Here is another Ultimate Braai Master challenge we did somewhere in the Karoo. This beef Wellington is not for the faint-hearted but will give you all the bragging rights over your mates if you can pull it off.

By John Grundlingh

INGREDIENTS
400g mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
750g beef fillet
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil
6–8 slices Parma ham
30 ml English mustard
500g puff pastry
2 eggs

METHOD
1. Heat a pan and sauté the mushrooms and onions. Allow to cool slightly in the pan and set aside.
2. Rub down the fillet with the salt, pepper and olive oil.
3. Braai the fillet quickly, just until the outside has sealed. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
4. Lay a piece of cling film flat on a work surface. Arrange the Parma ham over it, with their edges overlapping. Top with the mushrooms and onions.
5. Rub the fillet with the mustard and place it in the centre of the Parma ham.
6. Using the cling film to assist you, tightly roll the fillet in the Parma ham. Tie the ends of the cling film together and allow to sit for 20 minutes.
7. Unroll the puff pastry on a lightly-floured work surface.
8. Remove the cling film from the fillet and place in the centre of the pastry.
9. Brush the inside of the pastry with egg yolk and fold it over the fillet, trimming any untidy edges.
10. Brush the outside of the Wellington in egg wash and braai in a kassie, adding coals to the back, underside and top of the kassie. Braai for 1 hour.
11. Remove from the kassie and allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into thin slices.