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1
Prepare a coal fire in a pit or open grill capable of maintaining slow, even, indirect heat. Allow the coals to burn down to an ash-grey, glowing stage — no open flame. The target is steady, radiant heat, not char. The fire is ready when a hand held 30 cm above the grate can remain there for no more than five seconds.
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2
Remove the kidneys and liver (asaduras) from the cabrito half and set aside. Season all cut surfaces of the cabrito with coarse salt and the crushed garlic, rubbing both into the meat and fat. No further seasoning is applied — the milk-fed meat flavour must dominate. The seasoned meat should glisten but show no pooling moisture.
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3
Cook the asaduras (kidneys and liver) over direct heat first — they cook faster than the main carcass. Remove them once they are just set through with no raw interior, and serve immediately to guests as the first taste. They should be yielding under light pressure, not firm.
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4
Mount the cabrito half on the spit or suspend it on the fire frame, skin side away from the coals initially. Roast at slow, even heat for 2 to 3 hours, turning as necessary to maintain even exposure. This is where the dish lives or dies: the heat must be low enough to render the internal fat to a flowing, translucent state without drying the delicate milk-fed meat — the colour target throughout is honey-gold, never charred. If browning advances faster than rendering, raise the frame or reduce the coal bed immediately. The fat should run visibly and the skin should deepen gradually to an even amber.
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5
The cabrito is done when the skin is an even honey-gold and crackling, the fat has rendered fully with no soft white pockets visible, and the thickest part of the haunch yields to firm pressure and then springs back. An internal rest on the frame — away from direct heat — of at least 20 minutes follows before carving. The juices at the cut surface should run pale gold, not pink.
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6
Carve the rested cabrito at the table or board, separating the leg, shoulder, ribs and flank. Serve with fresh flour tortillas, frijoles charros and salsa ranchera alongside. The meat should pull cleanly from the bone and carry a mild, creamy sweetness with no strong animal funk — the signal that the animal was correctly milk-fed and the heat correctly managed.