Let’s face it, any sunny day or starry night in South Africa can be taken as Braai Day, be it a real-life Monday, Sunday or any other day of the week.

Wood, charcoal or gas?

So, let’s start with the elephant in the room: gas or wood or charcoal?
Typical mutterings are: How can you call it a braai if it’s on gas? There’s no ritual in gas braaing…”
The fact is that very little difference in taste can be detected between the two.
Wood and charcoal burns hotter. A hotter fire is way better for your red meats as it allows for a crisp outside and a red/pink inside without overcooking the meat.
Both wood/charcoal and gas will have a time aspect. With braaiing, the longer the better. It’s true, wood or charcoal braais have the cosiness of a real fire while gas may appear to be more clinical but both get the job equally well done.
There is a minor difference in the flavour imparted by combustion gases, the volatile by products given off by the burning of the charcoal or the gas. When propane combusts it makes more steam than charcoal, and some say that keeps meat moist giving gas an advantage. Others think the steam is a disadvantage, hampering chicken skin from getting crisp.
If you’ve decided to go the gas braai route, bear the following in mind: do not be confused by the number of brands and variety of products available. Be clear on your requirements. Grill size 645mm x 370mm = 6 people comfortably; grill size 645mm x 480mm = 10 people comfortably.
Use this ratio as a yard stick when choosing bigger braais. Added features like rotisserie and side burners could be very convenient when moving all the cooking outside.
Easy storage of your gas cylinder and a cover to protect your braai from the elements is a must as well.

A braaibroodjie is your chance in life to have your bread buttered on both sides

Butter the outside of 2 slices of white bread and layer cheese, tomato and onion slices in-between. Spread basil pesto on the inside like butter, that’s my secret ingredient. Braai the sandwich on the grill till the bread is nice and crispy.

Ingredients that make for a good braai

Snacks and drinks
How about some craft beer or a good brand that everyone enjoys. Then, of course, there’s the wine and soft drinks you need to have at the ready. Snacks like biltong, chips, nuts, and whatever else to nibble on while the fire is made, the meat sizzles and the last minute salads are tossed together. Oh, and don’t forget the dips.

Look at this easy recipe: Empty a tub of full cream plain cream cheese in a container. Squeeze you favourite sweet chilli sauce into the cheese (don’t be stingy) and stir. Put it in an attractive bowl in the centre of your chips or biscuits and, voila, you have a delicious dip.

Breadrolls and Roosterkoek
Fresh breadrolls are always a good idea, unless you want to be original and bring along the dough for a braai bread or roosterkoek, as we like to call it.

Here’s how: Use 500 ml flour, 15 ml baking powder, 2 ml salt, 150 ml milk, 1 beaten egg. Mix together ingredients, place balls on clean grid, cook on one side until crisp, then turn and cook other side until they sound hollow when tapped.

Vegetarian?

Have you thought about your vegetarian guests?

Here’s something to keep them full while you chew through your chops: Use 2,5 litres water, 30 ml margarine, 5 ml baking powder, 250 ml cream, 1 sachet Knorr Pap Mix Cheese Flavour, 1000 ml maize meal, 500 ml cheese, grated, chopped parsley for garnish. This is what you do: Fill a pot with 2l of water, add Knorr Pap Mix and margarine and bring to the boil. Meanwhile mix the maize meal together with the remaining water, then stir into the pot and simmer until cooked. Scoop pap into a casserole dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and pour over the cream. Bake at 180°C for 15–20 min or until cheese has melted and the cream has thickened. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Potato salad
A braai is not a braai without potato salad. There are hundreds of recipes and family specialities out there to choose from. Everyone has their own recipe but mine includes spring onion, chopped boiled egg and a mix of plain yoghurt, mayo and mustard. Have you tried finely chopped sweet and sour gherkins on yours. Try making it a day in advance for the flavours to truly pop.
Wors, pap and sous
What is a braai without wors and pap (porridge) and sous (sauce). Buy your favourite wors and make your pap and sous.
It’s easy: Add 3 cups of dry mielie pap to a cup of cold water, mixing until smooth, adding another 3 cups and throwing in a pinch of salt. The mixture is heated on a stove top till hot, then cooked for an hour at a reduced heat.
And for the sous: Fry together a grated apple, finely chopped onion, two cloves of crushed garlic and a finely chopped tomato in some oil. Add a tblsp of sugar, 2 tblsp soya sauce, a dollop of tomato sauce and a can of chopped tomatoes and season. Cook till onion is soft. If you want to you can add some chilli or even sweet chilli sauce to the mix to give it more tang.

Best braai cuts

The best beef cuts for braaing are: fillet, sirloin, rib-eye, prime rib, T-bone, porterhouse, rump and tenderised steak. Overcooking will make the meat dry and tough. Sirloin is a part of the loin and has a distinctive layer of fat on top that adds flavour to the piece of meat while cooking.
Then there’s lamb chops, chicken and fish, and do not forget the boerewors and sosaties (kebabs) which are based on a Malay dish – the word ‘sosatie’ means skewered meat. Take cubed lamb or chicken and thread them onto metal or wooden skewers with red pepper pieces and onion slices and marinate for a few hours prior to cooking.