Most importantly, whether you’re cooking indoors or outdoors, make sure you have a fire extinguisher at hand. If left unmonitored, braai fires, especially in open pits, can accidentally get out of control. So it’s best you know how to use a fire extinguisher before attempting your first braai.

Boerewors, Afrikaans for farmer’s sausage, is a traditional sausage typically served in braais. It’s made out of pork and beef mixture or just beef that is coarsely ground for a chunky texture. Every braai master worth their tongs should have a good homemade braai salt in their kitchen arsenal. Birthdays, graduations, engagements, and national holidays serve as perfect occasions to host a braai with your family and friends. There’s even a specific day of the year in South Africa that’s designated for braaing. It’s officially called Heritage Day, but everyone refers to it as Braai Day. To avoid the sauce dripping off, turn it up occasionally. Then, as the fish is cooking, continue to bast it so that it can remain moist. If you so desire, you can add fresh salad and crusty bread. Enjoy your meal. Image: youtube.com, @1Life Insurance Use a basting brush and spread the paste over the steak; allow to stand for five minutes so the garlic can soak into the meat.

Types of South African Braai

Once you have those set, mix all the ingredients and place them on some of the slices of the bread. Sekelbos: Similar to Mopani, Sekelbos is dry and hardy wood. Accordingly, it’ll burn for a long time with intense heat. And since it has natural oils within it, it’ll give you braai meat an amazing smoking flavor and aroma that’s to die for. If you don’t have smoked paprika use ordinary paprika and to bring in the smokiness you could use smoked salt flakes. Maldon Salt produces a good one. Finally, you should prepare your grill and firewood. Make sure you have tinder, kindling, and large logs to last you through the whole event. And needless to say, you have the essential role of starting and maintaining the fire. Rub the peri-peri spice into the parts of the meat that are exposed and sprinkle the remaining on the skin (if you still have some left).

Steak goes well with many side dishes; the great thing about steak is that it can be dressed up or down as you like. Serve with mielie pap and gravy on a relaxed Saturday evening, or dress it up with Beetroot and butternut salad and avocado for a fancy Sunday lunch with friends. Heat your grill until it is very hot and before you place your steaks on the grill, ensure that they are at room temperature.Carefully place the steaks onto the hot braai and cook for 8 minutes on each side for medium-rare steak. You can adjust the cooking time to allow for thinner steaks or prefer your steak well done.

You can also find other side dishes in braais like mashed potatoes, crayfish tails, pap (maize porridge), chips’ n dips, and good ol’ Braaibroodjie, which is basically a grilled sandwich with tomatoes and cheddar cheese. FAQsThen, place the steaks in a dish and add the spice mixture on them (ensure that the whole steaks are coated). Never add salt to meat prior to cooking as it results in toughness. Rather, sprinkle braai salt over your meat after it has been cooked, or just before it is done.

Smoked paprika can add zing to the dullest of dishes, the secret is to use it sparingly. Now more freely available in SA look out for the Spanish variety which is the best. Decant your braai salts into glass jars with tight-fitting lids, or re-use refillable salt and pepper grinders, and store them in a dark cupboard. Obviously, you should never complain about the music or bring extra people without informing your host first.Pinewood: If pinewood is easily available where you’re from, then you can use it for starting your braai fire. However, pinewood can’t be the main firewood of your braai, so look for another wood to go with it. Keeping the pitmaster company is good manners, and so is complimenting them for their marinade and grilling technique. You should also top up their drink and help them set and clear the table. Nevertheless, you can’t go using any type of wood you find lying about. Certain types of wood will make or break your braai, so you have to make sure you choose the right one.