned a turkey at thanksgiving. My aunt never left him alone with the kids after that.
Corvus man, all I had to do all these years was bone a turkey!?
Heheheheh
I am totally impressed. Thank you Sir. I will be deboning my turkey for Christmas. The only thing I would do differently is, I would use soy sauce & my island spices as a rub before placing it in the oven.
What is with all these people complaining about this video being gross or grim. All meat is prepared in a butcher shop with similar techniques. Every steak or "boneless" thigh had to be cut away from the meat and bone in order to be sold in those cute little packets we all know and love. If you go to many other "less privileged" countries they will kill and defeather a chicken right in front of you, or better yet, chop off the head and let you do the work yourself. After reading these comments, I suspect that the meat industry hides the reality of butchery for fear of a sudden surge in vegetarianism :)
We need to have butchers..dying industry.
It's because my generation, despite having more readily-available knowledge at hand than probably any society ever has, typically is exposed to far less of the world than any previous society. As far as most of us know, real life is a big TV show where all food and consumer goods are just sort of magicked into existence in the backroom of the local Shop-Rite or Wal-Mart. Most of our exposure to butchery comes from the likes of PETA or whatever unscrupulous group (all owned by the same few people, by the way) is trying to profit off of shock value and 'going green' this month.
True. I suggest they should read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.
Perhaps boneless turkey bondage?
You mean "developing countries." I guess you could say that's where I'm from, this is nothing new. If I go to the local market (not the supermarkets), I can see live fish, eels, poultry etc, being killed and butchered right in front of me.
I’ve done this for three years now. My family won’t let me roast a turkey the traditional way any more. This comes out so nice and quick with minimal cleanup.
I'm pretty sure if I ever attempted deboning a turkey I'll end up with minced turkey instead.
Same
Yep, me too. That's why last year, I got my butcher to do it for me. ;)
Don't sell yourselves short, guys, it's pretty easy to learn. Mince a couple of chickens before this Christmass, that'lll be enough practice - the hardest part is not deboning yourself... so I've heard.
Well, then you can have turkey burgers for Thanksgiving \o/
I made this for christmas dinner this year, and it was by far the best we've ever had. my family were absolutely delighted. I de-boned the turkey the night before and took my time. As for today, it was the most hassle free christmas dinner prep ever. the meat was so well cooked, juiciy, tender and just perfect. no dry parts and the drippings made for the best gravy. I'm going for a bone free turkey from now on.
I just knew I would find someone in the comments section complaining about how disgusting it is to watch someone handle raw meat. Those are the type of people who clearly have been spoiled. They love the taste and look of the finished meal but are too good to get down and dirty their hands with a bit of raw meat.
Last week I trapped a groundhog that had been dining upon my garden. When one of my co-workers found out that I was going to butcher and eat it, she asked, "Is that sanitary?" I said, "You need a tour of a slaughter house."
BTW--Groundhog is quite good.
Smoking hot avatar
@Bert Clayton - That makes you an a-hole, soy-boy.
Specially when they touch their own raw meet right?
I'm going to attempt this. It eliminates all that turkey carving mess before going to the table. No way have we ever carved a turkey at the table like all those pictures of dad slicing into the turkey. Thank you chef John. You're the best!
I bought a turkey last year. I was inspired by this video to debone and roast it.
I'm just now thawing it in a brine. I'm either going to smoke it or roast it. Not sure yet.
I've come back to this video for a debone-refresher.
Thanks, Chef!
I brined the turkey until it was thawed in about two days in a trash bag lined styrofoam cooler. (My fridge is not big enough.) I deboned and returned the turkey to the brine, adding ice to keep it cold to prevent spoiling for another 12 hours (because it was the day before Thanksgiving. My brother roasted the turkey bones and made turkey stock. Thanksgiving morning, I dried the bread for the breadcrumbs in the smoker with pecan wood smoke. I seasoned the smokey-crumbs as described in the blog-post (using the turkey stock) then stuffed, wrapped and tied the turkey. Definitely not as pretty as Chef John's loaf. Smoked it with pecan wood for about 2.5 hours and checked the temp with a probe. 165F. Done!
It was AWESOME!
My brother made potato salad with grilled potatoes and smoked eggs (boiled, pealed and smoked for a bit for flavor). As well as grilled seasoned asparagus and roasted cauliflower. As much as I enjoyed the turkey, I have to say that my brother's potato salad and the asparagus was the best things on the table, to me. I shared a plate with my neighbor. Each of us cook and share sometimes. An excellent Thanksgiving meal.
+fegolem That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing
Impressive deboning of the bird Chef and it looks fabulous after being roasted. Though I don't care to stuff any poultry.
chef John, after a night of drunk youtubing it always feels like coming home to youre channel
I de-boned a 22 lb turkey today following this technique, was a project for sure, but it looks great. I see you put yours in cater-cornered, mine is a couple inches too long for the 16" roasting pan so I'll do that as well when I roast it Thursday. Letting the salt penetrate for a couple days and air-drying in the fridge. Most of the tendons pulled right out, but this bird had two on each leg that were about an inch wide and attached to the skin. Almost like thick silver-skin that tapered to the end. Took me a while to get those things out without damaging the skin, and man does my lower back hurt right now, but not having to deal with the bones on the day is going to be great. Thanks!
Thanks I made this! It took ruffly an hour and a half most of which was spent looking at what I had just done. Short version…it came out pretty much like you showed excluding my errors of course. Thanks Again!
Haters are gonna hate! Don't let them bother you Chef! I am entertaining the in laws this Thanksgiving, and I will use this technique! Thanks for sharing! I think I might add a few strip of bacon between the turkey and the stuffing for some extra fatty goodness.
Chef John. I want to thank you. In Thanksgiving of 2022, I prepared this dish and used butter and milk to deglaze the roaster afterwards to make a delicious (ill be it very salty) pan sauce. In addition, I coated the turkey in a simple spice mixture of 2 parts salt 1 part black pepper. It was genuinely the best turkey I've ever had/made. It's the first time my family and I didn't have any turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving. Every day since having this turkey, I've been thinking of the amazing, tender, and juicy meat it provided. I'm, for the first time ever, considering making a turkey outside of Thanksgiving. This may be the best food I've ever had, up there with the cheddars Monte Cristo and the red lobster shrimp stuffed crab Rangoon. You've made Thanksgiving into my favorite holiday.
I think this would actually be perfect for a Christmas Turkey. So many people want to see the cooked turkey and watch it being carved at Thanksgiving that it's almost a part of the holiday itself, like having a tree at Christmas or Easter, whereas this would be a visually different and impressive way to serve turkey at a christmas dinner -- when no one will care about watching it carved or seeing the turkey itself.
I think I may have to try it someday.
It seems a shame to let people who are more concerned with how a dish looks than what it tastes like dictate that you use an inferior cooking method, purely for a minute or two of show.
Also, what is an Easter tree?
I have watched every deboning video on UA-cam. This is by far, the easiest. It seems that after a few years of deboning I should remember how, but I always need a refresher! Thanks for the lesson, Chef John👍
The shibari reference made me truly laugh out loud. I love when you say exactly what I was thinking.
I made this fantastic recipe a few years ago and it was a total hit -- that's why I am doing it again this year.
I did add one important step though, and it is a little tricky but absolutely worthwhile. Once the whole bird is boned, I very carefully cut one side of the meat -- breast and dark meat, right or left doesn't matter -- off the skin and flipped it over vertically, placing it on the skin, ready to be stuffed and rolled.
Now you have white/dark meat on one side of the bird "book" and dark/white meat on the other side. This ensures that the white meat stays moist and makes for much more fun eating -- every slice gets some dark and some white meat.
Happy stuffing, everyone!
Chef John, you have outdone yourself..... I can't even debone a chicken leg properly...or thigh. This was beautiful T__T
you just gave me the idea to practice on a chicken before attempting a turkey.... thanks!!!!
***** The Chef John one seemed to work just fine! Thank you for the suggestion!
+Hugo Taljaard This was a fabulous demonstration. Tak Hugo! Everybody on Chef John's channel should see this.
The problem is probably your knife, not you.
I finally made our holiday turkey using this method in 2023. It was a bit of work but worth the effort. Moist throughout and crispy skin. Thanks for this recipe and looking forward to doing this again.
Too funny.. I'm laughing at all the comments where ppl don't like seeing the turkey splayed out on the table without bones. We pay a lot of money in the market to have this done for us so I find chef John's technique to be very helpful. Probably not something I'd want to do all the time but at least now I know how. Have a happy holiday everyone :-)
I made have commented in the past, but it's that time of year again and as such, you deserve kudos again for this technique. It's the easiest for deboning the turkey and if you bear with me, I have a quirky and cute story to share: the first time I attempted this presentation, I found it via some Martha Stewart recipe, though wrapped in cheesecloth. At the time- this is circa 2009/10- I was an instructor at a US Army school down in Texas where we had international students in attendance. This is a course for senior most enlisted so my students were of the mid-30s and up variety, many of whom were married and with their families. This particular Thanksgiving, I invited several students and their families from Italy and Serbia to my house. It was their first American Thanksgiving but I made the turkey in this manner, except wrapped in cheesecloth. As I was readying the bird for removal, they were all standing around, cameras at the ready, waiting for the typical golden, glistening bird, replete with large legs, deliciously and delicately browned skin, all heightened by the sensational aroma that's been permeating the kitchen. Imagine their disappointment when instead of removing a spectacular bird, out comes something akin to The Mummy's Revenge Part Two, a white wrapped glob, still smelling delicious, but not with any of the visuals. It was delicious, but a visual letdown. It simply never dawned upon me that my audience might be expecting something picturesque to bring home. Anyways, I return to your site each year as I get ready to debone, stuff, and grill the bird, sans the cheesecloth. Yeah, it goes on the grill- I think I did it on the rotisserie last year which is what I will do this year. The tines hold it together quite well. Again, thanks for your video and hope you enjoy my story entitled, "How Not to Disappoint Guests"
Wish I could share photos of my journey and final product! WIth patience, a sharp knife, and the guidance of Chef John, THIS CAN BE DONE!!! So impressive - my family expects me to recreate this bird annually.
I’ve been using this video for sometime now and I absolutely love 💕 it. I just sent to to my pastor and another member of my church. They were very impressed and intrigued that a woman (me) was able to debone a turkey and they wanted to know how it was possible....... so I sent them this. Thanks for this fun and pretty simple deboning technique!!
hi, I want to thank you for this video, I made it for 2016 Thanksgiving and it was a TREMENDOUS hit. Thank you so much!
I'm a novice cooker (for family) and I tried this technique last Christmas and it was so surprisingly easy. Of course I came back to find it so I can make it for Thanksgiving! Thank you John!
This video is very impressive. I have wondered for years if there was a way to get turkey sans the bones. I think that the way you explained how to cut a way the bones and tendons and cartilage was very easy to follow. I have to say I had a couple squeamish moments seeing all that meat flop around. But I am a meat eater and I firmly believe that as a carnivore you should respect the resources you use a food, be aware of what those resources are and not be squeamish. I enjoyed this video. Thank you for posting it. Maybe next year we'll go boneless!
I started doing this two years ago and the work is a bit intense but man oh man is it worth it, no waist and it makes the perfect turkey sandwhiches the next day "if" anything is left, and that is why I make two of these for thanksgiving and 1 for friends giving !.. My family no longer wants the turkey made the traditional way. Thank John..great stuff..!
I was just thinking how perfect it would be for leftover turkey sandwiches. I can't wait to try it.
'the matahari of your shibari'
oh my lord
I could not believe that when I heard it 😂😂😂
I had to put it back to make sure I heard right
On the list of things I never thought I'd hear from this channel
Yuuuup. My head snapped around soooo fast on that, I almost broke my own neck. XD
love the voice and the casual and easy way we go through the recipe, makes everything look less complicated.
"You're the Matahari, of your Shibari." ROFL!
Why do I always catch myself smiling every time I hear chef John commenting on his simple yet delicious dishes ? Merci Chef.pour cette recette simple. Celà parait délicieux .
Greetings from Tunisia, Home of the genuine harissa, merguez, brik, fricassé, chorba and couscous with octopus or sea bass. I hope you will come visit and be blown away by our true mediterranean cuisine and tasty wines. Cheers
I was skeptical until you pulled that beautiful brown bird out of the oven. I wonder, could I warm up to this technique with a chicken?
I made this for the second time today for Easter. My family loves it! I wanted to thank you again for this and all the wonderful recipes you have worked so hard to share with and teach us! You are a gift! Happy Easter!
It's that time again for taters and yams,
turkey, prime roasts and holiday hams!
Cold crisp walks while dinner is cook'n,
through old photo albums, we be look'n.
Gather the family and stoke up the fire,
with all of the decor, and lights to admire.
Eat so much that we just lay here moanin,
after learning Chefs tricks for turkey de-bon'n!
Very good....
I deboned a small turkey before Thanksgiving to harvest the bones to make fresh turkey stock for gravy for the larger turkey that I cooked whole for the holiday. I rolled up the deboned bird and put it in the freezer. Now it's January and snowy weather and we have a lovely weeknight roast turkey to get us through the rest of the week. Delicious! Money in the bank.
7 minutes in with no pun, I was almost worried you forgot.
Hi ! I followed your instructions to a T and first time for me , it turned out Amazing!!! Omg I best turkey meat I have ever made , in 49 plus years!!! Thank you so much !
I would add, make and cool stuffing beforehand, have a bag of ice to keep one side cool while debone other side, I did it in the kitchen sink so easy to sterilize after.
It took me 1.5 hours to debone as a first timer with only a pairing knife and sharpening stone.
Everyone was impressed
Impressive! Very good video John!
I now have a whole and entirely new appreciation for the skills involved in being a professional meat butcher. I think they're worth every cent they cost.
I think I'll practice on a chicken first.
Hahaha, nice. Better safe than sorry, right?
I read children hahaha
Same
Damn good idea
A chicken would work the same way. 👍
Made this turkey yesterday and stuffed it with herb and mushroom dressing. It was AMAZING! Thank you so much for posting. I never would have thought of deboning the turkey, now I will never cook a turkey with the bones again. My family appreciates you! :)
Here from binging with babish:)
Awesome Video .... How have i been cooking turkey any other way. Never again
Should you still brine the turkey if you use this method?
people need to grow up. how do else do you think we get burgers and chicken nuggets?
After an existencial crisis, replaying the video several times and being washed by regret that turned into confidence, I managed to pull it off all thanks to your amazing tutorial. Thank you for always sharing techniques and recipes with us! Even though it was a challenge doing this last year, I decided to give your technique another try. Went so much smoother and actually came out looking nice. Chef, you are awesome! I hope you have a great thanksgiving!❤
Note to vegans: Run screaming now and save yourself the trouble later.
Chef John, admit it, you only made this video to show how strong your turkey-fu is. ;)
The first Turkey I deboned took me about 4 hours. And I had the nerve to over cook it!
Never one to give up, I just finished deboning my second one and it took me about 1 hour! I consider that SUCCESS! And thank you very much. I seasoned it and put it in the fridge for stuffing tomorrow.
Definitely doing this for Thanksgiving 2019!
I made this 3years ago and it came out just like the picture but my bird was bigger. After that I showed my brother and his also came out perfect. Thank you chef John
This video separates the meat eaters that know where their food comes from and know it's an actual animal, and meat eaters that like to pretend what they're eating wasn't actually alive once.
Chef John made this look so easy!! It took me 30 - 40 min to completely debone my turkey but I was very happy with the end result. Thank you for sharing this awesome technique with us!
Im going to practice on some chickens so ill be ready by thanksgiving.
Thank you Chef John!!! I made this once for my house, my wife posted it on Instagram and 3 different people invited us over to make at their house. Great technique!
Update: I've been making my turkey like this for 4 years. It's so popular, I have had so many people request for me to come to their house to make their turkey. This year, I'm being flown to Az. to debone a turkey for family.
Update pt. 2: Still using your technique. Going to make it 3 times this years.
I want Morgan Freeman to narrate my night life and Chef John to narrate my day life
Thank you Chef John you are a master. I finally had the opportunity to try this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. I deboned a 20 pound turkey and stuffed it with bread stuffing. Baked at 325 for 4 1/2 hours. My family And the friends that we had over were very impressed. I probably will never cook a regular turkey in the oven again. The photo of the finished product could’ve been placed on food and wine magazine.
John you make me better you are my other half(don't tell my husband). You make me believe in fairy tales. You are my fairytale
I love this guy’s voice, very soothing and reassuring.
Great recipes too.
Could you go, gasp, stuffing-less??? Just a turkey roll?
Yes, without question.
IT WORKS GREAT!!! Tried it this year and it was yummy and moist, with delectable skin. Only caution: check it for temp doneness after just an hour. We tried two hours cook time with a 17 pound bird and it was at 165 degrees. Miraculously, it was just a touch dry in a few spots.
almost halfway through the middle it looks like something straight out of resident evil 5
"....two 45 degreee cuts....which I'm not sure why..." lol this is by far the best and most effective video for this technique on youtube. One could use any filling and also brine the bird beforehand, but the deboning and tying methods are so rock solid. I just did this for the first time after watching this video about 6 times and absolutely killed it. Very excited to put this on the rotisserie tomorrow for Easter. Thank you very much John we are blessed to have you!
Pro tip. You can buy turkey pre-slaughtered for you so you don't have to kill it at home.
Have a great Thanksgiving 2021
Probably do this the day before otherwise I'll spend the whole afternoon trying to figure out the jigsaw of turkey bones.
This is my third year of using this turkey method and it's still my favourite Thanksgiving recipe to follow. Always turns out great. Thank you Chef John and Happy Thanksgiving 🍂 🍁
That's how I had kids, it started spilling out so I shoved it back in.
You and Babish are my favorite foodtubers to binge
Every thime he says "Wiiith," i think he's gonna say, "a herring!"
That's the funniest comment I've read on any Foodwishes video!
Sadye Chester Fan of Monty Python, eh?
Indeed! :) I adore it, brings many laughs and smiles all the time. :)
Hi Chef John. I followed your recipe a couple of months ago and it turned out great. It took me an hour and a half to perform the 'surgery' with a fish filleting knife, but the results were worth it. We froze a couple of slabs and when thawed, they were almost as delicious as the original. I did not have stuffing prepared but look forward to including it next time. Thanks for the lesson.
Great tips but it looks hard...maybe i'll practice with chicken 1st to get the technique pat down.
These are the Videos that make it perfectly clear that Chef John is a real bona fide trained Chef and not just a UA-cam Chef. 👍
"How to Bone" ... :D I think you need to change that :)
Absolutely great video. I'm using it for the third time and it comes out great.
''just shove it back in'' Chef John
gazou ALPHABET or his wife!
Awesome video! Really enjoyed your lesson on removing the bones. I had questions about that and you answered those. Gonna do it this year. Once deboned it will hit the brine bath over night then gets stuffed and tied up and finally smoked on the grill.
I don't get why you would want to do this. Cooking it with the bones really improves the flavour.
for people like me, the bone doesn't leave that pleasing of a taste and can make the meat taste more gamy.
The pros outweigh the cons, and the way you season/stuff it is way more impactful than bones in vs. bones out.
This is mostly myth, the bones themselves provide no flavor, as the chemical change undergone by the bones results in nothing that can be tasted. Marrow from within the bones adds flavor, but when you consider the cooking time and internal temperature of the turkey, the marrow will not cook and render much, or have time to leak out of the bones, so only a small about of flavor is lost. You may as well take the carcass and make a brown stock, roasting to get that Millard flavor going then simmered for 4 hours to render the marrow, and reduce that to a jus.
theBraxil Thanks for the explanation.
Presentation/serving purpose, as already stated, as well as cutting down on cooking time, depending on how big the bird is.
For all those thinking about trying this for thanksgiving before practicing. DONT!! de-boning is much harder than it looks when chef john does it, even on just the leg and thigh areas. Practice a few times before you do it for the whole family. I didn't even know you could de-bone a whole turkey like that, very cool.