With Heritage Day around the corner, we getting excited for one of our favourite South African traditions, dubbed “Braai Day”.
It’s a festive occasion, where we call on our loved ones and invite them to share our wonderful South African heritage, by having a braai in the sun (we hope).
That said if you are planning to get in touch with your inner South African, brave the weather and braai on Heritage Day.
Jazeign Kesari, national procurement manager at Teljoy shares five secrets to an epic braai area that you can also master.
See it as more than just a place to braai
The first secret to creating an epic braai area is to see it as an extension of your kitchen – the alfresco part of your kitchen – or as part of your entertainment zone.
The trouble with braai areas is that they are traditionally structured in a way that is not geared towards allowing guests to congregate comfortably and sociably around the braai. The braai is often dusted off and dragged onto a patio or into the garden, with no thought as to seating and side tables, or creating a space that is inviting for guests. So they hang out in the kitchen or living room, leaving the Braai Master – who is often the host – standing alone.
A simple way to change this is to create a space that is comfortable and inviting. An outdoor lounge suite with a small coffee table and two side tables gives your guests somewhere comfortable to sit, with the tables giving them a place to put their drinks – and for you to put out tasty snacks. Have comfortable and durable cushions, but store them indoors and only bring them out when you have guests – this will keep them from weathering in the sun, and will protect them from inclement weather when you’re not using them.
Bring the tech, and they will come
Braais are often centred around a big rugby or soccer match, which evolves into a social party afterwards – but these games usually take place late in the afternoon or early evening.
To enable you to braai and enjoy the game with your mates at the same time, set up a big-screen TV and good sound system in your braai zone, with a bar fridge, glasses, your mixers, and an ice machine so your guests will have everything they need to enjoy those winning tries and goals while enjoying the ambience of the braai.
Be prepared for loadshedding
One of the worst things that could happen in the middle of a tense rugby game is for load shedding to kick in. Imagine the Bokke are about to kick a conversion against Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Heritage Day and the power goes out!
Be prepared. Rent a backup power system and have it fully charged so you have the peace of mind that you won’t miss a try – and you’ll be able to celebrate with delicious braai meat afterwards.
Inviting lighting
Braais really come to life once the sun goes down – whether it’s stoking the fire to braai marshmallows or just chilling around the fire chatting and reminiscing. This is where lighting plays a big role in practicality and ambience.
You’ll need good lighting for areas in which you are doing food prep and some ambient lighting around the area where your guests are sitting, will facilitate a great mood as the evening progresses.
Colour-changing LED lighting is loads of fun and allows you to change the “mood” according to the vibe of the event and even your music playlists. There are many options available that are battery or solar-powered, so your evening will still be delightful even if the power goes down.
The right braai
It’s not a secret that having the right braai for the style of food you’re cooking, the space in which you’re cooking (is it outside in a garden, or on an apartment balcony), and the number of people you’re catering for, is important.
Trying to cook for 12 people on a tiny portable camping braai, for example, will be very challenging when it comes to the volume of food you need to prepare so that everyone can eat at the same time, and keeping the coals hot enough so that you can get through all the cooking.
So make sure that the braai you have is the right size for the number of people you’ll be cooking for. You also want to be sensitive to a coal or a wood burning braai if you live in an apartment or complex where smoke can disturb your neighbours.
Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here.