Every year somebody ends up hacking at a turkey in front of the whole family, sawing slices off the side of the breast while the bird skates across a cutting board that's two sizes too small. It doesn't have to go like that. Carving a turkey is mostly about order and setup, not knife skills. Get those two right and it takes about ten minutes, and the platter looks like it came out of a magazine.

Here's the whole routine, from the moment it comes out of the oven to the moment the board goes back on its stand.

First, let it rest

Check it with a thermometer first. The USDA's number is 165°F, measured in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh and the wing. Then leave it alone. Resting lets the juices settle back into the meat instead of running out the second you cut, the same idea we covered in how to rest a steak, just on a bigger scale. Give it at least 20 minutes, loosely tented with foil. A large bird holds its heat well, so 30 to 40 minutes is fine, and it frees up the oven for the sides.

Don't wrap it tight. You worked for that skin, and a sealed-in turkey steams it soft.

Set up the board before you need it

This is where most carving disasters actually start. A turkey is big, slippery and full of juice, so the board has three jobs: hold still, have room, and catch the runoff.

• Room. You need space for the bird, a growing pile of slices and your fork hand. For a whole holiday turkey that usually means an extra-large board. Our The Block in X-Large is 23.6 by 15.7 inches, and if you're not sure what fits your counter and sink, our cutting board size guide walks through it.
• Grip. Lay a damp kitchen towel flat under the board. It stops even a heavy board from creeping when you lean on it. A thick end-grain board helps here too: the X-Large is 1.6 inches of solid teak and doesn't want to move.
• A juice groove. A carved channel around the edge catches what the turkey releases as you cut. Without one, the juice heads for the edge of the board and then the counter.

Knife-wise, you want something sharp and long: a carving knife or an 8 to 10 inch chef's knife, plus a carving fork to steady things. Sharp matters more than fancy. A dull knife tears the skin and squeezes the meat, which pushes out the juice you just waited 30 minutes to keep in.

How to carve a turkey, step by step

Move the rested bird onto the board, breast side up, and snip off any twine. Then work in this order.

1. Take off the legs

Pull one leg gently away from the body and cut through the skin between the thigh and the breast. Keep pulling the leg outward and down until the hip joint pops. Cut through that joint and the whole leg comes away. Do the other side. If you hit hard bone, you're not at the joint yet. Wiggle the leg to find where it moves, and cut there.

2. Split drumsticks from thighs

Lay each leg skin side down and find the joint between drumstick and thigh (there's usually a line of fat over it). Cut straight down through it. Drumsticks go on the platter whole.

3. Get the thigh meat off the bone

Turn the thigh skin side down, run your knife along both sides of the bone and lift it out. Then slice the dark meat into pieces. Thigh is the juiciest meat on the bird, so it's worth the extra minute.

4. Remove the wings

Pull a wing out from the body, find the shoulder joint and cut through it, same idea as the legs.

5. Lift the breast off whole

Find the breastbone running down the center of the bird. Make a long cut along one side of it, top to bottom. Then, keeping your knife against the rib cage, use short strokes to peel the whole breast half away in one piece. Repeat on the other side.

6. Slice the breast across the grain

Lay the breast half flat on the board, skin up. Look at which way the fibers run and slice across them, about half an inch thick. Each slice gets a strip of crisp skin, and every piece is tender instead of chewy. Fan the slices out on the platter as you go.

Don't waste the juice

By the time you're done, the groove will be holding a good few spoonfuls of turkey juice. That's the best stuff on the board. Tip the board carefully over the gravy pan, or spoon it out, and stir it in just before serving. If you'd rather keep the gravy as it is, spoon the juice over the sliced breast on the platter so it stays moist while everyone gets seated.

Carving is mostly order and setup. The knife work is the easy part.

Serving it

You can carry the whole board to the table, which honestly looks great with a big end-grain board, or move everything onto a platter. Arrange dark meat on one side and white on the other so people can find what they like, and put the drumsticks where the kids (or that one uncle) can reach them.

If you like serving each plate with its own juice catch, the Carve Plates are individual end-grain teak plates with a deep groove and a separate zone for sides, so the gravy and the stuffing don't end up in one puddle. We also pair the Large Block with a set of plates as The Carve & Block: one board for carving, two plates for serving.

Cleanup, and the leftovers

Leftovers first: get the meat off the bones and into the fridge within two hours of the turkey coming out of the oven. Shallow containers cool faster than one big tub.

Then the board. Scrape it, wash it by hand with hot water and a little dish soap, and never soak it or put it in the dishwasher, no matter how full the sink is on a holiday. Towel it off and stand it up on its edge so both faces dry. The Solo Stand takes boards up to 2.4 inches thick, so it holds the X-Large. If the wood looks pale or dry after a big cooking day, give it a coat of oil once it's fully dry. Our teak cutting board care guide has the full routine.

That's it. Rest it, set up the board, legs before breast, breast off whole, slice across the grain. Do it once this way and you'll never go back to sawing at the side of the bird again.