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1
Build the fire with oak, myrtle, and fragrant woods and allow it to burn down to a steady, radiant heat before the pig is introduced, so the pig meets consistent, enveloping warmth rather than unpredictable flame that chars the outside while leaving the inside raw. The fire must be settled, not flaring. Mount the pig securely on the vertical spit.
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2
Season the pig with coarse sea salt. Position over the fire and begin roasting, rotating as needed so that every surface — belly, back, haunches, snout — receives equal exposure and no part stalls behind. Roast for 3 to 4 hours.
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3
This is where the dish lives or dies: the skin must achieve a complete, shattering crackle — golden-amber in colour across every surface — before the pig is removed from the fire, because the myrtle step that follows can perfume good crackling but cannot rescue skin that is still soft or pale. Internal cooking and full crackle must both be achieved here, and not before this point is the pig ready to leave the spit.
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4
Remove the pig from the spit and lay it immediately on a surface, then cover it completely with a thick blanket of fresh myrtle branches — every part buried — so the residual heat of the pig wilts the branches and draws their volatile oils directly into the still-hot crackling skin. Leave it undisturbed for 20 to 30 minutes. The air above the myrtle blanket will carry a distinct herbal-resinous fragrance when the oils are releasing, which tells you the resting is doing its work.
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5
Remove the myrtle branches and lay fresh myrtle leaves flat across a wooden board so that as the pig is carved the pieces fall onto the leaves and take a last breath of their scent. Carve at the table. The crackling must shatter cleanly on the knife; the meat beneath is milk-white and succulent.