Its weekend again oh happy days time to Braai or BBQ and enjoy friends

The secrets of the perfect steak on a grill or Braai

Steak is one of the most popular cuts to cook on the Braai and one that is most frequently cooked badly. Follow the following simple steps and you will be producing meat worthy of the top steak restaurant. When grilling meat, first allow the steak to come to room temperature, otherwise a thick steak will be overcooked on the outside while the inside will be raw and cold. As a general rule, the thinner the steak the closer it should be to the heat. Like roasts, grilled or braaied meat should benefit from a few minutes’ rest to reabsorb the juices disturbed while cooking, and for the meat to relax thus tasting more tender. For maximum flavour, leave a strip of fat on the meat (diners can always remove fat when eating) and ensure that the meat is well marbled.

For a more elegant way of serving, rather choose one big 6cm thick piece of meat, and cook it as one piece, before allowing it to rest and then carved into strips. This will cut down on the amount of meat each person needs and stop wastage. Always cut meat across the grain which will result in it apeering more tender, when eaten

The best cuts for grilling or braaiing are:
On the bone – T-bones, club steaks, prime rib (rib-eye or chuck – if well matured), short rip strip.

Off the bone – rump, sirloin (Scotch fillet, rib-eye, porterhouse), fillet.

To judge whether a steak is done, for a 2cm steak, allow about 3 minutes on each side for rare, and 4-5 minutes for medium.

What to use on your steak

±250g of meat per person
Teriyaki sauce
Lemon juice
garlic clove, lightly crushed
Olive oil
Course salt

1. Score the meat at ±3cm intervals by cutting through the fat and membrane, to stop the meat from buckling.
2. Rub each steak with teriyaki sauce, lemon juice and garlic and baste in oil. Pierce the meat with a fork to allow the marinades to penetrate well.
3. Just before grilling, season with salt (if left on too long the salt has a tendency to draw the juices to the surface before the meat is sealed).
4. Place the steak on a grill and cook, turning it no more than once as continual turning loses all the juices. Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

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