Bourbon-Glazed Turkey with Pearl Onion Giblet Gravy

Put turkey in a brining bag set in a tub or very large pot. In a large saucepan, combine cider with salt, 1 cup of brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, and sage, and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Add 6 quarts of cold water to brine and pour over turkey. Add ice to brine and refrigerate turkey overnight. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and set a rack on lowest shelf of oven. Drain turkey and pat dry. Discard brine. Fill turkey cavity with half of onion, celery, carrot, and garlic cloves; scatter remaining vegetables in a large roasting pan. Set a V-shaped rack in pan. Tie turkey legs with butcher's twine and transfer bird to rack, breast side up. Add 2 cups of water to pan and roast turkey for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine remaining 1 cup of brown sugar with 1 stick of butter and bourbon and heat just until sugar and butter melt. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and brush turkey with some glaze. Continue roasting turkey, brushing it every 15 minutes, for about 3 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thigh registers 165 degrees F; add another 2 cups of water and tent turkey with foil halfway through roasting. Transfer turkey to a carving board and let rest for 30 minutes. Strain pan juices into a heatproof bowl and skim off fat. (You should have about 1 cup.) Discard vegetables. In a large saucepan, heat oil. Add chopped turkey giblets and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add pearl onions and cook until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes longer. Add turkey stock and reserved turkey pan juices and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of saucepan. In a small bowl, mash remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with flour and whisk it into gravy. Bring to a boil and simmer until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in roasted garlic. Carve turkey and serve with the gravy. Looking for vegetable recipes? Try our best asparagus recipes, eggplant recipes, or zucchini recipes.