This dish, more than any other in this book, elicits a visceral reaction. I get it. A baby pig carcass is, for lack of a better verb, impaled, then spit-roasted for hours at a distance from the flames that ensures slow, even cooking. Some Sardinian traditions call for a horizontal turning spit, while others lean the animal diagonally, turning it at regular intervals. Some butterfly the pig, others leave it whole. Given that you’re cooking the entire animal, head and all, over an open fire, there’s no way to ignore the fact that you are preparing a piglet. Sardinians are keenly aware of this, and are highly reverent of the butchered piglet, reserving its slaughter for special occasions and holidays, because it’s a big deal to eat an animal before it matures and becomes even more economically valuable. In Sardinia in particular, pigs provided families with food and income, so no part was ever wasted, not even the blood, which was used as a thickening agent for sweets, or the bristles, which were used for making brushes. Because the porceddu meat is so precious, the roasting process is entrusted to a pitmaster experienced in the art of roasting, who will ensure maximum flavor and tenderness. Cooking must happen slowly over indirect heat to properly break down the piglet’s abundant collagen while cooking the meat. The final product is tender and savory and loaded with flavor. Suckling pig is a luxury, both in Sardinia and in the US. A single maialino sardo weighs 12 to 15 pounds, while most American suckling pigs range from 15 to 50 pounds and could run you $200 or more. I’ve included a variation for roasting a quarter of a suckling pig in the oven, so it’s more approachable price- and portion-wise, but if you have the equipment and means to roast a whole piglet, go for it. Just know that the more you practice the better the results will be. Order it from a specialty butcher a week or more in advance.

In Sardinia, porceddu is sliced after resting, then served on a cork platter lined with myrtle branches. Improvise with whatever large platter and aromatic herbs you have in your garden. I like to serve it with a bright and acidic salad like insalata pantesca (see page 163) to cut through the fat.