Chicken with bacon-cheese sauce

Method

Split the chicken in half. Chop the garlic. Place the halves into a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Pour in the malt vinegar, Tabasco sauce and peanut oil. Throw in the garlic. Massage the chicken through the bag. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

broiling

1. Locate a broiler pan and a grill grate (or rack) to fit the pan.

2. Place an oven grate into the oven and place the broiler pan with the grill grate on top of the oven grate. Verify that the grill grate is 5-7 inches from the flames - with a ruler.

3. Preheat the oven on the broil setting for 10 minutes.

4. While broiling, keep the oven door ajar.

Before broiling, remove the garlic from the skin of the chicken.

Arrange the chicken halves, end to end on the grate, directly under the broiler. Broil for about 15 minutes, baste with marinade every 5 minutes and rotate the halves 180 degrees after 10 minutes. Turn the chicken halves over and broil for another 15-20 minutes, basting and rotating as before. Turn chicken halves for the final time. Season them with salt and black pepper. Broil until the skin just bubbles. Remove the chicken and it allow to rest while the sauce is being prepared.

Dice the bacon. Render the bacon in a small sauce pan. When rendered, remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle in the flour and wisk constantly until the roux becomes light brown. Break down the roux with the milk by incorporating it slowly. Add the Tabasco. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to become very thick and bubby. Throw in the cheese. When the cheeses melt, turn off the heat. Throw in the bacon bits. Pour some of the cheese sauce over the chicken halves.