September shouts ‘braai’ for South Africans, and we’ve collected some must-try hacks, recipes and tricks to make sure your next cookout is a smoke-show!  

Fire cooking hacks  

Hack 1: Make a grid non-stick! Cut open lemons or potatoes and rub over your braai grid just before adding meat.  

Hack 2: To make your own firelighters, place dried, used tea bags into holes of an egg carton. Melt down old candles and pour liquid wax over each teabag. Once set, cut carton into single squares. Place between wood and light in the centre of each fire starter to use.  

Hack 3: Just lit the fire and drowning in smoke? Place water in a fire-safe foil container next to the coals. The heat will create steam, which will break down some of the smoke.  

Clean slate  

To mark the braai season, nothing says ‘fresh’ start like a clean grill:  

For a quick scrub down:

• Heat the braai using charcoal or wood. Once hot, crumple up a few tinfoil sheets into balls, clasp between tongs and use as a brush to loosen big bits. 
• Create a thick paste using bicarbonate of soda and water then work this around the wires of the grid. Let the solution sit for 15 minutes. 
• If possible, submerge your grid in a bucket of hot, soapy water for another 15 minutes to let the bicarb activate, then use a brush to scrub. 
• Remember: If you do use strong cleaning agents, then make sure to heat the grid up thoroughly again before adding any meat to ensure that the chemicals are cooked off. 

For a quick wipe down:  

You don’t need to restore your grid to its former shiny, glory each time. Opt for a quick fix instead.  

• Secure the prongs of a fork into the back of half an onion or lemon and use this as a natural cleaning agent. Scrub it back and forth over the hot braai grid to remove any lightly caked-on dirt.

Words by: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine