Meat and poultry consist of thousands of long, thin strands of muscle. If you carve across these strands, that is, against the grain, the meat will usually be more tender than if you cut parallel to them. Use the proper equipment-a two-pronged carving fork, preferably with a thumb guard, and a well-sharpened carving knife.
A leg of lamb or a whole ham
Hold the meat steady with a fork. Take several lengthwise slices from the thin side to create a flat base; then rotate the meat so that it sits on that base. Slice the meat perpendicular to the bone. Then cut parallel to the bone to detach the slices. Cut the remaining meat from the other side of the bone in one piece and slice it. An alternate way of carving lamb is to remove lengthwise slices down to the bone on one side, then turn it over and repeat on the other side. Lamb is tender enough to slice with the grain.
Beef rib roast
If necessary, remove a slice from one end of a rib roast to form a flat base. Set the roast on the base as shown. Slice the meat across the top. Then cut vertically along the rib to remove the slice. Pick up the slice by inserting the knife under it, the fork steadying it from above. Rib roast can be cut very thin or as thick as half an inch.
Pork loin roast
Ask the butcher to remove the backbone from a pork loin. Slice down the center of the meat between the ribs so that there is a bone in each serving. Or you can slice right along each side of each rib bone, making thinner slices, and alternating one with and one without a bone.
Turkey
Carving a turkey is similar to carving other poultry-all fowl have basically the same anatomy, though their proportions are different. Begin by cutting off the drumsticks and second joints, slicing through the joints. Then hold the bony end of the drumstick and slice downward, parallel to the bone. Next, slice the meat from the thighbone. Remove the wings by slicing through their joints. Finally, cut the breast meat in thin slices from either side of the breastbone.