Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Recipes / Braai/Barbecue / How to braai like a pro for National Braai Day

How to braai like a pro for National Braai Day

by Jeanne Horak on September 24, 2014 12 Comments in Braai/Barbecue, Recipes

BraaiChops J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

So the English have their chicken tikka masala; the Italians their pizza; the Mexicans their tacos; and the Americans their apple pie. Each nationality seems to have one meal that they embrace 100% and make their own, build legends around, and present to the world as their culinary shorthand. And South Africans?  We have the braai (pronounced to rhyme with fry).  On the surface, it’s just another way of cooking meat, this time on an open fire outdoors. But a braai is far more than that:  it is a cross-cultural, non language-biased, age-neutral activity that all South Africans indulge in with an equal fervour;  and that South African expats can happily indulge in anywhere to alleviate their homesickness.  In fact, we love it so much, we even created a day to celebrate the braai: 24 September every year is Heritage Day, the day when we celebrate South Africa’s rich cultural heritage and diversity.  But as interesting as what makes us diverse, is what makes us the same:  we all love a good braai.  So a couple of years ago, we also started celebrating a cheeky unofficial holiday on 24 September:  National Braai Day. 

If you are planning to get in touch with your inner South African, brave the weather and braai today, here are my top braai tips to help you achieve braai Nirvana, and some braai recipes to make your tastebuds sing N’kosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.

1.  Start with the right kind of fuel.

Puritans would insist on using ONLY real wood, preferably rooikrans or doringhout but this is seldom practical in a suburban UK garden.  But beware: the lumpwood charcoal commonly sold in UK supermarkets is definitely NOT the right kind of fuel for a braai! It burns hot and super fast and provides no sustained heat, so you will have meat that’s blackened on the outside and raw on the inside, which is probably not the look you were going for. What you need is charcoal briquettes – the compacted, rounded type – as these will provide a long, slow burn, ensuring meat that is cooked through but still moist.

 

Lamb-sosaties

 

2.  Don’t overdo the charcoal.

For some reason, inexperienced braaiers seem to think that more is better when it comes to charcoal.  It’s not. Too much charcoal will smother the fire and even if you do get it lit, you will have a fire that burns too hot. The rule of thumb is to arrange the charcoal in a single layer below the cooking grid and to use just enough so that the area of charcoal extends only an inch or so beyond the area of the grid that would be covered by food. 20 briquettes is plenty for your average family braai.

3.  Clean your braai grid with half a cut onion or lemonFace it – after it’s been used a few times, your braai grid is never going to look as sparkly as it was when new. Don’t stress though, spending hours trying to get it pristine – remember it is going to go practically into a fire, which should sterilise most things.  Brush off the worst of the grime with a steel brush and then once the grid is warmed a little by the flames, grab half a lemon or onion with your tongs and rub the cut side vigorously all over the grid. This both cleans the grid and imparts a great flavour to the food as it cooks.

Venisonlointitle

4.   Make sure you only start cooking at the correct temperature.

Collect your single layer of charcoal into a little pyramid and light it using firelighters. If using a kettle braai, make sure that all the lower vents are open and that the lid is off – fires need airflow to get started. There will be flames initially but they will soon die down and the charcoal will smoulder – don’t panic and add more charcoal!  You want them to smoulder rather than flame.  After about 30-40 minutes the coals will take on a gray appearance as they are completely ashed over, but still glowing red inside. This is when you want to start cooking – before is too hot, and after is too cool!  To test, hold your hand about 10cm above the grill – if you can keep it there without pain for 5 seconds, your fire is ready. If you are in pain after 2 seconds your fire is still too hot; and if you can leave it there for much longer than 5 seconds, your fire is too cool and needs more coals.

5.  Cook meat in the correct order.
Start by cooking the things that take the longest and finish with the things that cook fastest.  So start with chicken; then move on to sausage, chops and ribs; and always finish with steak as this cooks the fastest. Better yet, cook all your chicken, chops and ribs while making some new coals in a charcoal burner, and then cook the steak on its own over fresh, hot coals.

ItalianPorkLoinTitle

6.  Use a pair of tongs, never a fork, to turn your meat.
If you use a fork, you are pricking the meat and making a hole for the juices to run out each time you turn the meat.  This not only causes the meat to become dry but also causes flames to flare up as fat drips onto the coals, leaving you with blackened meat.

7.  Beware of flare ups!
As the meat cooks, fat will inevitably drip onto the coals below.  This is a good thing as it causes smoke and imparts that lovely smoky flavour that we all love.  But it can also cause shooting flames which will char your meat on the outside.  I’ve often hung my head in bewilderment while a cook casually lets his meat lie amongst flames. Keep a glass of water (or beer!) handy and move the meat out of the flames before dousing them with liquid – just enough to stop the flames, not wet the charcoal and put the fire out!

ChickenSundowners

So now that you are ready to braai, here are some of my braai recipes to tempt you:

  • Lamb and apricot sosaties (skewers)
  • Bacon-wrapped venison loin on the braai
  • Pork loin stuffed with Prosciutto and Parmesan
  • Whole leg of lamb on the braai/barbecue
  • Sticky chicken sundowners (wings)
  • Pattypan, courgette and halloumi kebabs on the braai
  • Braai sarmies 
  • Roosterkoek
HAPPY BRAAING!

More deliciousness for you!

  • Munich Oktoberfest 2004 – Part IIIMunich Oktoberfest 2004 – Part III
  • Zerodegrees Blackheath  – fresh beer and wood-fired pizzaZerodegrees Blackheath – fresh beer and wood-fired pizza
  • Let’s get ova-enthusiastic – announcing EoMEoTE#6!Let’s get ova-enthusiastic – announcing EoMEoTE#6!
  • Love-rat Toast dumps Bacon for Egg!Love-rat Toast dumps Bacon for Egg!

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Club Carnivore @ Vivat Bacchus
Saturday Snapshots #299 »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Camilla @FabFood4All says

    September 25, 2014 at 8:30 am

    With all this good weather we’re having a braii wouldn’t be out of place. Like you tip about rubbing down the grill with a lemon or onion:-)

    Reply
  2. Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says

    September 25, 2014 at 10:28 am

    My OH thinks he is the Braii maestro so I will be def sharing these tips with him.

    Reply
  3. Sally - My Custard Pie says

    September 25, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    Sorry – not braving my weather this year. Just far too steamy … although I’m sure that there will be plenty of South Africans lighting up tonight in Dubai. Great tips – KP always maintains you should invite someone from the Southern Hemisphere if you are having a barbecue. They can’t help themselves and just take over 🙂

    Reply
  4. Rosa says

    September 25, 2014 at 3:50 pm

    That’s something I’d love to taste one day! Absolutely mouthwatering.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  5. Krista says

    September 25, 2014 at 9:50 pm

    Oh gosh, all of these look amazing. 🙂 It’s definitely braai weather now in my part of the world, and I look forward to learning how to do it properly. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jonker - Firefly says

    September 30, 2014 at 10:17 am

    All I can say is “Let’s Braai!” My mouth is watering right now.

    Reply
  7. okkie says

    September 30, 2014 at 11:31 am

    Used to battle with wood and charcoal until I discovered gas!
    Never too wet
    Always lights on the first try
    no flare-ups
    Stays at the optimum temperature I set it to
    Cleans up in 5 minutes

    Reply
  8. Bukiwe says

    August 7, 2015 at 2:16 pm

    Good day Team,

    I ‘m so impresserd with your menu of braai , may you please email for me more recipe of braai.I will also be so glad if you add salads.

    Rgards
    Bukiwe

    Reply
  9. Vuyo says

    March 24, 2018 at 5:33 pm

    Very insightful. Wow…I love SA

    Reply
  10. ashley says

    November 13, 2019 at 10:45 am

    thank you for the interesting fact on how to braai . will definitly try your recipes as well

    Reply
  11. Jeremy says

    October 20, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    Lekka suz a cracker

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes
  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
My big, fat South African potato bake
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential

Featured on

Also available on

🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London! Every 🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London!

Everywhere you look, these long-legged floral supermodels are adding a splash of colour to parks and gardens and I just can’t get enough of them! It’s easy to see how they inspired a collective buying frenzy in 17th Century Holland, called “tulip fever”, but today there are less dramatic ways to enjoy them. Here are a couple of suggestions of where to see them at their best:

🌷 The ultimate tulipalooza is the annual opening of Keukenhof gardens outside Amsterdam where 7 million (!) bulbs burst into life each Spring. This year the gardens are open 24 March-15 May (click on the link in my bio for FAQs and my top tips for visitors)

🌷In London, Kew Gardens always has spectacular displays of tulips; but you can also see excellent and free tulips in most of the Royal Parks such as Regents Park. 

🌷The Hampton Court Palace tulip festival is on until 2 May and the Hever  Castle’s Tulip Celebrations until 24 April - both within easy reach of London.

🌷The Morges Fete de la Tulipe in Switzerland takes place every year against the spectacular backdrop of Lake Geneva - it is on until 8 May this year.

I spotted these spectacular red frilly parrot tulips beside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday 🌹 Where is the best display of tulips that you have ever seen?
MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food restaurant in Wembley

Remember to save this post so you can find it later! 🔖

[Invited] If you thought Brick Lane and chicken tikka masala or madras were all there is to know about the food of the Indian subcontinent, think again! In the shadow of the Wembley arch,  @chefatulkochhar has opened his first casual dining restaurant,  showcasing the rustic, spicy, diverse street foods of India. 

Highlights when I visited included:
1. Carrot halwa
2. Papdi chaat
3. Chicken 65
4. Tandoori broccoli
5. Smoky aubergine chokha
6. A snap of all our mains - you can read all about these and more in the full review on my blog - click the link in my bio or go to:
 https://www.cooksister.com/2022/04/masalchi-atul-kochhar-indian-wembley.html

What is your favourite dish from the Indian subcontinent? Let me know in the comments 🌶🌶🌶
🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸 T 🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸

There is no season in London that I love more than cherry blossom season! From March through to April, trees in various parks and gardens in London put on an amazing display of delicate pink and white blossoms - and everything in the city seems a little more magical. This particular tree near St Pauls must be among London’s most photographed, and it’s not hard to see why 💕

Did you know that...

🌸cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and are known as Sakura 

🌸In 1910, Japan sent the USA some cherry trees as a goodwill gesture… and the Dept of Agriculture inspectors nearly caused an international incident by burning them as they were carrying insects and diseases! But in 1915 Japan sent more cherry trees that survived the inspectors, and these marked the start of cherry trees in the USA.

🌸 Peak blossom season is usually only two to three weeks in March/April but is hard to predict as the weather and the subspecies of tree influence the timing.

🌸The cherry blossom capital of the  world is Macon, Georgia with 300,000 - 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.

🌸 There are over 200 different varieties of cherry blossom and some are purely ornamental (meaning they produce no cherries)

Where is your favourite place to see cherry blossoms in London or around the world? Let me know in the comments and happy blossom hunting! 🌸🍒🌸

#pinkpinkpink
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day to those of you who don't speak Welsh! 

1 March is the Welsh national day  and what better way to celebrate than surrounded by daffodils -  the Welsh national flower!

Did you know that:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The English name "Wales" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "foreigner" - but the country's Welsh name "Cymru" means "friends" in Welsh.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The  Welsh language Cymraeg is the oldest language in Britain, at about 4,000 years old!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 There are more castles per square mile in Wales than any other European country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Mount Everest is named after George Everest, the Welsh surveyor who first mapped the peak on western maps.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The beautiful Menai bridge (spanning the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Wales) was the first suspension bridge in the world.

Have you ever visited Wales? What did you like most about it?
*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2022 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2022 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT