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INGREDIENTS (MAKES 8 SERVINGS)

For the pig:

3 heads garlic, minced

1/3 cup honey

¼ cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

¼ cup hot paprika

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary

½ cup canola oil

1 suckling pig, dressed, about 20 pounds (see “Procuring a Pig,” right)

Oil for coating grill grate

1 apple (optional)

For the glaze:

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 cups honey

1 cup soy sauce

½ cup ketchup

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the grill as directed. Soak the wood chunks in water for at least 1 hour.

2. Mix the garlic, honey, salt, black pepper, paprika, cloves, rosemary, and ½ cup oil in a bowl. Rub some of this mixture over the interior cavity of the pig.

3. Position the legs under the pig. The front legs will rest under the chin (the pig might come this way from the butcher), and the back legs should be set forward, bent from the hip, not the knee, so they extend along the belly. Tie the legs in place with several lengths of heavy-duty kitchen twine (see the illustration at right). Position the ears so that they cover the pig’s eyes, and tie twine over the ears to hold them in place. Cover the snout and tail with aluminum foil. Place a double thickness of foil around the front feet, and under the loin and the back feet in the center of the pig. Stuff a ball of foil (or a block of wood) in the pig’s mouth if you are planning to serve it with an apple in its mouth.

4. Put 3 chunks of soaked wood on each pile of charcoal, or on the grate right over the fire if using a gas grill. Brush the exposed grill grate and coat it with oil.

5. Put the pig right-side up on the grill, away from the heat. Coat with the remaining spice mixture, cover, and cook until the surface has begun to brown, about 2 hours. If your grill has a temperature gauge, it should stay between 200° and 250°F. If using charcoal or wood, you may have to replenish the coals after the first hour.

6. While the pig is cooking, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl; reserve half. Snip the twine on the pig and remove. Brush the pig with the remaining glaze, being sure to get it spread evenly in all the nooks and crannies. Stoke the fire, add the remaining wood chunks, cover the grill, and cook the pig until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of one of the thighs registers 165°F, making sure that the thermometer is not touching bone, about another hour. The temperature gauge should stay between 200° and 250°F.

7. Remove the pig to a large carving board; let rest for 10 minutes. Replace the foil ball or block of wood in its mouth with an apple, if desired. Carve by cutting the pig into leg and shoulder sections and carving the meat from the bone. Cut the ribs into 2-rib sections. Serve with the reserved glaze for dipping.

Fire-Roasted Pumpkin Filled with Wild Mushroom Risotto and Mascarpone

As we were looking for a mind-blowing vegetarian dish for this chapter, Andy’s wife, Karen, was reading in bed and nudged him awake. “You’ve got to make this,” she said as she read him the description of a Renaissance recipe for pumpkin baked with mushrooms, bread cubes, and cheese embedded in the text of A Thousand Days in Venice, by Marlena de Blasi. Three mouthwatering weeks and several failed experiments later, this beautiful and utterly romantic extravagance emerged from the grill.

TIMING

Prep: 45 minutes (plus 40 minutes for roasting garlic)

Grill: About 1½ hours

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Heavy-duty aluminum foil

• Heavy-duty heat-resistant gloves

* * *

THE GRILL

Gas:

Indirect heat, medium (325° to 350°F)

3- or 4-burner grill-middle burner(s) off

2-burner grill-1 side off Clean, oiled grate

Charcoal:

Indirect heat, medium ash

Split charcoal bed (about 2 dozen coals per side)

20 replacement coals

Heavy-duty drip pan set between banks of charcoal

Clean, oiled grate on middle setting

Wood:

Indirect heat, medium ash

12-by-12-inch bed, 3 inches deep

Additional wood for replacement

Clean, oiled grate set 4 inches above the fire

INGREDIENTS