Spring is here, and National Braai Day is closing in fast. It’s time to get prepping for one of the most chilled, fun, and iconic South African public holidays. You’re free from work (even you work-from-homers) and ready to celebrate with friends and family. No Braai Day would be complete without Miami on the table and good friends around the braai, so we assembled our top tips for a day that’s all about good food, fantastic friends, and all the things we love the most.
Let Miami make the sides so you don’t have to
We all know the subtle braai wars. The ladies (or culinary-inclined gents) take to the kitchen to chat, butter, slice, and dice. They craft a delicious potato salad (complete with a hidden spoon or too of chakalaka for extra taste) and maybe make a coleslaw too. They assign that friend (there’s always one) who can’t be trusted with sharp knives to butter rolls, buns, and breads. They set out some nibbles like chips, pickles and cocktail onions, maybe with some cheese for balance, and spend half the day trying to keep it topped up (and the kids from overindulging).
Adding that special touch
If wors rolls or hamburgers are on the menu, they lovingly slice up the tomatoes, lettuce, and essential hamburger condiments that even the fussiest kid can’t complain about. Maybe Ouma’s secret potato bake goes in the oven, or Gogo’s homemade atchar (it’s ok if it comes from a jar, too, we won’t tell) gets added to the mix. Every pan in the house gets pressed into service to hold meat and marinade, and lashings of soft, fluffy pap. Tinfoil flies everywhere. Maybe you all slave over a simmering pot of tomato braai relish, and add a granadilla pulp fridge tart to the menu, or maybe you give up, open a jar of Miami’s boerie relish, grab an extra glass of wine, and head to the lounge to continue the gossip and laughs.
Taking the credit
Meanwhile, the menfolk (eventually) perform the all-important Lighting of the Braai. While the charcoal simmers down, they grab a cold beer, or two, or four, and gossip far worse than the girls ever could. At some unspecified time, usually marked by a cranky little one, some burgers eventually hit the grill, and then the magic starts to happen. When it’s finally time for the adults to grab their braai meat too, you’ve all filled up on enough sides to pop, but you’ll still enjoy the feast. And then, as the diligent (and sober) pack away the dirty dishes for another day and flop exhausted on the couch, you get to listen to the guys congratulate themselves for all that hard cooking! But it wouldn’t be a braai any other way.
You bring the friends and family- Miami will do the rest
You have the perfect spot, you’ve hosed the dust off the entertainment area, you’ve invited the neighbourhood and all your favourite people, and you’ve found the perfect braai meat. The ‘dop and wine is stocked in the cupboard, the tunes are ready to play, and the boerie rolls will be a delight. The only thing left to do is stock up on your Miami favourites so the day runs smoothly and get ready for the fun.
It’s National Braai Day. Forget about hard work. Kick back, have fun with friends and family, and let the unifying siren call of the braai work its magic on your soul, too.