Braaideas.

It’s Spring, it happens to be Braai Day on Friday and with the promise of months of sunny days ahead of us, it’s very definitely time to get the braai out. The beautiful thing I know about us South Africans is our dogged determination that when we want to cook something over coals, we will do it. We make braais out of anything. Basically, if you don’t have a braai and you can’t dig a sand pit, just find the nearest remotely-cylindrical item on hand and cut it in half. Large gas canisters, oil drums, paint cans… you name it, it can become a braai. Slice salvaged item in half. Make fire. Braai meat. Done deal.

Whatever your braai, you’re still going to want to prepare some tasty meat.  A little salt and pepper is great when you’ve got top grade steak, but most things need a bit of TLC beforehand. Here are some ideas that’ll impress the hell out of the guests at your next braai. That is unless you drink to much beer and overcook the meat again.

Asian five-spice rub.

Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sechuan peppercorns and ground fennel. These five spices combined make an awesome combination. Grind them up in a mortar and pestle, then rub generously onto the meat before cooking. Save some to mix with some soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and tomato sauce for a simple basting sauce.

Canton & soy.

Canton is the ginger & honey liqueur that was bestowed upon us by the kind and loving alcohol Gods. At least, that’s what you’ll think once you’ve tasted it. It’s delicious. If you haven’t, here’s another reason: it makes an awesome marinade. Naturally sweet, throw it together with some soy sauce, ginger, chili and lime juice and drop your meat in there for a few hours. If you missed my Canton-marinated steak recipe in Crush! magazine, go squizz here.

Rum & orange.

I’m giving away a secret here. This is my favourite rib marinade. It’ll work with other meats too, but with pork ribs it is awesome. Mix 1 cup tomato sauce with 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup Worcester sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup dark rum. Squeeze in some lime juice and add a splash of olive oil. Now coat the ribs (which should either be preboiled or partly cooked in a medium-heat oven) in this and let sit for an hour or three. Then braai over slow coals, basting regularly, until the meat almost falls off the bone. Yum.

Southern-style BBQ rub.

The Americans know how to cook on a grill. As much as we are braai obsessed here, Down South in the US, it’s a whole new level. Pitmasters slow-cook pigs over low-temperature coals for 24 hours. Guys build elaborate contraptions to warm-smoke their meat. Every town has its own BBQ festival. And BBQ sauce recipes are whispered from one generation to the next, never allowed to leave the family. But you don’t need to go to Texas to taste this. Simply make a good rub and coat your meat with it. Salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon and ground cloves mixed with some brown sugar will do it. You’ll want to make some BBQ sauce too, to slather the meat with once it’s done. This is generally a mix of tomato sauce, vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, Worcester sauce, mustard and cayenne pepper. Play around and see what works for you. Try slow-roast a pork leg done with this rub. Serve with your sauce and sides of white bread and gherkins.