Since all of our travelling is currently on hold (though, we are fortunate to travel inside of our own country), we thought to share with you what keeps us positive (and happy) during these uncertain times – preparing food on the fire!

We will still share some of our earlier travels and adventures with you on our blog, but in the meantime, we will have a weekly ‘braai weekend’ post.

What is a ‘braai’?

A proper ‘braai’ of a juicy steak (Credit: Stock photo’s)

The word ‘braai’ is an Afrikaans word, meaning barbecue. This means you grill or roast (mostly) meat over the open coals – something South Africans love to do (especially during weekends).

So, be warn … you will see a lot of pictures of food (and the occasional drink) over weekends on our blog ☺️.

Getting the fire started

We’ve started today’s braai with a lamb rib (placed next to the fire). In Afrikaans this is called a ‘staanrib’ or translated it will be a ‘standing lamb rib’.

The standing lamb rib next to the fire

This is a low maintenance meal, though it does take a minimum of two hours (depending on the size of the rib) before it’s ready. We only grind salt, pepper and coriander seeds together and then rub these into the meat before placing it in the hinged grid and closing, while placing it close to the open flames of the fire.

The standing lamb rib next to the fire

While the ‘staanrib’ is getting cooked next to the fire, there is more than enough time to have a glass (or two) of wine. A red wine works perfectly with this meat … today, I have however preferred something with a fun element and opened a bottle of sparkling wine (it is weekend after all).

A bottle of Blush sparkling wine was perfect on a late summer afternoon
The finished ‘staanrib’ – to be enjoyed with the preferred bottle of Pinotage

Though we don’t mind having just meat on our plate, it’s good to have something green and healthy with your ‘braai’.

I’ve prepared a fresh salad consisting of different green leaves (butter lettuce, basil and rocket) together with ripe tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over this salad and this can almost be a light meal on its own!

A fresh salad to go with the ‘braai’

Next on the grill, it was time for an appetizer … we were quite hungry by now! ‘Oepsies’ is a huge favourite in our house … and I don’t think there is really an English word for these (maybe ‘Oopsie’, but it’s by no means a mistake 😁).

‘Oepsies’ – as per the packet’s description: “skewered bacon in a sweet & sour marinade”
We eat the ‘Oepsies’ directly from the fire

We love to make a fire … and the more fire you make, the more meat you can put on the ‘braai’. So, today, we’ve decided to ‘braai’ extra meat to have tomorrow (and maybe the day after tomorrow 😉).

It was now time for the chicken drumsticks and a few lamb chops (which we’ve both drizzled with a little bit of ‘braai’ spice).

Chicken drumsticks and lamb chops on the fire

After a couple of hours (and a few glasses of wine), it was time to enjoy a late lunch.

A typical plate to enjoy at a South African ‘braai’

Berto prepared an amazing low carb cheese cake yesterday afternoon. The perfect way of concluding our weekend ‘braai’.

Delicious (home baked) low carb cheese cake

We hope you’ve enjoyed the first edition of our ‘braai weekend’ … cheers, until next weekend!