| Tag
your turkey immediately.
The tag must remain with the turkey at all times, or you risk
confiscation of your turkey among other nasty effects.
With your fingers feel for the Point
of the Breast located between the turkey's legs and insert
your knife there. Make a cut between the Tail and the Point
of the Breast. Make this cut from one leg to the other. Then
gently pull the turkey's Back and Breast apart far enough
to get your hand inside the body cavity between the intestines
and back. Slip your hand in along the Back as far as you can.
Grip the entrails (the lungs, liver & heart) and pull them
out. The guts will follow along. You may not get it all the
first time and if so you will have to try again. You must
remove the heart, so if you don't see it in the pile you have
removed go back in one more time.
Turkeys have a Crop (the place the food they eat gathers before
it goes into their stomach). It is important to take this
Crop out. At the turkey's neck, grab the skin where it meets
the feathers. Make a cut there and split the neck open. Remove
the windpipe, esophagus, and the Crop. If you are interested
in seeing what your turkey is eating you can cut the Crop
open and look inside.
Once you have removed everything, wipe all the blood out of
the body cavity or let it drip out. As soon as you can, place
ice inside the body cavity and you are ready for the trip
home. Once home completely wash your turkey inside and out
in cold water and wrap it for freezing. |
How To Field Dress A Turkey