"Ace" Prather posted a link to the Ny Times (http://www. Nytimes. Com/yr/mo/day/news/style/balsamic-vinegar. Html#2 ) a while back that contained a recipe for making artificial balsamic vinegar. I was interested in it because I've been experimenting in the pit with a great recipe from Mario Batali for "Balsamic Glazed Chicken" (see below). It uses a half cup of balsamic, some of which you rub over the chicken before cooking for the glaze and some more for drizzling over the carved bird. I tried the recipe a couple different times, saving the good balsamic for the drizzling phase and experimenting with different classes of balsamic for the glaze. Anyway, yesterday I made up a batch of the faux balsamico just for grins and used it for the glaze. I think the chicken came out better than using real balsamic. Of course, use the best balsamic you can afford for the drizzling. It really makes a difference. Note: Although Batali calls for roasting the bird in the oven, this recipe is even better in a hot (350F-375F) pit. Next time I'm going to brine the bird to see if that makes a difference.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Remove the giblets and set aside.

Combine the garlic, rosemary, black pepper, and sea salt and mix with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Rub the outside of the chicken all over with the rosemary mixture. Place the proscuitto and cheese rinds inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 475F.

Place the onion slices and reserved giblets in the bottom of a small, heavy-bottomed roasting pan. Place the chicken on top of the onions, breast side up. Pour the wine over the chicken and rub all over with 1/4 cup of the vinegar. Roast in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the thickest part of the thigh shows clear - not bloody - juices. Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a carving platter. Degrease the pan juices. Combine the onions and giblets with the pan juices. Carve the chicken. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar.

Pass the giblet gravy separately.