Removing the Husk

• 1). Place the coconut on the ground. Scoop a shallow trench out of the soil beneath the coconut to hold it steady, if necessary.
  
  
• 2). Chop one end of the coconut husk with a machete. Angle the cut toward the end of the coconut, like you are sharpening the coconut like you would a pencil to a point.
  
  
• 3). Rotate the coconut a quarter turn. Slice a second time with the machete. Repeat until the shell beneath the husk is visible.
  
  
• 4). Slide the tip of a cleaver between the husk and the shell. Lift up the husk and peel it away.
  
  

Removing the Shell

• 1). Set the coconut on a counter with the three indents, called eyes, facing up.
  
  
• 2). Position the tip of an icepick on one eye. Pound the top of the icepick with a hammer until it pierces the coconut. Repeat on the two remaining eyes.
  
  
• 3). Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Pour the coconut water out of the eyes and through the sieve. The sieve catches any pulp. Reserve the coconut water for cooking.
  
  
• 4). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the coconut for 15 minutes. The short baking time softens the husk but doesn't cook the the coconut meat.
  
  
• 5). Rap the coconut husk firmly with the hammer in one spot until the shell cracks. Roll the coconut a quarter turn and rap again. Continue to turn and rap the coconut until the shell is cracked on all sides.
  
  
• 6). Pry the coconut open along the cracks. Insert a large chef's knife into the cracks and pry carefully, if necessary.
  
  
• 7). Insert the tip of the knife between the white coconut meat and the husk once the coconut is opened. Cut the meat away from the husk.