Grilling Meat · From our own fires
Every cut.
Every fire.
Not stock photos. These are our grills, our chops, our late-night coals — sorted by cut, with the heat and timing that made each one work.
01
Two seconds
Hand 12 cm up, two seconds is high heat — steaks, burgers, prawns.
02
Five seconds
Medium — chicken pieces, chops and boerewors.
03
Eight seconds
Low — whole birds, ribs and anything with a lid on.
04
Always two zones
Build a hot side and a cool side so flare-ups have somewhere to go.
Showing all 6 categories · 29 photos
Beef
Steaks that earn their crust
Two-second heat, dry surface, one turn. Beef wants coarse salt, cracked pepper and the confidence to leave it alone.
PrepCuts on the board
30 min restRibeye and shoulder trimmed and brought to room temperature before seasoning.
HighT-bone, dressed
20 min aheadSteak & Chops rubbed in hard on both sides, then straight onto a screaming grate.
HighA grate full of T-bones
4 min a sideBones toward the cooler edge so the eye and the strip finish together.
Two-zoneSteaks and boerewors
12 minThe classic pairing — sausage takes the medium zone, steak takes the fire.
Off heatRested and sliced
5 min restCut against the grain after a third of the cook time in rest. Pink all the way.
Lamb & Chops
Patience over the coals
Chops carry fat that needs time to render. Medium coals, frequent turns, and move anything that flares.
PrepTen chops, one board
1 hr aheadLoin chops laid out and salted an hour before they see fire.
MediumCoils and chops together
18 minTwo coils on the outside, chops in the middle where the heat is steadiest.
- Medium-low
Ribs and chops, edge to edge
35 minA full rectangular grill loaded for a crowd — turn in rows, not at random.
MediumChops and a spice pack
16 minOne blend, one fire, a weeknight dinner that looks like a weekend.
Chicken
Colour without carbon
Sugar in the rub browns fast. Start skin-up over medium, finish over the hotter side for the last two minutes.
PrepDressed and resting
20 min aheadThighs and drums rubbed down, soaking up the blend before the fire.
MediumSignature BBQ chicken
25 minLacquered, charred at the edges, pulling clean off the bone.
LowWhole bird over coals
60 minSlow-turned with the lid down until the skin crackles.
Medium-highWings over red coals
20 minDozens at a time after dark — the fire does the work, you do the turning.
IndirectKettle wings and sausage
30 minLid down, vents half open — juicy inside, crisp on top.
HighSuya skewers, up close
6 minCoated heavy in yaji so the spice toasts instead of steaming.
Wors & Burgers
The crowd pleasers
Never prick the wors. Never press the patty. Both rules exist because someone learned the hard way.
MediumBoerewors coil
15 minTurning deep mahogany over an even bed of coals — one flip, that's it.
MediumNight braai
20 minThree coils and a row of chops glowing after dark.
HighPatties over open flame
8 minHand-pressed, seasoned on the outside only, flipped once.
HighA grate of burgers
8 minSpace them out — crowding steams the crust you're trying to build.
Two-zonePatties and skewers
12 minSkewers on the cooler half so they finish as the burgers come off.
Medium-highPortable grill, full flavour
14 minSteaks and green chillies on a travel grill — the blend travels too.
Seafood
Citrus, spice and a light hand
Fish is done sooner than you think. Score it, pack the cavity, and let the foil hold the moisture in.
MediumWhole fish in foil
25 minScored, stuffed with onion and spice, steamed in its own juices over coals.
MediumPeppered tilapia
20 minFinished with red and green peppers and onion straight off the heat.
The Table
Where the fire ends up
The grilling is the easy part. This is what it's actually for.
Live coalsHands on the fire
All afternoonA homemade charcoal grill and a fork — no gadgets required.
MediumA full grill
30 minNo gaps, no waiting — the whole family fed in one round.
ServedCarved wooden platter
NowWors, chicken and steak carried in on one board.
ServedPlatter with red onion
NowRows of sausage, steak and chicken, dressed with raw onion for bite.
ServedRibs over potatoes
NowRoasted ribs resting on sliced potato and onion that caught all the drippings.
ServedThe full spread
NowPap, rice, greens and a mountain of grilled meat. This is the point.
Interactive · Meat timer
Pick your cut. We'll call the flip.
Grill-tested times from our own fires, with a halfway chime for the turn and a chime when it's ready to come off.
T-bone / Ribeye
8:00
4 min a side, then 5 min rest.
Your turn on the fire.
Pick the blend for your cut, then follow a recipe that's already been grill-tested.