Braai Statistics

The oldest barbecue site in the world is in South Africa where animal bones from barbecues older than 1 million years were found.

The second oldest barbecue site is in Israel - 790 000 years ago.

Barbecuing in Europe is a higher income bracket activity, as you need space to barbecue (like a back yard) and this comes at a premium

In the USA 66,200,000 individuals have barbecued 2.5 billion times in the past year.

The British are the top barbecuers in Europe.

What is a Braai - BBQ

Traditional South African Boerewors

South Africa’s sunny climate does much to encourage outdoor cooking and the braai is part of most South Africans everyday life. The braai is similar to the American barbeque however a lot less sophisticated.

Meat for a braai is exposed to the direct heat of the coals and, therefore, should be purchased with care and grilled with skill. Only the best quality meat should be purchased for the braai.

Ripened meat is better and if cannot be obtained buy in advance and let meat ripen in the refrigerator by allowing one week for beef and five days for lamb. Ripening is of the utmost importance as it not only tenderises the meat but also improved the flavour.

Use firewood that produces long lasting coals. Only start grilling once the flames have dies down and white-hot embers can be seen. The grid should be hot and lightly greased before placing meat onto it. The grid should be placed about 100mm above the coals. Thick cuts should be placed further from the coals.

Braai is of Dutch origin?

Traditionally, the braai was the cooking method of the Dutch pioneers, or Voortrekkers, who travelled inland from the Cape Colony into the unknown wilderness and had no choice but to shoot fresh meat and cook it on open fires. So today, there are still braai puritans who insist that to be a “proper” braai, the meat has to be cooked on an open wood fire.

The making of this fire is usually a skill passed down from father to son – how to pile the wood, where to put the newspaper or kindling and of course, how to tell when the fire is ready for cooking, which usually involves counting how long you can leave your hand above the coals before yanking it away in pain (I’m told anything below about 8 seconds is too hot). And woe betide anyone who casts aspersions on a man’s ability to make a good braai fire – this is tantamount to questioning his manhood.

The fire is traditionally started hours before any cooking is due to be done, using about 10 times more wood than is, strictly speaking, necessary. This is the “kuiervuur” (literally “socialising fire”) which is built purely as a backdrop against which the braaiers can stand and chat about rugby (or braaing techniques) until the requisite amount of Castle Lager has been consumed.

These braai puritans also have fixed ideas on the type of structure to be used for a braai and will pooh-pooh the idea of Weber charcoal grills or fancy grills as “for sissies”. The Real Braaier has been known to make a fire in an old wheelbarrow or in an old washing machine drum – the drum’s little holes provide the correct degree of protection and ventilation.

The braai was essentially a protein-fest - vegetables were confined to the odd whole potato or onion, wrapped in foil and tossed into the coals, to emerge steaming and delicious when they yield to a sharp poke with a knife. Common side dishes include potato salad, roosterkoek (rolls done on the grill) or mealie pap and ‘train smash’ (a kind of polenta and a chunky tomato and onion relish).

The golden rule of the traditional braai is this: while the women may congregate in the kitchen and make side dishes and conversation, it is the men who prepare the meat and do the braaing. They huddle around the fire comparing braai tools, marinades and braai technique, and all shake their heads sadly when someone deviates from the braai norm by, say, putting their meat on the fire too early/late/at the wrong angle.

Aaah, the mingled smell of smoke and testosterone.

But to deny them this would be to deny them their manhood. And besides, it is one of the few times a red-blooded South African man will volunteer to cook… So when we have our ten days of warm weather over here in the UK, my husband insists on braaing as often as possible – and I don’t even attempt to stop him. He will phone me up at work and suggest putting some meat over the coals for dinner and I will feel my mouth start to water, anticipating the smell, the sound, the taste. But I don’t think it’s the food I’m craving – I think it’s the spirit of a South African summer and the memories of childhood.

What is a braai? It is the first thing you will be invited to when you visit a South African expat or are invited to a 'do' in South Africa. A braai is a backyard barbecue and it will take place whatever the weather. So you will have to go even if it's raining like mad and you have a hang of a cold. At a braai you will be introduced to a substance known as 'mealiepap'. Read further for an explanation of pap.