How to Truss a Turkey the Easy Way (2024)

Do you and your Thanksgiving turkey have truss issues? Try this easy way to truss turkey for roasting. All you need are a few minutes and kitchen twine.

Vanessa Greaves

Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table.

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Updated on October 5, 2023

There are many different ways to truss turkey for roasting, and some are a lot more complicated than others. I'm going to show you a very easy way to get the job done, and explain a little bit about why cooks bother to do it in the first place.

Why Truss Turkey?

Let's deal with the why part first. Trussing a turkey turns it into a compact shape before roasting and creates that photo-ready turkey we've all come to associate with classic Thanksgiving imagery. But is it strictly necessary? Some cooks say that trussing a turkey so the legs are drawn up tightly against the breast helps prevent the breast meat from overcooking. And some cooks say that leaving the legs untied helps air circulate around the legs and thighs, resulting in more areas of beautifully crispy skin. To truss or not to truss is ultimately up to you, but most cooks can agree that a trussed turkey looks better on the platter.

How to Truss a Turkey the Easy Way

Some cooks like to fill the chest and neck cavities of the turkey with stuffing before roasting, and some don't. Either way, these basic steps will work for you.

Here's What You'll Need:

1 whole uncooked turkey
Stuffing (optional) or aromatics (chopped onion, carrots, herbs)
Sharp wooden skewer
Kitchen twine
Scissors

Step 1. Close the Neck Flap

Turn the turkey upside down and loosely fill the neck cavity with stuffing or aromatics, such as chopped onions, carrots, and herbs. Pull the neck skin neatly over the filling and use a long wooden skewer to fasten the flap to the underside of the turkey. Filling the neck cavity is optional, but it does make for a more attractive, rounded shape for your roasted turkey.

Step 2. Tuck the Wings

Turn the turkey breast-side up. Tuck the tips of the wings firmly under the shoulders. This keeps the tips from scorching, and helps creates a flat surface to stabilize the turkey when you're carving it later.

Step 3. Tie the Legs

Turn the turkey so the opening of the chest cavity is facing you. Loosely fill with stuffing or aromatics (optional). Cut a long piece of kitchen twine and position the mid-point between the turkey legs. Bring the legs together and wrap the twine around them a couple of times. Tie firmly and cut off most of the excess twine.

Check out our collection of Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes.

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