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1
Rinse pig in cold water and set aside.
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2
Line a 32-gallon garbage bag with 2 more 32-gallon garbage bags.
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3
Place water, salt, and sugar in the tripled-up garbage bags and stir to dissolve, taking care not to puncture the bags.
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4
Place pig in the bags, remove excess air, and tie tightly.
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5
Place in a 15-quart container in the refrigerator and brine 12 to 24 hours, turning once.
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6
Heat the oven to 250 degrees F and arrange a rack on the lowest level.
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7
Remove the pig from the brine and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine.
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8
Lay the pig on its side and stuff the interior with 15 to 20 large (20-inch-long) pieces of lightly crumpled aluminum foil until its filled out.
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9
(This will prevent caving during roasting.)
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10
Transfer the pig to a baking sheet fitted with a roasting rack.
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11
Arrange it stomach down with the back legs tucked underneath and pointing forward, and the front legs tucked underneath and toward its sides.
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12
(You may need to add more foil if it is not sitting properly.)
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13
Prop up the head with foil or a large ramekin to keep the back aligned.
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14
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
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15
Roast the pig, rotating once, until it reaches 130 degrees F, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
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16
Remove the foil, baste with oil, and increase the oven temp to 400 degrees F.
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17
Roast, basting every 15 minutes with oil and rotating once more, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, about 45 minutes to 1 hour more.
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18
(If the ears or snout become too brown, cover with foil.)
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19
Remove from the oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving.
