Cutting Up Your Extra Turkey

If you can cut up a chicken you can cut up a turkey. There is no difference except size. Here is what I did with mine.

 

I started with the wings. Cut around the inside of the wing, then pull it out until you hear the joint crack and can cut it apart. Simple.

Then I did the legs. Same thing, cut through the skin on the inside, turn the turkey over and pull back on the leg until it cracks, cut through the joint. I left the leg and thigh together and packaged them with the wings for a meal.

Next are the breasts. For the breast you want to start as far down on the ribs as you can. Lay the knife on the ribs and make small cuts upwards keeping your knife against the ribs so you get the most meat.

When you get to the breast bone turn the turkey over and cut straight down on that side of the breast bone. I pulled the skin off of mine, turned the breast over and split the piece off of the inside (a breast is two muscles on poultry). Then I cut the breast into thick strips for another meal and then did the other breast. 

 You shouldn't have much left at this point. Break the back any way you can so that you can fit it into your pressure cooker. Add carrots, celery, onions etc. whatever you want for your stock. Oh and take out the metal piece.

I pressure cooked mine for about 25 minutes. Let the cooker cool and then open it. Take whatever meat there is off the bone and save it (it can make another meal such as a casserole or quiche), save all the skin and fat to give to the cats or dogs, strain the stock and then put it in jars, adjust lids and pressure can your stock (quarts) 25 minutes at 10 lbs pressure (anytime I talk about canning it is 10 lbs pressure). I got three quarts exactly from mine. Right now mine are still in the canner; waiting for it to cool.