Bring the heat this Heritage Day

As the brand that best knows how to get the fire started, and keep it going, BIC, along with their brand ambassador and braai master, Chef Benny Masekwameng, share their top braai tips:

Choose the right spot – Location is important when hosting the perfect braai. If you don’t have enough space at home, South Africa is teeming with beautiful parks, resorts, and braai spots to choose from. An open space is perfect as it will allow your guests to be free and really embrace the spirit of a good braai.  

Turn up the heat – If you want to go the traditional route, the type of wood used can make all the difference in the world. Rooikrans burns quickly but gives great coals, while Wingerd is good for starting fires, flavours, and aroma. If you’re new to this, using charcoal will make things easier. To help ensure the perfect temperature of the coals, Chef Benny divides them up so that on one side of the braai there are hot coals for quick browning and the other side for quick cooking. His personal preference to get a winning braai going is to, “Use South Africa’s favourite braai buddy – my BIC lighter and firelighters.”   

It’s all about the meat – In South Africa, a braai is all about the meat, whether it’s boerewors, lamb chops, ribs, steak, chicken or fish. Remember, the order in which you cook your meat is important. Red meat goes quicker and can be cooked on a higher heat, while chicken takes the longest and needs the lowest heat. Also, marinate your meat beforehand for extra flavour, and don’t skimp on the spices. Another handy tip from Chef Benny is to, “Take your braai meat out of the fridge an hour or two before braaing. If it’s at room temperature, it cooks quicker!”  

Vegans are welcome – Braaing is for everyone, not just meat lovers. There are a wide variety of meat alternatives for vegans to enjoy, while braai staples like grilled mielies and fresh salads will also go down well. Remember to cater accordingly and be mindful of others’ preferences.  

Let’s talk about sides – From braaibroodjies to roosterkoek, mielie pap to potato bake, coleslaw to any salad under the sun – one of the best parts of any braai is the sides. If you’re willing to ask guests to bring a side along, this will make for a great feast to satisfy all taste buds. And it will take some pressure off of you too!  

Keeping things light – With Spring welcoming warmer weather, Chef Benny predicts that, “Light meals are going to be a favourite. Use a combination of fresh, ready-to-eat uncooked dishes, cold cooked salads with different textures, sauces and relishes and a protein selection with different seasonings and flavours.” Individual portions do it for him – “Think skewered seafood, chicken, vegetable or wors for a quick dish-up and presentation. It’s the small things you do that can create a truly great meal with minimal effort.”

A bevvy of beverages – No braai is complete without refreshing drinks to sip on and to wash everything down. There’s no harm in asking your guests to bring their own, but if you are catering, be sure to have a variety of beverages to cater to different preferences. As the host, you should encourage responsible drinking. And make sure you have enough ice!    

Don’t forget the snacks – Keep your guests smiling with some traditional braai snacks. Biltong and droëwors are always a hit, while chips and dip are another South African favourite. Consider including some fruit or vegetable crudités for healthy options that add a layer of freshness and gives you that summer feeling.

Some BIC Braai inspiration – Whether you’re looking to do a more traditional, meaty braai or a contemporary, nutritious vegan braai – finding new and exciting flavours may be difficult. That is why BIC has partnered with Chef Benny to create the Ultimate Braai Recipe e-booklet that has you covered with everything from snacks & starters, skewers & kebabs, veggies & side dishes, to the main dish and even a sweet treat.

Give these side dishes a try

Beetroot and red cabbage salad with feta

Serves 4

You’ll need: Rhodes Quality Sliced Beetroot; 30ml lemon juice; 5ml Dijon Mustard; 90ml olive oil; cabbage; apple, sliced; feta cheese; 1 clove garlic, finely crushed; 5ml sugar; salt and freshly ground pepper.

How to:

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until well blended.

Season the dressing with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and set aside.

In a large bowl toss the cabbage and the apple slices together.

Pour enough of the dressing over the salad to lightly coat the cabbage and apple.

Add the Rhodes Quality Sliced Beetroot and toss gently to mix.

Crumble the feta cheese over the top of the salad.

Serving suggestion: Sprinkle over some fresh parsley and nuts over the salad and serve.

* Recipe & image by Rhodes Quality.

Pap braaitart

Serves 8

You’ll need: For the pap – 1l water; 250ml milk; 750ml maize meal (quick-cooking); 5ml salt; 125g butter

For the filling – 30ml oil; 1 onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 200g rindless streaky bacon, chopped; 250g mushrooms, sliced; 150g spinach, chopped; 410g can chopped peeled tomatoes; 15ml sugar; 5ml dried basil; salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste; 750ml Lancewood Cheddar, grated.

How to:

Pap:

Using a large saucepan, add the water and milk and heat through.

Add the maize meal and salt and stir until it is lump-free. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 5 – 7 minutes.

Add the butter and mix through. Set aside.

Filling:

Using a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.

Add the bacon and mushrooms and fry until golden. Add the spinach, tomatoes, sugar, basil and seasoning to taste. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease an ovenproof dish generously with butter.

Roughly divide the pap in half. Spoon one half into the dish and spread out evenly.

Top with half of the filling and half of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of pap, filling and cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden and the cheese has melted.

* Recipe & image by Lancewood.

Chakalaka and cheddar cheese braai broodjies

Makes 6 broodjies

You’ll need: 1 x 400 g can Rhodes Quality Mild & Spicy Chakalaka; 1 farm style loaf; butter for spreading; 200g (2 cups) grated cheddar cheese; salt and black pepper.

How to:

Remove the crusts and slice the loaf lengthwise into 4 even slices.

Butter two slices of bread on 1 side and place buttered side down on a board.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over both slices.

Spread a generous layer of the Rhodes Quality Mild & Spicy Chakalaka down the centre of each slice.

Cover with the 2 remaining slices of bread and butter the tops.

Place the sandwiches inside a braai grid and slowly toast them over warm coals until golden brown.

Serve hot off the fire.

* Recipe & image by Rhodes Quality.

Milk tart jaffles with cinnamon butter

Makes 6

You’ll need: For the milk tart filling – 230g Lancewood Medium Fat Plain Cream Cheese; 80ml cream; 60ml castor sugar; 1 extra-large egg; 5ml vanilla essence; 30ml cornflour mixed with 30ml cold water.

For the cinnamon butter – 80ml soft butter; 60ml sugar; 2.5ml cinnamon.

To assemble – 12 slices white bread; 60ml cinnamon sugar.

How to:

Milk tart filling:

Heat the cream cheese and cream together over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Beat the castor sugar, egg and vanilla essence together. Add to the cream cheese mixture.

Add the cornflour and return to the stove. Stir continuously until thick. Remove from the heat.

Cinnamon butter: Whip the butter, sugar and cinnamon together until creamy.

To assemble:

Roughly divide the milk tart filling into 6.

Place 6 slices of bread on a breadboard. Butter the bread on one side.

Place the buttered side into the jaffle pan. Spoon the milk tart filling inside.

Close with the unbuttered slice of bread and spread with cinnamon butter.

Close the jaffle pan and fasten the clamp. Trim any edges sticking out.

Place on a gas hob, stovetop, braai or open coals and toast on each side until golden. Repeat until all six jaffles are done.

Enjoy warm.

* Recipe & image by Lancewood.