Braai (noun)Plural = braais.Description: A structure on which fire can be made for the outdoor grilling of meat. And that, is the Oxford dictionary’s idea of a braai.
But as everybody in South Africa know, it is also much much more. We braai when we are sad. We braai when we are happy. We even braai when the Springbok coach drives us through the roof. Many are the times, when you walked out of your house, only to find your poor father muttering and murmering to himself, while staring at the flames. Even politicians braai and we all know they aren’t entirely South African, or human.
To get our braai vibes on in time for our National Braai day, Herald went looking for a famous Friend of the Braai. None more famous than Braaiboy, South Africa’s very own braai super hero. Also the man who holds the Guinness Record for the longest braai.
We caught Braaiboy between the charcoal and the grill and asked him a few questions
.Question 1.Meat, chicken or fish and why?BB: Nothing beats a juicy medium-rare rump steak. I’ll shake things up 2 or 3 times a month with some chicken, and while I get to braai some prawns at the coast at least once a month, in the 6+ years that I’ve been braaing every day, I can probably count the number of fish braais on my 1 hand.
Question 2.Are you a baster or a leaver and turner?BB: I generally prefer the pure, honest taste of my meat as is, often braaing with nothing more than some olive oil, salt & pepper. Of course when the right recipe calls for it, a marinade or basting adds that perfect “something”, and I even have my own range coming out soon. So keep an eye out for the Brafia (aka Braai Mafia) Sauces which will hopefully be on a shelf near you very soon.
Question 3.Most exotic meat/fish/bird you ever sacrificed on your braai?BB: It’s really hard to say, besides ice-cream, I think everything has crossed my grid already… but the most exotic I would have to say was something a butcher in Maputo claimed was boerewors. Nothing from its overly pink hue to its smell lead me to believe it was anything closely related to beef or pork, so I have no idea what I was braaing, or eating, that day.
Question 4.Longest braai you ever had?BB: That would be my 62-hour non-stop Guinness World Record braai that I did at SuperSport Park in 2012.
Question 5.Who would you love to braai with?BB: I’ve been really fortunate to share a braai with some awesome “braailebrities”, comedians, musicians and even politicians already, and the best ones always included a good laugh, so I would probably say that the ultimate braai party would be with the cast of the TV series, Friends… but could just as easily see myself giving up my favourite tongs to have Helen Zille, JZ & Malema around a fire at the same time ?
Question 6.Who would you love to braai?BB: Like as in “SpitBraai” ;-)? Hmmm, Can I go with #NoComment on this one ?
Question 7.Come on, klap us with a funny story about a braai you had.BB: I’m not so sure it was “funny” as it was memorable… While we can laugh about it now, it nearly had my girlfriend in tears at the time. We booked a boat cruise holiday, and knew before-hand that one of the days we would be at sea from midnight to midnight, i.e. unable to port for a quick braai on land. I contacted both the tour operator and the shipping company hoping to get permission to braai on-board, but neither would grant me permission… so when the day in question came around, I waited until 04h00 in the morning, headed to the back deck, whipped out my portable braai and lit a fire. It was beautiful, Tongs in the one hand, beer in the other and smoke trailing this massive ocean-liner. Like I said, it was a thing of beauty, except for my girlfriend running around, keeping “kywie” and trying her best to make a plan to rather airlift me to land. There was that time, and then of course the time I ended up braaing naked… but we’ll save that story for the next time we’re sharing a beer around a fire and the story isn’t going to get printed ?
Question 8.Have you ever braaiied in Tzaneen?BB: Yeah… We actually filmed one of the Bring & Braai episodes in Tzaneen or year or so ago. But that was long ago, and I’d love to come back… Why? Are you inviting me?
Question 9. Inside braai versus outside braai. Which do you prefer?BB: Definitely Outside… Except maybe in Cape Town. So often the wind & weather in the Cape is so miserable that an inside braai is a must. The rest of the time, I believe a braai should be enjoyed in the open air, preferably with lots of friends sitting in a circle around it.
Question 10.Wood, charcoal or gas?BB: Easy one… Wood. But while wood gives us that “Ons gaan nou braai” opportunity to kuier with our buddies. I have no problem if someone invites me over to their house and we’re braaing on charcoal or if someone lights up a gas braai for a lekker little quick mid-week braai. Braai is Braai!
Question 11.Please give us one of your favorite braai recipes.BB: That’s like asking a parent to pick a favourite child. But one of the recipes that I’ve been repeating at events for the last 5+ years is a Braai Pie. You can find the recipe here: https://braaiboy.co.za/braai-pie/
