Yesterday's discovery that we invented braaing reminded me about an email I got from Phil Burlace a while ago, letting me know that other countries also enjoy a good old braai, they're just not as good at it.

Phil says:

I'm English but now living in South Africa......now I know our rugby is not too hot at the moment, but the Great British BB-Q would have you okes in fits of hysteria -let me explain.

As you may well be aware we are blessed with only one or two days of sunshine every year. The appearance of that big orange ball in the sky does strange things to our psyche.

Now if the mini heatwave happens to occur on a Sunday, the men of the house will wind their way to the local pub at lunchtime and proceed to down overpriced fizzy beer. At some stage in the proceedings one member of the throng will suggest a BBQ.

It then falls upon the soberest to drive down to the local supermarket and bulk buy frozen sausages, beefburgers and chicken legs.

The drunken throng then descend on whichever house has a BBQ. These vary from gas powered monsters to discarded oil drums.

Half a metric tonne of coals are then put down into the cooking utensil.

There then follows a debate on how to get the thing alight. Traditional methods include heaping up the weeks supply of free newspapers but the chosen method here is usually a half litre or so of Shell unleaded.

When the chosen one has thrown the match into the mound great applause follows as the guys watch this reenactment of Dante's Inferno.

As the flames reach rooftop height the plastic bags containing the processed meats are ripped open and tossed into the furnace.

As soon as the portions resemble napalm victims they will be hauled out by a man in an asbestos suit and served with limp salad and more fizzy beer.

So that, folks is how its done in England - which is why I'm glad I have been taught how to braai properly by you guys.......it's the only way to cook.

Fortunately for our English friends, help is at hand... remember James Braai 0027?

OK, so we finally know why South Africans love to braai so much... it's because we invented it.

Scientists have uncovered what they believe is earliest evidence of a camp fire, in a cave in South Africa, dating back about a million years. Prior to the discovery, there wasn't much consensus on when our ancestors mastered the art of fire, so until further evidence is uncovered, I'm claiming the invention of braaing for South Africa.

Original story found on http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/South-Africa-cave-earliest-fire-use-20120402

I often get asked in interviews for my "ingredients" or requirements for a successful braai, so I thought I'd jot down my thoughts and share it with you guys as well. While it's difficult to prioritise these braai essentials into an ordered list, I've put them into 3 categories:

MUST haves:

• Good Friends – the single most important ingredient for a good braai. Snacking on a prime cut all on your ace is worse than eating charred chicken wings with good friends.
• Quality red meat – of course, a quality, medium rare rump steak is far better than those charred chicken wings, so if you find a butcher that supplies good meat, treat him better than you would your bank manager.
• Beer/Brandy/Whiskey (i.e. your drink of choice) and “slet sappies” – remember the “slet sappies”. If your better half is happy, it goes a long way to making you happy too.
• Ice, lots of it – keeps the beers cold. Your meat should be hot, not your beer.
• Quality (dry) hardwood – Dry wood will make sure you don’t need a gas mask to stand around the fire while enjoying those drinks. If you can’t find good wood, then rather use charcoal. Look out for something that says ‘Namibian Hardwood’ on it, and you should be safe. NB: Make sure you’ve tried the specific brand out before though – there are a lot of dodgy, false claims out there.

Single most essential ingredient for a braai: Good Friends

Nice-to-haves:

• Braaimaster – someone that knows what they’re doing to take charge of the braai duties, however good company will make up for ‘average braaing’.
• Firelighters – however, a good braaimaster should be able to light a fire using a strip of newspaper and 3 twigs.
• A blend of ‘secret spices’ – If your meat is good enough though, all you’ll really need is some top-quality Salt & Pepper.
• Garlic rolls - (plain or cheesy) and/or a Braai Pie (see http://www.braaiboy.co.za/page/Braai-Pie.aspx).
• Camera / phone – Always fun to share epic braai pics with your emigrant friends who have deserted SA and can’t enjoy braais like we do here at home
• Good Tunes – Not essential, but some doctors claim that background music helps with digestion
• Braai Tongs – and if it has your name on it, it will add to your street-cred.
• BraaiBroodjies – I’ll substitute salads etc. with BraaiBroodjies any day.
• Biltong & Droëwors – good for a snack before the braai is done.

Purely optional:

• Salads, Rolls - I’ve heard that some people actually enjoy this.
• Chairs, Gazebo’s etc. – If you spend too much time in an office and not enough time outside braaing, I’ve heard that this helps with comfort levels.
• Good weather – Again, purely optional. Fortunately here in SA, that’s almost standard… so no need to really concern yourself with the weather.

There are 100’s of other “less important issues” that could make your life easier, but can easily overcome, such as good lighting (when braaing at night) and a quality stainless steel grid for easier cleaning afterwards etc. etc., but if you stick to the single most important ingredient (good friends), you won't ever go wrong!

Got anything you'd like to add to the list? Comment and let us all know.

I know I'm about 100 posts behind and promise to pay some attention to my blog this year. No, it's not a New Year's resolution, just a promise - so it's gonna happen :-)

Anyway, until I make good on that promise - check out this Monkey's fire-making skills

What do you get when you pit braaimasters against each other in contest and promise the winner some awesome prizes? Well, some great tasting meat of course and also the plot for Thys die BosveldKlong's new TV show: Bring en Braai.

"Bring en Braai" is the first braai competition done for SA television. In each episode 2 contestants braai a starter, main course and desert. Each contestant is given free reign as to what they want to prepare (as long as they don't use gas or electricity). The show sees Thys (the show's presenter) and the contestants along with some guest judges cruise the country (and sometimes even neighbouring countries) in search of adventure - and of course the best braaier.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to join the guys on the episode that was filmed at the Voortrekker monument. Follow me on FaceBook or Twitter and I'll let you know when the episode with me in it will be showing.

I also got a chance to introduce contestants and crew to the Braai Pie.

The show airs on Mondays @ 17h30 (starting today 3 Oct) with another 8 repeats throughout the week... so you've got no reason to miss it (even if you don't have PVR). Check http://www.bringenbraai.co.za/uitsendings.php for the broadcast times.

Update Apr 2012: Thys and the guys invited me to hang out with them for a day in Season 2 again - Check it out here: Bring En Braai - Season 2

On Sunday I popped in to the Pretoria Spring Show 2011 for a little bit of fun. We pitted Deli Spices' Vuyo's Wors against their new FLAVA23 which has been created specifically to support the Rugby World Cup.

The day turned out to be a lot of fun, with the surprising result being that Vuyo's Wors pipped FLAVA23 to the post by a handful of votes. I say surprising because Vuyo's wors is not a 'true boerewors'. It contains a small amount soya in the recipe, which as any boerewors connoiseur will let you know prevents its makers from labelling it a "boerewors". 

A big Thank You to Deli Spices for sponsoring all the wors on the day as well as the prizes.

lovely infodesk ladies helping with the draw	and the winner is: Mr. Obed Mokoka

If you didn't make it to this year's show, make sure to keep an eye on www.TheSpringShow.co.za/ or follow them on twitter @TheSpringShowZA

OK, so Saturday rolled around and I was off to Bronkhorstspruit to go help the guys from Wetnose Animal Recue Centre braai at one of the stalls. I was expecting to braai a couple of boerie rolls, take the dogs for a stroll and then drink a couple of beers... boy, was I in for a surprise.

We had like a million people rock up for the event and they all came hungry. OK, I think the organisers said it was closer to 1, 000... but it was still a shitload. I started braaing at 09h00 or so and didn't stop until just before 16h00. I think we braaied each and every piece of wors and all the patties available in all of Bronkies' butcheries... which is all good news for the animals, since all the proceeds from the day went to Wetnose Animal Rescue Centre who sorely need it as they don't receive any government funding.

Thank you VERY much to everyone that popped in to say hello.

There was also lots to entertainment throughout the day, including a dog show and even a beauty pageant... so all in all the day proved to be lots and fun, and I'm very much looking forward to next year - and I hope to see even more of you there. You're also more than welcoem to give them a shout any other time fo the year... http://www.wetnose.org.za/ - The WetNose Animal Rescue Centre is always looking for volunteers and a helping hand.

I'd love to hear your comments below, or you can always give me a shout on twitter or facebook... otherwise I'll catch around the braai!

Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre is hosting their annual Homeless Animal Day on Saturday, 27 Aug in Bronkhorstspruit. So please come join us and take a homeless friend for a walk.

Events kick off at 9am, and besides being able to adopt an orphaned dog (or cat) for the day and taking them on a 1km funwalk - for which you'll receive a special certificate - there will be lots of other fun and entertainment to be had:

• A dog show presented by the dog unit;
• “Ronnie” and her dogs will be hosting a show;
• A Miss Wet Nose Animal Rescue model competition;
• Food stalls (of which I'll be manning a braai at one, so please pop by and say 'Hi') and a beer garden;
• BIG screen TV (so no excuses about missing the Rugby please);
• Entertainment for the kids, so bring them along too!

There's gonna be a “food bowl” and everyone is encouraged bring any animal food, toys or blankets as well. If you can't make it to the event itself, Arcade Empire have volunteered to act as a collection point for donations... so get in touch with them if you need more info.

The Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre is based just outside Pretoria East, on the old Bronhorstspruit Road, Plot 75, Vaalbank

Please contact (013) 932 3941/2/6 or (013) 935 3368 for more info, or visit them on their website. If you're on twitter you can also get in touch with @WetNoseARC, Tyron (@Tyronlsa), Julia Rubkina (@Julzy85), Henno Gous (@whisperdscream) or Meg Ekart (@Meg_misshotcake))

Fresh from the Put Foot Rally where I spent 3 days in Mozambique, I'm heading back there for the FORR (Fellowship of Rock 'n Roll) Festival 2011 in September. Now, I'm not just telling you this to make you jealous. I'm telling you this because I've got 2 sets of double tickets to give away so that you guys can come and join me.

Win two tickets to the FORR festival (1-4 September 2011) in Malongane, Mozambique.

Come join me as I braai up a storm at this year's FORR festival in Mozambique. FORR is a rock music festival in the picturesque resort of Malongane. Some of SA’s best alternative bands will be performing at the festival, including Akkedis & Piet Botha, Albert Frost Trio, Cortina Whiplash, CrashCarBurn, Die See, Die Tuin Dwergies, Liezel Marshall Band, Namuh, Scicoustic, Tidal Waves, Valiant Swart Band and more.

The festival starts on Wednesday night where I will be hosting a bring-and-braai on the beach while a Reggae band plays for the crowd, and if you ask nicely, I'll probably do your braaing for you too. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 23 different acts will entertain the crowd on the acoustic and main stage. The festival ends on Sunday with the traditional trip to the local shebeens where you will have a truly magical musical experience with the locals.

You can win two tickets to the festival valued at R1 400. It includes camping from Thursday to Saturday night and your access to the festival. The resort is right next to the ocean and has one of the best campsites at for any festival with clean ablutions and lots of shade on soft sand for your tent.

O yes, and don’t forget, Saturday is fancy dress day and this year’s theme is Fantastic FORR: Superheroes Unite! Dress in your best Superhero outfit for the night.

How To Enter?
To enter the competition simply visit http://www.forr.co.za/Bookings/BraaiBoy.php and answer an easy question (P.S. The answer is 'Wednesday'). Winners of the competition will be announced on Monday 22 August.

For more information visit www.forr.co.za or send an email to info [at] forr.co.za or Frans 082 926 3602 or Linda 082 857 2686.

See you in Malongane!

For those of you that have been following the RWC2011 100 day countdown on FaceBook, will know that we've had some very creative volunteers.

I would like to reward those awesome braaimasters with a little spitbraai party...

So how am I going to do that?

On the day the Rugby World Cup 2011 kicks off, I'll have a look at all pics on FaceBook's RWC2011 Countdown Album and the 5 pics with the most likes will be invited along with their partners. Then, I'm also going to pick another 10 dedicated (but maybe not as creative) braaimasters from the submissions and they too will be invited along with their partners.

So, If you haven't yet joined the countdown, head on over to RWC2011 countdown, pick yourself a number and get involved.