The classics.
Zero shortcuts.

A Braai Day menu for a crowd

Five classics, in the order the fire actually wants them. Each page has the method and says how many it feeds — multiply for the cousins.

1. The day before. Chicken sosaties into the apricot-curry marinade, overnight. Thighs, not breast. Buying note: chicken on The Cuts.
2. When you light. Mix the roosterkoek dough. It wants about an hour to prove while the wood becomes coals. Hardwood from a permitted supplier, 45–60 minutes: which wood.
3. While the flames die. Stywe pap en tamatiesous at the edge of the fire, and the tomato smoor from the boerewors rolls.
4. At the 8-second hand test. The wors coil, whole, never pierced, and the sosaties. How to count. Boerewors is at least 90% meat.
5. At 10 seconds, while the meat rests. Braaibroodjies and the roosterkoek on the gentle side. The day itself: National Braai Day.

If your family’s version is better, send the recipe under your real name — or put one sentence on The Braai so the communal fire is fed before Thursday.

Questions the fire actually gets

What should you cook for a Braai Day crowd?

Five classics, in the order the fire wants them. The day before: chicken sosaties in the apricot-curry marinade, overnight, thigh meat not breast. When you light: roosterkoek dough, which needs about an hour to prove while the wood becomes coals. While the flames die: stywe pap en tamatiesous at the edge, and the tomato smoor for the boerewors rolls. At the 8-second hand test: the wors coil, whole and never pierced, and the sosaties. At 10 seconds, while the meat rests: braaibroodjies and the roosterkoek on the gentle side.

What is the braai hand test?

Hold your palm at grid height and count. Four seconds is hot, six is hot-medium, eight is medium, ten or more is gentle. Wors and sosaties want the eight-second fire. Braaibroodjies and roosterkoek want ten or more. The full reading, and which wood makes those coals, is on the Wood & Coals guide.

How much food does the Braai Day menu make?

Each recipe states its own yield: six boerewors rolls, twelve sosatie skewers, pap for eight, six braaibroodjies, eight roosterkoek. Multiply for a bigger crowd. This is a firing order.