When a Cape Town friend invited us to a “Bring and Braai” we had no idea it would involve large hunks of meat, a lot of Carling, and a rough game of rugby. We fell in love at first sight of borrowers and refused to leave when everyone prepared for their afternoon nap. Needs to say we could not wait for our next invite. When it never came, we decided we would host our own bring and braai. So we cleaned up the grill, bought lots of beer, and asked our guests to tote in their favorite meat. We ate, we drank, we played frisbee. But we still refused to take that afternoon nap. Since we were hosting, we got our way. Was it a success? Well, no one has cancelled the next braai party. Follow the directions below and you can have your own (nap optional).
BT’s BRAAI RECIPE
Serves 4 Total Time: 60 Minutes [30 minutes preparation; 30 minutes cooking and rest time]
WHAT YOU NEED
4 1-pound rib-eye steaks cut 1-inch thick
3/4 cup sea salt
4 Tablespoons fresh cracked pepper
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves of garlic, rough cut
Cooking oil
WHAT TO DO
1. Approximately 30 minutes before cooking, bring the steaks to room temperature.
2. Set up the outdoor grill for direct heat cooking over high heat.
3. Peel and rough cut the garlic allowing for 1 cut clover per steak. Once at room temperature, slice several evenly spaced cuts into the steaks and fill the cavities with the garlic. During grilling, the garlic will melt and distribute its flavor throughout the steak. Rub the steaks with cooking oil and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes as desired.
4. For medium-rare steaks, cook on the preheated grill over direct heat for 7 minutes then flip the meat over and continue to grill for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the grill and allow the meat to rest undisturbed on a plate loosely covered with aluminum foil for 8 minutes. This rest time is very important to allow the juices within the meat to redistribute. *
* BT Tip: Serve your grilled meat with potatoes, side greens, and a tasty beverage to liven things up.
Bespoke Traveler 
Thanks for the invite! 🙂 It WAS an invite, wasn’t it?
Definitely. An open one too. 😀
My kids were very close with a couple of brothers from South Africa who were boarding at their school and were quite desperate to try out a true South African braai. When they found out it was the equivalent of our American BBQ I think they were a little disappointed, although the brothers insisted their version would be a lot more fun because it involved bigger fires, rougher sport and a lot more meat. I was happy to oblige and made sure we tried to make it as “homelike” as possible for them–apart from them pummeling everyone in rugby.
Great fun all around. Sad to have seen those wonderful fellas go home.
How sweet of you to accommodate these two, who must have been missing a lot more than braais from their home country! Perhaps someday your kids can take a trip to South Africa to experience a native braai for themselves.
We know our braai’s here in SA! Glad you liked it!
I’m eating lentil soup right now, and don’t get me wrong, I like lentil soup. But this is making my mouth water.
😀 Something to plan for your next meal TB!
This post illuminates the priceless peace of community … This was obviously a festive time.
South Africans are big on the “braai” experience. It was quite a treat to be invited to one of these as they are usually for family or close-knit neighborhoods. Thanks for checking out the recipe!
Looks fantastic. Your grill posts always make me want to try them immediately!
😀 Thanks! We do love grilling things….
I already ate half my lunch but this post made me so hungry!
Perhaps for tomorrow’s lunch? 😀
damn that looks gud!!!
It tasted just as delicious! Thanks for stopping by.
om nom nom nom droool…
Sounds like great fun. Can I bring fish? 🙂
It’s usually not found at typical braai’s, but we will make an exception! 😉