10 STEAK-BRAAI FACTS & TIPS

The word steak comes from steik, an old Saxon word that refers to meat on a stick.

You’ll have to cough up if you want to buy steak of A5-grade Kobe beef. It’s the most expensive in the world, costing up to $400 per pound. Filet Mignon is the most expensive steak cut.

It is a myth that steak should be turned only once. Experts say you get better results and a crispier crust if you turn it every 15-30 seconds.

When you should season your steak is a matter of lively debate around most braai fires. Some believe steak should be seasoned only after it has been cooked. Not true – if you season it ahead, salt flavours the meat and contributes to a crispy crust. Feel free to season your steak well and pat it dry before you braai.

A little secret: Add a pinch of brown sugar to your steak rub – it will aid in caramelising the steak, giving it that steakhouse finish.

The history of monkey gland sauce is as mysterious as the origin of its name. It may have arrived here in the 1930s with a waiter from the Savoy Hotel in London. The secret of this mixture is to achieve the perfect balance between the sweet, sour, spicy and smoky elements, with the umami flavour of the Worcester sauce.

Did you know that the Afrikaner-Nguni and Tuli, two local breeds of cattle, have a double gene for meat tenderness, making them ideal for crossbreeding?

The Dutch grade the “doneness” of their steak as rauw, bijna rauw, rood and rosé, whereas the iconic Bar-B-Que Steakhouse in Parow, Cape Town, describes rare as “horns and hair off”; medium as “point of no return”, and well done as “finish and klaar”.

The classic Chateaubriand is probably the most extravagant steak ever, with a name as aristocratic as the cooking method. The best part of the beef fillet is cooked between two lesser cuts of steak to ensure that the fillet turns out rosy.

Take the bull by the horns and expand your braai repertoire with less common steak cuts such as flank, also known as bavette. Try out techniques such as the Korean galbi with more economic thin strips of beef short rib, or get out the cast iron for trinchado, Portuguese-style steak in red wine.