How To Braai The Best Steak

The WhatsApps have been sent, the side dishes allocated, and the date is drawing near. The time has come for you to haul out the tongs and spark the firelighters. But how do you know how many coals to add? When is a fire actually ready? And how are you supposed to get the hard-to-clean grease off of your braai? Skip the panicky search through the internet for braai ideas, follow this super simple guide and you’ll be braaing the best steak in town. 

Ingredients

• Charcoal or firewood

• Your favourite braai spice

• 2 Steaks

Marinade

• ½ cup Olive Oil

• ½ cup Soy Sauce

• ¼ cup Honey

• ¼ cup Red Wine

• 2 Cloves of Garlic

• Salt

• Pepper

Method

Step 1: Make the marinade 

Flavour is one of the most vital components when serving a steak. Start by crushing the garlic cloves and mixing the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, red wine, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the steak to this marinade and let it sit for 2 hours. Make sure the steak is completely covered in the sauce.

Step 2: Prepare your fire

While you wait for your steak to marinate, you can prepare your fire. To braai the perfect steak you’re going to need a lot of hot coals, so don’t be shy when piling on the firewood or charcoal. 

Step 3: Clean your grid

While your last braai was lekker, you don’t want any of those previous aromas messing with your perfect steak.

Try this nifty hack to clean it! 

While the fire is heating up, place your grid over the flames to heat up slightly. Once warm, remove the grid and wipe it down with a newspaper. This will soak up the grease and any other leftover food bits. If the newspaper starts melting, your grid is too hot, and you should leave it to cool for a second. Don’t have newspaper? No problem! You can do the same thing with an onion as the acid in the onion will break down the grease.

Step 4: It’s braai time

Before you pop your steak on the braai, make sure it is at room temperature. So be sure to take it out of the fridge well in advance. 

Place your steak onto the grid and watch it carefully. Steak should only be cooked for about 7 minutes, turning every 2 minutes and 1 ½ minutes on the last two rounds. This will cook them to a divine medium rare. If you are not using a closed grid, turn the steaks with a braai tong, not a fork. You don’t want to lose any yummy juices through holes in your meat.

Once the 7 minutes are up, remove your steak from the grid. Don’t forget to use tongs here. The meat now needs to rest for about 2 – 3 minutes, to allow the juices to settle. This prevents all the flavours from running out onto your plate when the steak is cut.  

By following these easy steps and using our braai hacks you will be the best braai master on the block. Good luck!