• Prep the turkey by removing the neck and any included organs, usually in a small bag that contains the liver and giblets and maybe the heart. Remove the plastic trussing piece that holds the legs together as well. Reserve any organs or neck for making gravy or turkey stock if desired.

Maple Whiskey Brine:

• In a large stock pot or Dutch-oven, add 2 quarts (8 cups) of water and place on the stove over high heat. Place the rest of the water into the refrigerator. When it’s almost to a boil, add in 1 cup kosher salt and ¾ cup dark brown sugar and stir until both are dissolved. Lower the heat to a simmer and add in ¾ cup maple syrup, ¾ cup whiskey, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon whole allspice, 1 cinnamon stick, 5 bay leaves, 3-4 sprigs thyme, 5 smashed garlic cloves, and the peels from 2 apples. Let it simmer for 5 minutes until everything has incorporated and then remove it from the heat.
• Pour half of the remaining cold water into the brine to start it cooling down. Alternatively, you can use a few cups of ice. If you have another large stock pot, it can help to transfer the brine to that. After 30 minutes or so, add the rest of the ice-cold water. You need the brining liquid to be about room temperature or colder before you can add it to the turkey.
• Once the brine has cooled completely, place the turkey into your brining vessel. I used a brining bag here, but other methods also work, like 5-gallon food-grade buckets. Add the turkey first, then pour the brining liquid over the turkey. Try to be sure the brining liquid completely covers the turkey, adding a bit more water if needed.
• Place the turkey in the brining bag into a roasting pan or other deep walled vessel and refrigerate for at least 12-18 hours and up to 1-2 days.

Prepare the Turkey & Aromatics:

• Once you’ve finished brining your turkey and are ready to cook, start by preparing a compound butter and aromatics to stuff the turkey and add the rest to the roasting pan as a bed for the turkey to sit on as it cooks.
• After removing the turkey from the brine, use paper towels to completely dry off the skin and interior of the turkey, and remove any peppercorns and other brining aromatics from the inside and outside of the turkey.
• From here I like to leave the turkey out for about an hour so that you’re not adding the compound butter to an ice-cold turkey. Otherwise, the butter just seizes up and becomes all but impossible to spread.
• Place the 12 tablespoons (¾ cup) of softened butter into a mixing bowl and smash it up a bit. Add 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, and 1 teaspoon each of finely chopped fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary. Stir and smash into the butter until fully incorporated.
• Once the turkey has sat at room temperature for about an hour, preheat your oven to 425°F / 220°C and move the rack towards the bottom so that the middle of the turkey will sit roughly in the center of the oven.
• Loosen the skin under the turkey breast and the leg if you can without tearing the skin. Pat the turkey skin dry one more time. Now spread the compound butter all over the turkey. Be sure to get the inside of the turkey, as well as under the skin.
• Roughly chop 2 yellow onions, 3-4 ribs of celery, 3-4 carrots, the 2 reserved apples, and slice the orange into thin wheels. Leave the garlic head whole and cut the top off to reveal the cloves. Stuff the turkey as much as you can with a mixture of the aromatics and herbs and place the rest of them into the roasting pan and spread them out evenly.

Roast the Turkey:

• Tuck the wings behind the turkey and tie the end of the legs together. Place the turkey directly on top of the aromatics in the roasting pan and place into the hot oven, legs towards the back if you have the room.
• Roast the turkey at this high heat for 30 minutes. Without opening the oven, after 30 minutes, lower the temperature to 325°F / 160°C and continue cooking. If the breast looks like it’s darkening a little quickly, cover it with a tent of aluminum foil.
• Baking times can vary a lot, so never rely on timers. A rough gauging of 13-18 minutes per pound is a good estimate, but always use a quality instant-read thermometer to check doneness. The breasts should register around 155-160°F and the thighs about 165-170°F. After removing from the oven, carry-over cooking will finish heating it the rest of the way. Mine took a little over 2 ½ hours total for reference.
• When finished cooking, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Move the turkey to a clean baking sheet with a rack set inside. Tent the turkey with foil and allow it to rest at least 35-45 minutes before slicing into it.

Make the Maple Whiskey Gravy:

• After you remove the turkey from the roasting pan, pour the pan drippings through a fine mesh sieve to remove the solids. From here you can either pour the drippings into a fat separator or a glass measuring cup. Let the drippings sit for 5 minutes or so and the fat will rise to the top.
• In a large skillet or medium saucepan, add a ¼ cup of the fat from the drippings over medium heat and slowly add ⅓ cup of flour while constantly whisking. Continue whisking for a few minutes until the roux becomes a pasty consistency and slightly browns.
• Now pour in 4 cups of turkey or chicken stock slowly while continuing to whisk. Add in 1 cup of the defatted turkey drippings, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of whiskey and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until you feel it thickening and it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper until you’re happy with the flavor and remove from the heat. The gravy should continue to thicken as it cools.
• Finish cooking or heating any remaining dishes and after the turkey has rested around 40 minutes you can begin to carve it how you prefer and serve the meal.