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1
Lay and light the fire well in advance, using holm oak or other Sardinian macchia wood, because these dense, slow-burning woods produce a long-lived ember bed rather than a fleeting blaze. Position the combustion offset to one side of the pit, not directly beneath the spit or grid, so the pig will receive indirect, gentle heat throughout — direct heat at this scale scorches the skin long before the deep meat is cooked. The embers are ready when they glow an even deep orange with no visible flame directly below the cooking position.
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2
Pat the pig thoroughly dry before mounting it, because any surface moisture will steam the skin rather than render it, and you will lose the shattering crispness that defines the dish. Season the exterior generously with coarse sea salt — no marinade, no basting liquid, no glaze is applied at any stage. Position the pig far enough from the embers that the heat reaching the skin is gentle and indirect; the distance is correct when you can hold your hand at pig level for several seconds without discomfort.
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3
Roast over the offset embers for four to six hours, turning the spit or rotating the grid at regular intervals so that every face of the pig spends equal time toward the heat and no side is neglected. Throughout the roasting, throw fresh myrtle and juniper branches onto the embers periodically, so their resins catch and release aromatic smoke that enters the skin and scents the meat all the way through. The pace must not be forced — this is where the dish lives or dies — and if the skin begins to colour too quickly before the meat has had time to cook through, draw the embers further away or allow the fire to subside immediately.
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4
Approximately thirty minutes before the end of cooking, score the skin very lightly with a knife so that trapped steam can escape evenly and the surface blisters in a uniform pattern rather than lifting in ragged patches. If desired, use a myrtle-branch broom to flick a small amount of salt water onto the skin, because the sudden moisture flash-converts to steam beneath the surface and pushes further bubbles up through the fat. The skin is approaching readiness when it turns a deep, even amber and sounds hollow and glassy when tapped with a knuckle.
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5
When the skin shatters on tapping and the meat is meltingly tender throughout, remove the pig from the heat and transfer it immediately to a generous bed of fresh myrtle branches, so that the warmth still held in the meat and skin draws out the branches' oils and the perfume infuses during the rest rather than being lost to the open air. Allow it to rest in this position until the air around the pig is visibly fragrant with myrtle steam. The rest also lets the juices redistribute through the meat so that every cut is equally yielding.
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6
Carve with hands as much as with a knife — the meat falls apart. The skin must shatter like glass when cut or broken; the meat beneath must be juicy, tender, and subtly perfumed with myrtle and smoke. Serve directly from the myrtle bed, accompanied by pane carasau.