• Pany feathers and quills removed with tweezers or needlenose pliers, and neck and giblets removed and reserved for another use if desired

• Reheat oven to 425°F with rack in lowest position.

• Rinse turkey inside and out, then pat dry. 

• Put turkey on rack in roasting pan and sprinkle turkey cavities and skin with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. 

• Fold neck skin under body, then tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and tuck wings under body.

• Add 1 cup water to pan and roast, without basting, 1 hour.

Make glaze when turkey goes in oven:

• Place peppercorns in a small sealable bag or wrap securely in a kitchen towel, then crack with a rolling pin or bottom of a heavy skillet. 

• Transfer to a small heavy saucepan and add syrup, then cook over medium-low heat until heated through. 

• Remove from heat and let syrup steep until ready to glaze turkey.

• After turkey has roasted 1 hour, rotate pan and add 1 cup water to pan. Roast, without basting, 45 minutes more.

• Just before 45 minutes is up, pour syrup through a small fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, discarding peppercorns.

• Brush turkey all over with syrup and continue to roast (if bottom of pan is completely dry, add remaining cup water) until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thighs (test both; close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 15 to 20 minutes more (total roasting time: about 2 hours).

• Carefully tilt turkey so juices from inside large cavity run into roasting pan, then transfer turkey to a platter, reserving juices in roasting pan. Let turkey stand, uncovered, 30 minutes (temperature of thigh meat will rise to 175°F).

Make gravy while turkey stands:

• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add vinegar and deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. 

• Strain through cleaned fine-mesh sieve into measuring cup and let stand until fat rises to top. 

• Skim off and reserve fat. (If using a fat separator, strain pan juices through sieve into separator and let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes. 

• Carefully pour pan juices from separator into measuring cup, reserving fat.)

• Heat 6 tablespoons reserved fat (if you don't have enough fat, substitute butter) in a heavy medium saucepan and whisk in flour. 

• Cook roux over medium heat, whisking, 5 minutes. 

• Add pan juices and stock in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil, whisking. 

• Stir in any turkey juices from platter and briskly simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. 

• Season with salt and pepper.