Five things you never thought

Five things you never thought you could braai

Expand your braai skills with these different ideas.

Five things you never thought

By Jan Braai

Veggies

If it’s vegetable that you can eat raw, like sugar snaps, mushrooms or cherry tomatoes, then you can skewer them and throw them on the braai.

You just need to char them to give them a smokey flavour, so don’t leave them on for too long. If it’s a vegetable you can’t eat raw – like potatoes or butternut – then first boil them until they are completely soft, then braai them until they are charred or crispy on the outside.

I like to use plain cream cheese with braaied vegetables or dress them with high quality South African olive oil.

Hake

Everybody knows that you can braai freshly caught snoek and yellow tail but hake, which is a widely available cut of fish and very affordable, is like a blank canvas, ready to soak up the delicious flavours of the fire.

Also read: A braai is not just for chops and wors, it’s perfect for pizza, too

You must work carefully with hake, because it flakes; use a hinge grid and only turn the fish once. If you are scared of it falling apart, use an old pan. Put the pan straight into the flames and braai with lots of garlic, butter and lemon juice.

Oxtail

We are all familiar with ox-tail potjies. But you can also braai this cut of meat. What I frequently see at braai competitions in the northern parts of the country is people who like to boil the ox-tail (the whole tail) in salt and water for six hours, until it’s completely soft.

Make a sauce that is a mix of apricot jam, lemon juice and Worcester sauce. Bast the ox-tail in the sauce, then braai it like you would a chop. Because it is already completely soft and cooked you are just looking to crisp the fat.

Make a sauce that is a mix of apricot jam, lemon juice and Worcester sauce. Bast the ox-tail in the sauce, then braai it like you would a chop. Because it is already completely soft and cooked you are just looking to crisp the fat.

Make a sauce that is a mix of apricot jam, lemon juice and Worcester sauce. Bast the ox-tail in the sauce, then braai it like you would a chop. Because it is already completely soft and cooked you are just looking to crisp the fat.

Cheese

Halloumi cheese is a very popular cheese on the braai, but my favourite cheese to braai is camembert – a whole round per person at the braai.

The melting point of the inside of the cheese is much lower than the skin of the camembert, so you braai the cheese until it is charred with the inside going completely soft. You know it’s ready when the skin bursts.

You eat this with fresh bread that you have crisped on the braai. If you feel like it, you can add cranberry sauce to the meal. For any meat that doesn’t have skin and bone – steaks or burger patty – if you want it cheese covered, after you’ve turned it the final time top it with a thick slice of cheese. The heat from the meat and the fire will melt the cheese perfectly.

Dessert

For a quick and easy dessert solution, take slices of peeled pineapple, cover them with cinnamon sugar and braai them until golden brown. Serve the slices with vanilla ice cream or cream. For dessert on National Braai Day, make a chocolate fondant potjie, using my foolproof recipe.