Having The Perfect Braai
One of South Africa’s most popular and commonly known pastimes is braaiing. A braai is a lovely way to spend some time outdoors with family, cooking meat over the coals. As many South Africans will agree, there is nothing better than the taste of meat cooked over the braai! Braaiing is easy, so it is therefore easy to perfect it.
There are many different types of braais that you can purchase. Some of them will utilise charcoal to cook the meat, whilst there are others that use gas. It all depends on your preference. Naturally, a gas braai is much cleaner, but it is not the same effect on the cooking of the meat as the charcoal. Many South Africans claim to prefer the taste of meat that has been cooked with the coals. There are now many excellent braai facilities that enable you to clean the braai nicely and easily.
It is easy to have the perfect braai. Firstly, you will need the right braai. This means a neat, compact braai space where you can light the coals and get them to the right temperature for the meat. Remember that you cannot cook the meat unless the coals have started to glow, not when they are new flames. Firelighters will usually come in handy for getting the fire going in the first place. Once you have your fire at the right temperature, now you will be ready to make the food.
With regards to the meat, you can cook just about any meat on the braai. Some things taste better than others, such as steak, chops, sausages and chicken. You can even cook prawns on your braai! Should you be cooking chicken on your braai, you should cook it last. Because chicken cooks slowly, you need to cook it on the outer edges of the braai because it will cook more slowly there instead of getting burnt on the outside without the inner meat being cooked thoroughly. You can make a nice potato or bean salad as an accompaniment to the braai, and the nice thing about this is that it is very simple to make side dishes. You can even get some soft rolls for the meat, or you can cook some ears of corn or jacket potatoes covered in foil on the coals themselves. You will be able to use your own discretion in determining what would be best to cook on or with the braai. The world is your oyster with regards to the sauces and spices you use to make your meat delicious.
Once you have all the food in place and the coals just right, you don’t have to do anything else besides relax and enjoy the time spent braaiing. Braais are meant to be relaxing, sociable summer activities, involving friends and family. The nice thing about a braai is that you can watch the kids play in the garden while the meat cooks. Luckily, for most men there is something enjoyable about cultivating a fire and cooking the meat. It doesn’t hurt that this takes away from the women having to prepare things in the kitchen!
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