Even the best braai masters need one or two tips to stay on top of their game. Here are a few of our suggestions for separating yourself from the braai master wannabe’s and staying ahead of the ‘braai’ pack:
01
Keep your braai grid clean by rubbing it down with half a raw onion or half a raw lemon when the braai grid gets up to heat. You will look like a pro in front of your friends and add a nice flavour to the meat while you’re at it.
02
Braai meat should have a specific order of appearance. Chicken takes the longest to cook, steak takes the shortest, so always put chicken on the braai first, and steak on last. Between the two, you can throw on the wors, chops, sosaties and whatever else you’re braaiing.
03
Never mess with another mans braai! All guys have their own way of braaiing, so when you’re not the one cooking the meat, it’s best to stand back and drink your beer. If you really want to display your braai master skills, get a bag of Charka and impress your mates with a braai of your own.
04
When braaiing your meat, always have braai tongs in one hand and a good drink in the other – all true braai masters need only one hand to flip the meat.
05
Once you have cooked some of your meat and need to get the next batch on the braai, rest the cooked meat on a bed of fried sautéed onions. This will ensure that your meat doesn’t dry out and adds some great flavour to the meat as well!
06
If you enjoy the large flames and ambience of a wood fire before cooking, place the charcoal first (as a base), then build your braai master/ friend impressing pyramid of wood above the charcoal. This way you get to enjoy the wood fire and by the time the flames have died down, your coals will be ready for braaiing.
07
A tip for defrosting your meat – DON’T! A true braai master always chooses fresh meat over meat which has been sitting in the freezer.
08
True braai masters never leave their braais unattended, not even to fetch a drink. To avoid this problem, place a large cooler box next to the braai, fill it with ice, water and of course lots of drinks. Alternatively you can always designate your kids, younger siblings or mates that owe you a favour, to make regular trips to the fridge.
09
If you’ve ever had a problem with your friends helping themselves to too many of your drinks, try turning your washing machine into a top-secret cooler box. Fill the washing machine halfway with ice and place your beers, cold drinks etc inside. When the braai is over, the ice will melt and can even be used to do your next load of washing!
10
Wors is known to burst open on the braai, resulting in the wors losing its tasty juices, and drying out! To prevent this, dip the wors in water right before cooking it. This will make the skin more elastic and prevent it from bursting open during the braai.
11
Last but not least, the best tip for any braai, is to always, and we mean always, make sure you have lots of good friends, plenty to drink, great meat and a bag of Charka or Braaimeester. Do this and the best braai is in the bag!
Source: www.charka.co.za
