How to Remove the Neck of a Turkey

Removing the neck of a turkey is an important step when preparing a whole turkey for roasting. While store-bought birds often have the neck already removed, turkeys from local farms or butcher shops may still have the neck attached. Removing the neck yourself is easy to do with the right tools and techniques.

Why Remove the Neck?

There are a few reasons why you’ll want to remove the neck before cooking your turkey:

• Aesthetics – The neck and head are unsightly when serving the cooked bird. Removing it gives your turkey a cleaner, more appetizing presentation.

• Eating Quality – The neck meat can dry out and become tough during roasting. Removing it prevents an undesirable piece of meat on your cooked turkey.

• Safety – Any bacteria present on the surface of the raw neck can contaminate the cavity when removed after cooking. It’s safer to remove the neck prior to roasting.

• Gravy – The neck can be used to make flavorful turkey stock for gravy.

Tools You’ll Need

Removing the neck is easy to do with just a few basic tools

• Sharp chef’s knife or boning knife
• Kitchen shears
• Cutting board
• Paper towels

Make sure your tools are clean before getting started. You’ll also want to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water

How to Remove the Raw Turkey Neck

Follow these simple steps for removing the neck from a whole raw turkey:

1. Remove giblets – Check inside both neck and body cavities for the bag of giblets (heart, gizzard, liver). Remove the bag and set aside. Rinse cavities under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Locate the neck – Turn the turkey breast side up. The neck is tucked under the skin fold between the breast and back.

3. Cut through the skin – Using a sharp knife, make an incision into the skin fold around the base of the neck. Cut deep enough to reveal the neck without cutting into breast meat.

4. Find the joint – Feel for the shoulder joint where the neck connects to the body. This is where you will detach the neck.

5. Slice through the joint – Insert knife into the shoulder joint and carefully slice through it to detach the neck. Twist and pull to fully remove.

6. Clean up – Use shears to trim away any stubborn tissue or skin. Rinse the neck and pat dry. Refrigerate for making stock.

It’s really that simple! Just be slow and careful when making your incisions to avoid cutting the breast meat.

What to Do With the Neck

Once removed, there are a couple options for using the turkey neck:

• Make turkey stock – Simmer the neck bones in water with vegetables and herbs to extract rich, concentrated flavor for broth and gravy.

• Prepare it to eat – The neck has tasty dark meat that can be cooked low and slow until tender. Try it braised or in gumbo.

The neck and giblets add tons of flavor when making broth or gravy from scratch. Be sure to remove the neck meat before using stock for gravy to avoid chewing on bones!

Removing Neck of a Cooked Turkey

While not ideal, you can still remove the neck from a fully cooked turkey if needed. The steps are similar:

• Let turkey cool slightly. Use a knife to carefully detach the neck at the joint.
• Take extra caution cutting through the now contracted skin and joints.
• Remove neck meat for eating or discard bones.
• Thoroughly clean body cavity area that was exposed.

It’s harder to get a clean cut once the skin has tightened up after cooking. Removing the neck before roasting is highly recommended whenever possible.

Preventing a Turkey Neck

Here’s one final turkey neck tip – this time for your own neck! Maintaining good posture can prevent neck stiffness and pain as you look down preparing your turkey feast.

Be sure to:

• Stand upright with shoulders back while working
• Position cutting board at comfortable height
• Take breaks to stretch and move neck
• Sleep on supportive pillow to avoid waking up with a stiff “turkey neck”

Enjoy your holiday turkey with friends and family. Just don’t forget to remove the bird’s neck first if needed. Then relax and gobble ’til you wobble!