Are you a die-hard boerie person? Or do you prefer a perfectly sizzled piece of chicken or medium-rare steak? Whatever your pleasure, there is no disputing that South Africans love a good piece of sishanyama. We asked Ballito’s ‘meat master’ Warwick Taylor of Wozza Meat Co. to share some of his top tips in celebration of National Braai Day on 24 September.
KNOW YOUR CUT
Wozza talks us through the different cuts of steak:
FILLET
“This cut is often very popular with the ladies. It’s the most tender steak of all, but in my opinion lacks a bit of flavour, so you might need to add a nice sauce to enhance flavour.”
RIBEYE
“The ribeye comes from under the blade. It’s a very flavoursome and tender piece of meat. Has much more flavour than fillet.”
RUMP
“South Africa’s favourite and definitely our most popular steak. Always tender, always flavoursome. We sell more rump than any of the other cuts put together.”
SILROIN
“My personal favourite. It’s right next to the rump, just a little closer to the forequarter and definitely has a better flavour than the rump. Watch out – if your butcher hasn’t aged it, it can be tough, which is why people often go for the rump. But properly aged, it’s a beautiful piece of meat.”
TOMAHAWK
“These big boys are very trendy at the moment. It’s also effectively positioned further up from the sirloin and cut from in between the ribs. This is a 850g steak and similar to the sirloin.”
T-BONE
“The best of both worlds, they say. The wife can have the fillet and the husband gets the sirloin! This is a beautiful South African favourite as well.”
RIBEYE ON THE BONE
“A piece of meat is always much nicer on the bone. It is easier to cook (the way to ruin a good piece of meat is overcooking it and the bone protects the meat from that in a way). It’s full of flavour and I just love a bone.”
DRY AGED SIRLOIN ON THE BONE
“This is the same as the above sirloin (this is a 500g piece of meat). The only difference here is that this one is on the bone, and again, that’s why I think it’s better.”
Wozza’s cooking instructions for a 5cm thick Tomahawk steak:
1. Make a hot fire using a great quality Wozza hard wood charcoal, or even better if you have time, use Wozza’s great quality hard wood (Mfumuti). You want hot coals for braaing steak!
2. Salt the meat generously and braai for 7 minutes on each side.
3. Slice slabs of butter and place onto the steak (this is the secret the top restaurants use)
4. Cover with tin foil and allow the steak to rest for 6 to 8 minutes. This allows the steak to relax and cool a little which helps to retain more of the meat juices when slicing. If you slice immediately, you will lose those tasty juices.
Wozza’s cooking instructions for a good quality boerewors:
1. Firstly, always buy the best quality boerewors. There’s a lot of rubbish out there. (Our boerewors is made from all the steak trimmings, so a top-quality product).
2. Braai on hot coals turning occasionally for a total cooking time of 6 or 7 minutes. The boerewors must still be a little pink inside. You should not overcook this beautiful product. You cook your steak to medium rare – do the same with your boerewors!
Wozza’s braai side favourites:
* Wrap a potato in tin foil and braai in the coals, turning occasionally until done. Serve with butter, salt and pepper.
* Braai whole garlic heads on the side of your braai. These will braai quicker than you think, so make sure you watch them. They go soft when done. Break open and squeeze the garlic out of the cloves and enjoy with your meal.
Meet the ‘meat man’
Well-known amongst meat-lovers on the North Coast, Warwick is passionate about being a hands-on butcher. His shops (one at Lifestyle Centre Ballito and one at the Ballito Junction Regional Mall) are a testament to this passion, and the absolute satisfaction he derives from building relationships with his clients and seeing to their meat needs.
Having grown up on a farm in the Underberg, Wozza spent much of his youth in the hills among the cows. During his army service years he landed a job in the butchery and the rest is history! A qualified meat technician, Wozza is incredibly proud of his family-run business.
Details: Wozza Meat Co: Ballito Junction Regional Mall and Lifestyle Centre Ballito, www.wozzameat.co.za, 081 380 1186
Text: Leah Shone | Photographs: Chris Allan Photo
