How to Carve a Roast
Serving a delicious meal with a juicy roast as the centerpiece is a delectable idea. If you’re the head of the family, the host, or the chef who made the magnificent roast, you should have the basic knowledge of meat carving. If you don’t know how to do this, here are a few methods and tips on carving different kinds of roasts.
Roast Carving Tips
Make sure you have a sharp carving knife. If your knife is not sharp, you’ll need to add more pressure as you carve, causing the cut to become messy. Use a carving fork as well.
Carve the roast on an even surface and a cutting board.
Make sure no one is near you as you carve to prevent accidents.
When carving, use a slicing, and not a sawing motion. Maximize the blade’s length. You should also carve across the grain, to hold in the juices and preserve the meat’s tenderness.
Carving Poultry
This method works for any roast bird, such as chicken, turkey or duck.
Put the roast poultry on its back on the platter, the drumsticks pointing to your left. Hold the carving fork in one hand, the times pointing at the bird’s neck, while the tips turned away from the bird. Carefully insert it in the leg, so one tine is diagonal through the drumstick, while the other is going through the second joint.
Cut around the poultry’s hip joint. Use the flat side of the knife to press against the bird’s side, the fork acting as a lever to bend back the leg. This separates the leg and hip joint, so you can lift the leg.
Lay the leg flat downwards, without removing the fork. The open end must be pointing the left. Put the knife inside, going from right to left between the fork’s tines. Press your knife down so it goes through the joint. You might need to feel around to find the joint.
Thrust the fork at the side of the bird, a bit lower, then cut the breast downwards, using thin and even slices.
Slice the second joint’s meat. Serve a slice of dark meat and white meat to your guests. You can turn the bird around with the carve side downwards, if more servings are needed. Slice the second leg the same way you did with the first, then the breast.
Cut the wings if needed, and divide them like the leg.
Carving A Beef Roast
Beef is tough, and unlike poultry, can come in different cuts. Each cut requires a certain type of carving skill. Here are a few examples.
Standing Rib Roast - Put the roast meat cut with its side up, the ribs facing the left. Afterwards, firmly thrust the fork, in the side, just below the upper bone. Slice 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices going towards the fork, and across the grain, until you get to the bone. Cut a few slices, then separate from the bone cutting down with the knife’s point along the bone.
Tenderloin Roast - Start with the forward or the thick portion. Hold your roast firmly with the fork, cutting the meat squarely across the grain. The slices must be slightly less than one half of an inch in thickness.
Rolled Roast - Thrust skewers directly through the roll, across the meat’s grain. This ensures that it will be held together. Set the meat on end, then firmly thrust the fork in the side, one to two inches from the top. Hold your knife horizontally then cut thin and even slices across the roast.
Carving ****
Bone-in **** loin is tender. If possible, ask your butcher to remove the backbone,. If not, remove the backbone with your knife, then cut the least amount of meat, leaving the majority on the roast. Put if flat on the end where the backbone used to be, then hold it steady with your carving fork. Cut down in between the rib bones, running the knife along one side of the bone. This will give every serving a bone.
A delicious roast won’t be complete if it’s not cut perfectly. Follow these tips and make sure you get perfectly-cut roasted meat every time.