Christmas Lunch on the Braai, cooked on the BigGreenEgg!

December 28, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Food Websites, Chicken, Beef, Big Green Egg, Recipes, Roasts

Braaiing in the rain in storm force winds.

As I said last week I'm glad that I had a test run making half of the christmas lunch, thus giving me no excuses to get it wrong this week. In addition to cooking a Capon on the Braai I'm also going to braai a whole Rib Eye of Black Gold Beef which we sell in our shop and on the web site www.biltong.co.uk .

I'm sure that most of you can remember having Christmas lunch around the pool or on the beach in 80 degree sunshine, well for me, those days are long gone and now I find myself braaiing in the rain and getting blown away at the same time. I must be nuts!! But I'm holding up the flame for US BRAAI NUTTERS from SA who insist on braaing on Christmas Day no matter what and I can tell you it was well worth the effort.

Sorry if i'm repeating myself but I will be listing the recipe for the Capon again plus the cooking instructions for the rib eye. The spicing of the Beef is going to be very basic but simplicity is the best way to braai beef in my opinion. As this is being posted after Christmas Day, I hope that you all enjoyed the festive season, whatever you were doing. Needless to say the curry that I hinted at was not required as the meat part of the lunch turned out perfectly as well as the accompanying vegetables that were prepared and cooked by the rest of the family.

SERVES 4-8 - PREP: 5 MINS - COOK TIME: 1 - 2hrs

Ingredients for the Beef

1 x Beef Rib Eye 2.5kg
1 x tbsp Sea Salt
1-2 x tbsp Black Pepper corns

Method for cooking beef

Preheat the Braai to 230°C (446°F)
Take the beef out of the fridge so that it comes to room temperature before aplying the spices and cooking
Pour the salt and pepper corns into a pestle and grind into a course mix, this is so much better than using pre ground as the aroma’s really come out.
Rub the mix all over the beef 5 minutes before you place on the braai to cook, this is so that the salt does not take all the moisture out of the beef. You want it to season, not preserve.
Place on a roasting rack, cover with tin foil and place in the braai for 1hr. After an hour take the foil off and allow the beef to colour for about 30 mins, this should give you medium rare beef, add 15mins to bring to medium and another 20 for well done.
Once cooked take out of the braai and allow to rest for 20 mins before you carve.

SERVES 4-8 - PREP: 10 MINS - COOK TIME: 2 - 2.5hrs

Ingredients for the Capon and sauce

1 x Capon 4.6kg / large free range chicken or even your turkey
2 x large lemons, 1 thinly sliced and the other halved
150gm x salted butter
3 x large red onions, peeled and quartered through the root
1 x 30g pack fresh thyme (reserve a few sprigs and roughly chop the remaining leaves)
2 x cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 
1 x teaspoon olive oil  Seasoning

For the gravy

425ml dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon

Method for cooking Capon

Preheat the Braai to 230°C (446°F)
Take a knob of butter and slide it under the skin on the Capon along with some thyme, this will help the breast stay succulent.
Next mix the sliced lemon with the remaining thyme and place it inside the cavity of the capon and position it in the centre of the tin.
Add some seasoning then arrange the vegetables all around.
Add more seasoning, then place the capon on a rack in the middle of a roasting tin, Cover the Capon with some silver foil. Then place it on the centre shelf of the braai and time it for 90 minutes without opening the lid. Then remove the foil and allow the capon skin to crisp up for 20 mins (Because Braai`s vary, test the thickest part of the chicken with a skewer – if the juices run clear it is cooked. If not give it another 10-15 minutes).

Method for making the gravy

Now remove the vegetables to a serving dish and keep warm. Then spoon out the lemon slices into the tin, put a wooden spoon into the cavity and, using a spatula to hold the breast end up, tip the capon and let all the juices run out into the tin.
Transfer the capon to a carving board and leave it in a warm place to rest for 20 minutes.
Next stir the juices in the tin to release any crusty bits and transfer everything to a medium saucepan. Now add the wine, bring it up to a simmer and let it bubble and reduce by half – this will take about 8-10 minutes. Then add the lemon juice, taste and season.
Carve the capon and serve with the vegetables on warm plates.
Add any escaped chicken juices to the sauce then spoon it over the chicken and serve the rest in a warmed jug.

I can only say a big sorry for the fact that there are no images of this plated up but the family were not willing to wait for me to set up the shots as they were eating as I carved it. Even if I say so myself this was a great meal, simple and easy to prepare for me that is (Janet made 11 different veg and potatoes to go with the meat) man what a feast! Could not move the rest of the day LOL. Please leave your comments below as usual, always interested to hear what you think. Merry Christmas Larry

Beef Short Ribs on
the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Sumptuous Beef Short Ribs

December 14, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Beef, Big Green Egg, Recipes

Beef Short Ribs on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Today i'm going to be cooking Beef Short Ribs, smoked with hickory chips and slow cooked to perfection. This is essentially a quick meal to prepare but takes time to cook if you want to get the best from this cut of meat. Ask your butcher to cut the short ribs 2 to 2½ inches thick, because they shrink during cooking so be prepared for everyone to ask for second helpings.

Commonly known in UK as 'Jacob's Ladder' are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender and meatier than their pork counterpart, spare ribs. Short ribs are cut from the rib and plate primals and a small corner of the square-cut chuck. A full rack of short ribs is typically about 10 inches square and ranges from 3-5 inches thick, contains three or four ribs as well as the intercostal muscles and tendon and a layer of boneless meat and fat which is thick on one end of the rack and thiner on the other.

SERVES 2-4: PREP: 15MINS: MARINATE 1HR: COOK TIME:4-5HR

Rub  Ingredients:

1 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Sea salt

Ribs

1 kg/2.2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs cut 2 to 2½ inches thick
1 x can Savanna Cider or any beer of your choosing
2 x cups good beef stock
2 x Chopped onions

Method: We are going to cook this in two different stages

Preheat the Braai/BigGreenEgg to 200ºF/94ºC.
Place the hickory chips in a small bowl, cover with water and let soak for at least 1 hour.

1st Stage

To make the rub, mix the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, coriander and salt in a small bowl. Generously rub the short ribs with the spices then set aside to rest for 20 mins, in the meantime drain and scatter the wood chips over the preheated charcoal. Place the ribs on the grid and close the lid of the braai, leave to slow smoke/cook for 1½ to 2 hours turning occasionally.

2nd Stage

Raise the internal temperature of the EGG to 375ºF/190ºC.

Once the short ribs have finished smoking, transfer the ribs to large baking dish on top of the chopped onions and then pour the cider and beef stock over the ribs. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place back in the preheated Braai/BigGreenEgg for 2½ hours making sure that you check to see they are tender by sticking a fork into them.

Once ready take off the heat and take the ribs our and leave to rest for 10 mins. Return the baking dish to the braai and add the butter a little at a time stirring constantly, until the butter is emulsified. Do not boil, it should turn into a smooth rich gravy. Transfer the ribs to plates, top with the sauce and serve immediately with a nice helping of mashed potatoes.

As usual, please leave me any comments you have below, I'm always interested to hear what you think. Until next week have a great time.

Chicken Sosaties

December 07, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Hot & Spicy, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Big Green Egg, Recipes, Lamb, Curries

Chicken Sosaties Braaied on the Big Green Egg

Sosaties (skewered meat) marinated in a curry sauce – traditionally formed part of the rijsttafel of java, an elaborate banquet which always included at least two meat dishes, one fish course and a curry dish, as well as several vegetables, served on cooked rice and mixed with a strong curry sauce. Today we tend to cook sosaties over the coals, and any braai cook worth his or her salt has a 'secret recipe 'for the marinade. Traditionally its made with lamb but you can use any meat that you prefer and I'm going to use chicken today. I will give you my recipe and this is the same recipe that we use in the Sosaties that we sell in out shop. So if you don’t want to make this yourself you can just click here and you can add them to your shopping basket on our website www.biltong.co.uk . You can also buy the ingredients for this recipe from us if you want to make this yourself.

SERVES 4-6: PREP: 15MINS: MARINATE 1HR: COOK TIME:10-15MINS

Marinade for Sosaties

125g smooth All gold or Koo apricot jam

3 x cloves garlic, crushed

1 x piece fresh ginger crushed

2 x bay or lemon leaves

2 tbs Rajh curry powder (choose your own strength) I used hot

25 ml wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp milled pepper

1 x Green pepper chopped

1 x Red pepper chopped

1 x medium onions chopped

Ingredients for the Sosaties

1 kg chicken/leg of lamb or any meat you prefer, cut into 2,5 cm cubes
6 x bamboo Skewers
2 x medium onions, quartered and separated
250 g dried apricots
1 x Green pepper cubed
1 x Red pepper cubed

Method for making Sosatie Marinade

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and use a blender to make into a paste. Add the mixture to a saucepan and bring to the boil and boil for 1 minutes, stirring occasionally, leave to cool. Transfer the marinade to a large dish and add the chicken, peppers and onion and marinate for at least 1 hour (or overnight preferably) in the fridge, turning 2-3 times. Remove the meat from the marinade and thread it onto skewers alternating with the peppers, apricots and onion.

Method for cooking the Sosaties

Preheat the Braai to 300°C (570°F)
Pre soak your skewers for at least an hour before hand, unlike myself who forgot ;-) this will stop them from burning.
Braai the sosaties over moderate/hot coals, or grill in the oven, turning frequently, for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked. On the BigGreenEgg believe it or not you only need to cook them for 2 mins on each side. The heat is so intense that it cooks then quickly but leaves them so moist and tender.

Serve with some Tastic rice and a fresh salad and there it is, a fantastic taste of home. Give them a try chicken, lamb, beef or pork they all work really well with this recipe. Enjoy until next week weather permitting, SNOW on the way!!!!

Bobotie
cooked on the Big Green Egg / Braai

Bobotie on the Braai!

November 23, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Beef, Big Green Egg, Recipes, Curries, Lamb, Potjiekos

Bobotie cooked on the Big Green Egg in storm force winds!

I think I must be nearly more English now than South African because all I do is go on about the weather it seems! It's been one of those weeks again, if you live or lived in Cape Town during the winter on a really bad day you might have experienced this. But it nearly 5 weeks now and I think we might have seen the sun only a handful of time and I have to braai again. So its more of that home comfort food this week “Bobotie” and I've never made this either. It's been a great learning curve so far this mad thing I decided to do after a few dop's and Jan is loving every bit of it.

We are going to be using one of Weners's Original spice packs again and we will have 5 free packs to give away again this week, to 5 lucky people who leave a comment at the end of this weeks blog.

This dish is a very traditional one and contrary to what is widely believed, bobotie did not come with the slaves from Indonesia. It was actually brought from Holland by founding father Jan van Riebeeck in 1652. Why then are the spices, so typical of Indonesian and Sri Lankan cooking? Because through the Dutch East India Company who sailed round the Cape of Good Hope, the Netherlands had a lively spice trade with the East in those days. However we can assume that the original dish was probably much simpler and that the slaves who brought with them their distinctive and popular way of cooking must have improved on the Dutch recipe … The final result should be soft but firm, spicy and with just a hint of curry but this is not a curry dish.

I am going to make this with a beef mince, mainly because I haven’t got any lamb in lol. This dish is quite quick to prepare and cook and the end result is fantastic, it just reminds me so much of times back home in SA. Ok lets crack on....

SERVES 4-6 - PREP: 10 MINS - COOK TIME: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients for the Bobotie and topping

500g / 1lbs beef or lamb mince
1 x medium onion chopped
1 x large slice of stale bread
25g / ¼ cup seedless raisins
1 tbsp apricot jam / chutney
1-2 cloves of garlic chopped
25g ¼ cup flaked or chopped almond (optional)
½ tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)
250ml / 1 cup milk
2 x eggs (3 would be better I think)
juice ¼ lemon

Method for cooking Bobotie

Preheat the Braai to 180°C (360°F).
Soak the bread in the half the milk.
Butter a 25cm / 10” casserole dish.
Gently squeeze the milk out of the bread but don't throw it away keep and add back with the rest of the milk.
Crumble the bread with your hand or a fork and mix into the mince.
Lightly fry of the onions, garlic and ginger in some olive oil stirring continually.
Add the mince and brown off.
Add the main pack of spices from the Werner's kit and mix in well, cook for another couple of minutes and remove from the heat.
Beat up one of the eggs and mix into the meat mixture along with the raisins, lemon juice apricot jam / chutney and almonds.
Add ½ the milk and add pepper to taste.
Mix thoroughly and then spoon into the casserole dish.
Finally smooth off the top of the mince so that it really flat.

Method for cooking topping

Beat the two remaining eggs (I only used one but I think two would be better) and add the balance of the milk. Don't be tempted to add more milk otherwise it will not set properly.
Gently pour onto the top of the meat mixture.
Lay the cinnamon bark in the middle and push it just below the mixture.
Float the bay leaves on the top
Bake in the braai / oven for 30-40 minutes or until it golden and brown.

Unfortunately I'm afraid that we had to carry out the first part of this recipe inside on the stove as the wind was blowing so hard the fire just could not be controlled with the lid open. However I did put it in the braai to cook as you can see and it was just magical. To be honest as a laaitie I never really liked the look of this dish but I remember that aroma and it was exactly as I remembered. But as I'm now grown up now (Jan doesn’t think so) so I thought I better try it tonight, especially as if I did not eat it there was “niks anders om te eet” nothing else to eat. Serve this with some yellow (saffron) rice and a fresh salad and man that's great, just add a dollop of Mrs Balls Chutney and your set to go.

Amazing “Ongelooflike” it's was truly great, I had been missing out on this fantastic dish for the last 50 years what a doos! If you have never tried to cook this don’t be scared, if I can do it then I promise you will be able too, give it a go.

5 Free Packs of Bobotie Spice to be won

If you would like to win one of the Werner's Bobotie spice packs then please leave some feed back and you could be 1 of 5 lucky people that get a chance to make this really traditional South African recipe (entry closes 7th December 2012). Also I love to hear what you think about what i'm cooking, feel free to leave suggestions what you would like to see me cook.

All the best until next week “Alles van die beste tot volgende week” Larry

Boerewors Rolls!

November 09, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Food Websites, Beef, Big Green Egg, Video

Classic Boerie Rolls

The sun finally came out this week for one afternoon anyway, so I thought lets have a classic SA lunch "Boerewors Rolls" what more could you ask for. There's not a great deal to say or do about cooking boerewors but there are definitely things that you should never do to any good boerewors and I will let you in on them shortly. There is also a video about how we make our Wors at the end of this weeks blog, be sure to watch and let us know what you think.

I'm cooking boerewors that we have been making for over 33 years now in our factory and I've been told by many that they think thats its amongst the best there is. WIth 14 different varieties to choose from we think that you should find one that you like or suits you dietary requirements but i am going to cook our Original Beef Boerewors for this blog. You can take a look at the range that we make here www.biltong.co.uk.

For 2 lucky followers who leave a comment below or a tip on how to braai Boerewors (on UK mainland only, sorry) we will be giving away a pack of Boerewors and a bottle of Mrs Ball Chutney so you can enjoy your own lekker lunch. I will not giving you the recipe to our Boerewors as this is a closely guarded family secret but their at 1000's of recipes out there on the internet. If you have a recipe you are willing to share then post it in the comments area below and you might win one of this weeks give away prizes.

Serves 3-4 - Prep: 2 mins - Cook Time: 3-4mins on each side

Ingredients

700g good quality Boerewors
3-4 Rolls or French stick
Mrs Ball chutney any flavour
Salad or any other accompaniments

Boerewors Braaiing Tips

Never, ever prick the skins of good quality Boerewors, all this does is it lets the juices out and you will end up with dry tasteless wors. If you are not lucky enough to be able to get a good quality wors then you will end up with a load of fat in the wors and it will not taste great.
Only turn the boerewors once when cooking, this helps avoid the wors breaking.
Let the wors cook until it caramelises on one side before you turn it, this stops the wors from sticking to the grills and tearing.
Cook the wors in a coil and open it up slightly so that the heat can get to all sides, close it up before turning
Always cook on a braai that is hot enough to crisp the skin and not boil the wors, otherwise this will make the skins really tough.

Win pack of Boerewors and a bottle of Mrs Ball Chutney

We will be giving away a pack of Boerewors and a bottle of Mrs Ball Chutney to 2 lucky followers who leave a comment below or a tip on how to braai Boerewors, leave a recipe or just make a comment (only to residence on the UK mainland, sorry entry closes on the 23rd November 12). That doesn't mean we don't want to hear from you wherever you live, please let me know what you think or have to say.

Watch my video on how we make our Boerewors and cook it to perfection!

Don't forget to leave your comments and win some great goodies, take care until next week...