1. Brine the bird:

• Place 7 to 8 pounds turkey pieces in a roasting pan large enough to fit them. (You can also brine the turkey in Ziplocks.) Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
• Measure 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt per pound of turkey in a bowl and add a lot of freshly ground black pepper. For example, if the total weight of your turkey pieces is 8 pounds, use 16 teaspoons salt. Good to know: there are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon. (Note! If using anything other than Diamond Crystal salt, use half as much.) Sprinkle the s&p mixture on all parts and under the skin of the turkey (use your pointer finger to slide under the skin to create space), rolling the pieces in any excess in the pan to coat.
• Combine ⅓ cup maple syrup and ⅓ cup chile crisp in a bowl and spread over all the pieces until well-coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days in advance.

2. Do some prep:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Place 6 tablespoons butter on the counter to come to room temperature or soften in the microwave at 3 second intervals. Cut a 3-pound kabocha squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a large spoon and slice into 1 ½-inch wedges. Peel 1 pound shallots and cut into halves or quarters if large. Remove the zest from 2 naval oranges with a vegetable peeler and juice . Break 2 heads garlic into cloves (no need to peel). Transfer everything to a large Turkey roasting pan. Arrange the turkey pieces in the pan, scooting the veg aside to make space.
• Add ½ bunch thyme, 1 bottle white wine, ⅓ cup soy sauce, and 1 ½ cups water. Drizzle everything with olive oil, dot the top of the turkey with 6 tablespoon of butter and season the veg with salt and pepper.

3. Braise:

• Cover the roasting pan with tin foil or a lid. Transfer to oven and immediately reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Braise, basting the meat with cooking juices after 1 ½ hours, until the thighs and drumsticks are super tender and the meat falls away from the bone, about 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes, depending on how much your oven is opening and closing on Thanksgiving!
• Remove from oven. (Braising the bird can be done several hours in advance of eating, left at room temperature if you don’t want to cook it start to finish and need some space for other things mid day. Alternatively, you can let cool completely and refrigerate, covered, up to 1-2 days in advance; let come up to room temperature or warm gently in the oven before proceeding with browning step.)

4. Brown the bird:

• About an hour before you’d like to serve, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Uncover the roasting pan, return to the oven and roast, basting halfway through, until turkey is caramelized all over and juices are reduced, about 30-45 minutes.
• For thicker juices, remove turkey to a cutting board or serving platter and continue letting the juices reduce in the hot oven or on the stovetop until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve:

• Cut the meat off of the thighs and drumsticks; remove breast bone from breast plate and slice. Season with salt and pepper and arrange on a large serving plater, along with the roasted squash and shallots. Douse with big spoonfuls of the cooking jus. Garnish with thyme leaves and serve with additional chile crisp, if desired.