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1
Soak the flat wooden skewers in cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes. Thread the castrato or mutton cubes onto each skewer in strict alternation — one cube of fat, one of lean, repeating for 4–5 cubes per skewer. No skewer should carry pure lean or pure fat runs of more than one cube. The loaded skewers should be uniform in profile so that each sits level across the canale.
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2
Prepare the canale or furnacella with wood or charcoal. Bring the fire to full heat: the coals must be white-glowing with no dark patches and the grill surface itself radiating intense, sustained heat before any arrosticini are placed on it. This is where the dish lives or dies — insufficient heat prevents the fat from rendering quickly and the characteristic smoke from fat drips cannot form; the result is braised rather than charred meat.
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3
Lay the arrosticini perpendicular to the channel of the canale, placing them touching or nearly touching one another. Leave them entirely undisturbed. The fat will begin to render within the first 90 seconds, dripping into the fire and producing aromatic flares. Cook for 3–4 minutes total over the intense heat.
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4
Execute a single confident flip — one turn only — and cook the second side until the exterior is evenly charred and the fat cubes are visibly collapsed and translucent. The lean cubes will show a firm, seared surface with defined colour. Total cooking time does not exceed 4 minutes.
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5
Remove from the grill and salt immediately. Place the grilled crusty bread beneath or alongside to catch the rendered fat. Serve and eat within 60 seconds: arrosticini cool and tighten almost immediately, and no resting period is correct for this dish.