South Africans will use any opportunity to braai, that’s for sure! If you want to be crowned the Braai Master this year, here are three of our all-time favourite basting sauces and marinades guaranteed to impress your guests.

Apricot-butter braaied snoek

SERVES 6 | COOKING TIME 90 min

INGREDIENTS

1 whole snoek, filleted
Coarse salt and black pepper
150g butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
125ml smooth apricot jam
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp Cape Malay curry powder
Splash white wine (optional)
Olive oil

METHOD

1. Sprinkle the snoek with salt and leave for 20–30 minutes. Rinse off and pat dry.
2. Cook the butter and garlic until the butter is foamy. Add apricot jam, lemon zest, curry powder and wine. Stir through. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and pepper.
3. Coat the snoek in oil so it won’t stick to the grid. Braai for about 15 minutes, basting with the apricot butter and turning frequently. Serve with leftover apricot butter.

Honey and soy spatchcock chicken with herb salad

SERVES 4

Thinking about what you should make for dinner tonight? How about a perfectly tender spatchcock chicken doused in an Asian-style dressing, served with a fresh seasonal herb salad? You’re welcome.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken

½ cup sweet Indonesian soy sauce
½ cup teriyaki sauce
¼ cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 spatchcock chicken
1 lemon, halved or quartered

For the salad

1 tbsp lemon juice, plus zest of ½ a lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper
2 packets baby salad leaves
1 packet micro herbs
2 spring onions, sliced
Edible flowers, to garnish

METHOD

For the chicken
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Mix the sweet Indonesian soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, BBQ sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce and honey together in a bowl and marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes.
3. Place the chicken on a foil-lined roasting tray and roast in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until cooked and sticky, basting every 15 minutes.

For the salad
1. Whisk the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, mustard and honey together and season.
2. Just before serving, toss the dressing together with the baby salad leaves, micro herbs and spring onions, and garnish with edible flowers. Serve the salad with the chicken and lemon wedges.

Got plans for the weekend? Nope? Great! Whip up your own BBQ sauce, baste a spatchcock chicken and throw it on the braai.

Sticky Ribs

SERVES 8–10 | COOKING TIME 2 hours, 20 min

These sweet sticky ribs are the perfect starter or snack for when you want to entertain some guests. They’re absolutely divine!

INGREDIENTS

2 kg pork back ribs, cut in half lengthwise, bite-sized
8 rooibos tea bags
½ cup brown sugar, plus 3 tbsp
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Salt and pepper
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Spring onions, sliced, to garnish

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the ribs in a roasting tin.
2. Place the tea bags in a bowl with 2 cups boiling water and steep for 10–15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add ½ cup brown sugar, orange zest and juice, and seasoning. Pour over the ribs and cover with tinfoil.
3. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven.
4. Turn up the oven to 230°C.
5. Drain the cooking juices from the roasting tin into a pot and simmer over a medium heat to reduce by half, 15–20 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (except spring onions) to form a glaze. Remove from the heat.
6. Return the ribs to the oven and cook, basting often with the glaze, until caramelised and sticky.
7. Allow to cool slightly. Serve garnished with spring onions.

The post Be the Snoek, Spatchcock and Rib Braai Master appeared first on MyKitchen.

Thinking about what you should make for dinner tonight? How about a perfectly tender spatchcock chicken doused in an Asian-style dressing, served with a fresh seasonal herb salad? You’re welcome.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
For the chicken
½ cup sweet Indonesian soy sauce
½ cup teriyaki sauce
¼ cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 spatchcock chicken
1 lemon, halved or quartered
For the salad
1 tbsp lemon juice, plus zest of ½ a lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper
2 packets baby salad leaves
1 packet micro herbs
2 spring onions, sliced
Edible flowers, to garnish

METHOD
For the chicken
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Mix the sweet Indonesian soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, BBQ sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce and honey together in a bowl and marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes.
3. Place the chicken on a foil-lined roasting tray and roast in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until cooked and sticky, basting every 15 minutes.
For the salad
1. Whisk the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, mustard and honey together and season.
2. Just before serving, toss the dressing together with the baby salad leaves, micro herbs and spring onions, and garnish with edible flowers. Serve the salad with the chicken and lemon wedges.

Got plans for the weekend? Nope? Great! Whip up your own BBQ sauce, baste a spatchcock chicken and throw it on the braai.

The post Honey and soy spatchcock chicken with herb salad appeared first on MyKitchen.

Your summer roasts just got a whole lot more delicious! A mango-infused marinade really makes the flavours of this spatchcock chicken roast stand out.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 2 hours

INGREDIENTS
For the spatchcock chicken
1 mango, pitted and chopped
1½ tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 chicken, spatchcocked
1½ tbsp olive oil
For the sauce
½ cauliflower, chopped and steamed
3 green chillies, chopped
2½ cups coriander
2 tbsp olive oil

METHOD
For the chicken
1. Preheat oven to 190ºC.
2. Blend the mango, garlic powder, soy sauce and sugar together until smooth.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then spread the mango marinade over it, making sure it is fully coated. Drizzle with the olive oil.
4. Roast for about 1½ hours until the chicken is completely cooked through. Baste with the marinade halfway through.
For the sauce
1. Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.
2. Spoon onto a serving platter and place the chicken on top.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: K-Leigh Siebritz // HMimages.co.za

How about something meat-free and locally-inspired? Our falafel sliders with mango atchar-tahini sauce are the perfect appetisers.

The post Mango-marinated spatchcock chicken roast appeared first on MyKitchen.

I have been fortunate enough to have learned most of my cooking from South Africa’s best chefs and friends who are chefs. Being on the road for two months, braaing all over SA every day was the best adventure anyone could ever ask for, and some of our best-kept secrets were revealed. A nice and easy recipe that Bertus Basson taught me, is a perfect spatchcock chicken.

By John Grundlingh

Firstly, make sure you are prepping your chicken properly form the very beginning. Begin by lying the chicken flat on a chopping board, with the breast facing downwards. Pull it apart and press it firmly open. Cut all along though the centre, breaking the cartilage and the bone. Press down on the breast bone until it cracks to flatten it.

INGREDIENTS
For the dry rub
Crushed chillies
Cumin
Smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper
For the marinade
1 bulb garlic, crushed
100g butter, melted
20g grated ginger
50g grated lime skin
Juice of 2 limes
Fresh herbs, your choice, to taste

METHOD
1. Use the dry rub to coat your entire chicken.
2. Get the marinade under the skin of the chicken.
3. Put the chicken in a zip-lock bag with the remaining marinade. Keep some marinade behind to baste the chicken on the fire. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.
4. Once your coals are ready, braai the chicken, bone-side-down for 10 minutes. Flip it over every 10 minutes until it is fully cooked, basting as needed. Insert a skewer through the side of the chicken to keep it straight and secure when turning.

The post Friday braai day: Perfect spatchcock chicken appeared first on MyKitchen.