Shoprite’s Master Butchers weigh in with top tips for Braai Day

South Africa’s Braai Day is a time of coming together around the fire to cook some of the country’s finest cuts of meat. And there are few better to offer tips on how to treat these than Shoprite’s crew of Master Butchers. 

A Master Butcher is a specialist who is conversant in meat processing practices from farm to fork. There are only five certified Master Butchers in South Africa, and all of them work for the Shoprite Group.  

Achieving Master Butcher status takes three years, and butchers must build up a portfolio of work that includes modules on butchery expertise, business acumen, and food hygiene and safety. The Shoprite Group recently launched an internationally endorsed Master Meat Artisan Programme that aims to train 250 people over next five years.

With braaing a point of pride in many South African households, Shoprite’s Master Butchers all have their preferences, tips, and tricks that make them expert braaiers, too. Here are their top braai tips for cooking on fire this Heritage Day. 

Coenraad Vermaak 
When I braai, I like to go for a Picanha cut of beef. The Picanha has a nice layer of fat on top, and I usually recommend adding some salt and pepper.

Braai it for about seven or eight minutes a side, and slice it as thin as you can. If you have a thick slab of meat, you can also consider cooking it on a salt plate – it takes a bit longer but adds a great salty flavour.

If you’re keen to cook chicken this Braai Day, my colleague John Rae also taught me a great recipe. Use a deboned whole chicken, add sun-dried tomato, basil pesto, a layer of bacon, and a good quality cheese that melts nicely. Season it, roll it up into tinfoil, and then put that over the coals. When you cut it, you get great layers of all the flavours. 

Khuselo Dindili 
I’m a big fan of beef on the braai, and in particular I like beef brisket. The fat on top brings amazing flavour to the meat. I add a few spices, place it over light coals and cook it very slowly.  

I also love to braai a good ribeye steak. Similar to the beef brisket, a ribeye has great fat inside the meat which also brings amazing flavour to your steak. 

Shoprite press release extracts 

#FosteringASenseOfCommunity