A funny apron:
Braais are meant to be fun and jovial. Set the mood right from the start and greet your guests wearing a not-so-serious apron.
Gloves:
We’re not talking winter woollies here. Invest in a decent pair of braai gloves and you will be able to take the heat of the fire with relative ease.
Headlamp:
Sticking with wearable kit, every pro braaier needs a headlamp for those night time braais. Or those times when, more often than not, a lunch braai turns into a dinner occasion. It doesn’t have to be a heavy duty one that could light up New York at night. A simple pocket-friendly one will do the trick.
Steel grid:
Invest in a good steel braai grid. In fact, if you can have more than one (let’s not overdo it with a whole collection though), then that’s even better. Be sure to measure the size of your actual braai before you buy the grid. If it’s too big, you will only be able to use a section of it. If it’s too small, you will have to innovate on how you get it to rest on the fire. The ones that latch closed at the handle is a great one. That way you don’t need to manually turn each piece of meat yourself.
Steel wire brush:
A grid is always mucky after a braai. The best thing to clean it with is a steel wire brush. This can dislodge even the toughest of muck from the grid before you burn the rest over an open flame.
Braai tongs:
If you do need to flip each piece of meat yourself, you will definitely want decent braai tongs. These will ensure easy handling of the food. Try to have two sets in your kit so you can handle meat with one, and foil-wrapped other foods with the other one. The latter will usually be between the coals, so this set will get quite ashy. You don’t want that on your meat.
Potjie pot:
Also known as a cast-iron pot, this nifty little (or big) thing is great for making stews, curries, bread or even desserts (yes, it’s true) on the fire. Because of this versatility, the potjie pot is a must in any braai kit. While you’re at it, get a potjie pot lid lifter. Or burn your hands…
Utensils:
There’s always a braai runner who needs to dart between the braai area and the kitchen in order to get a fork or a knife or a spoon. Add these items to your kit and you won’t need to use the kitchen stock. These are used to check the meat or stir the food in the potjie pot. Or to cut of tasting samples.
Basting brush:
To evenly distribute the marinade over the meat, a good basting brush is needed!
Braai bowl:
To end it all off, everyone needs a braai bowl for the cooked meat to go in to. The bigger, the better in our opinion. That way, you can fit all the meat in just own or two bowls instead of using things from the kitchen.
And that’s it – everything you need to be the king or queen of the braai.
BONUS (or is it?): Not everyone has access to a braai place, and the only option would be a gas braai. There are many benefits to a gas braai: it’s quicker, cleaner, and you can switch it on and off when you want. Teljoy has something you may want to consider, especially if you are undecided on gas. Because it’s rent-to-own, if you decide that you’re a wood purist, you can cancel your contract at any time.
*Items available at PriceCheck