WHAT’S YOUR BRAAI VIBE?

are designed for charcoal, not wood, and there are two cooking methods: direct and indirect. Direct is good for cooking smaller, thinner pieces of meat quickly and food should be turned once, halfway through. The lid can be left on as the trapped heat will cook the top and sides of the food, resulting in a shorter cooking time.

Indirect heat is best for cooking thicker foods and for anything that will be burnt on the surface before it’s cooked inside, e.g. a whole chicken.

It’s similar to cooking in the oven, but you get the grilled texture and flavour. Keep the lid on here too as the heat will reflect off the inside of the Weber and cook food evenly.

is derived from an ancient clay cooking device known as a

It has a ceramic interior, which provides excellent insulation, and you can easily control the temperature. It cooks a wide variety of food from seafood to meat, bread and pizza.

It can be used for grilling, as an oven, or as a smoker.

is the choice of die-hard braai masters. If you’re one of them, make two fires and use one for replenishing coals for hot, fast cooking, and let the other die down for when you need less heat.

absorbs and evenly distributes heat, and retains it for longer than an open fire. You can also move the pan off the heat to a cooler part of the fire for indirect cooking. Start by heating up the pan or slab over the fire, sear the meat to create a perfect crust, then move off the direct heat to finish cooking to your preference. A cast-iron pan makes it easy to cook fish and prawns, or other delicate food, such as veggies.

are technically not braais but they’re cooked over open flames, so we’ll allow it. The secret with a good potjie is to START EARLY. No one wants tough meat. Also, otherwise you’ll have a stew.

Not the same as a potjie.