Food + Drink
Dude Awesome Book Club: 6 Books For The Budding Grill Master.
Jul
More than just a choppie op die vuur.
Growing up I always loved braaiing. In our house it wasn’t just a way of cooking meat, but a way of life. It would usually start after playing the dew of the grass on a Saturday morning at a primary school rugby game when, hungry and bruised, I would accompany my dad to the local butcher to pick the nights offering. And I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to know your butcher personally. Not that I have not made myself guilty of doing a late afternoon run to Woolies just before the rugby kicked off. But, knowing and trusting your butcher to take you through this journey of meaty goodness opens up more possibilities then just meat on the fire.
Back home with the nights offerings, and a generous amount of droëwors to keep me satiated, my dad would start an intricate dance of flavors with spices, oils and all other forms of accoutrements more akin to alchemy than just cooking meat.
At half time the fire would be lit, usually hardkool, rooibos or kameeldoring, awaiting the final whistle and then the magic started.
We were a strictly medium rare household with severe judgment being passed onto anyone who would dare disrespect the meat enough to burn it to a well done husk. But to each his own.
Later in life I learned that there is more to life than just braaing. Smoking. Grilling. BBQ’ing. All of these have their merits and their place and the following six books have expanded my horizons and enhanced the humble art of cooking meat.
In Braai the Beloved Country, Jean Nel shares his favourite braai recipes from 15 years of cooking, training and catering. The book contains the secrets of cooking everything from a perfect tjoppie’ to breads and salads on that favourite South African cultural icon – the braai. If you are human, you can braai.
A unique combination of cookbook, memoir, and travelogue – Mike Mills, the unrivalled king of barbecue, shares his passion for America’s favorite cuisine–its intense smoky flavors, its lore and traditions, and its wild cast of characters.
When Aaron Franklin and his wife, Stacy, opened up a small barbecue trailer on the side of an Austin, Texas, interstate in 2009, they had no idea what they’d gotten themselves into. Today, Franklin Barbecue has grown into the most popular, critically lauded, and obsessed-over barbecue joint in the country (if not the world)—and Franklin is the winner of every major barbecue award there is.
Weber’s Braai Bible is an all-in-one masterclass on every aspect of outdoor cooking. Whether you cook with gas or charcoal, this comprehensive guide contains everything an avid kettle braai enthusiast needs to know.
The ultimate how-to guide for smoking all kinds of meat, poultry and fish. From the creator of the world’s highest-ranking website on smoking meat, comes this guide to mastering the ‘low and slow’ art of smoking meat, poultry and fish at home.
Kobus Botha was raised in the Karoo, but this ‘boerseun’ has established himself in France. Setting up his custom-made mobile barbecue at fêtes, functions and outdoor events, he dishes up a taste of South Africa in his own unique style.
Le Braai is a collection of recipes that captures the larger-than-life spirit of this genial giant, whose personality is matched by the boldness of his dishes. Cooking over an open fire has been a way of life for as long as Kobus can remember; his dishes evoke the camaraderie that comes when friends gather around the braai.