Lobster & T-Bone steak on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Surf & Turf on the Braai

June 13, 2013 by Larry Susman in Beef, Big Green Egg, Braai, Fish, Meat, Recipes, Video

Lobster & T-Bone steak on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

Well the sun is shining and I’m going to cook a classic South African Braai (when your flush!) of T-bone steak and lobster. Now this is not a everyday dish unless you catch your own lobster and live on a farm but man it makes you smile. I’ve managed to get a fresh local lobster and the steak is not a problem for me fortunately. The only problem is I’m going to have to kill this lobster myself and it keeps on looking at me with wide eyes, lol!

For those of you that have never cooked lobster this will be the worst thing you will have to do, you can hear all those politically correct people having a go at you about this. Just remember that somebody has to do the dreaded act, just do it quickly and as humanely as possible. I think the best way to do this is to take a large sharp knife and place the tip just behind it head, push quickly downwards and bring it forward at the same time. This will instantly kill it and it will not suffer at all. Unfortunately, due to the nerves system the lobster will continue to twitch for awhile but be rest assured it is dead.

SERVES 2: PREP: 5 MINS: COOK TIME: 8 MINS

Ingredients for Surf & Turf:

1 x Large Lobster
1 x T-Bone steak
1 x Juice of fresh lemon
30g x Fresh Dill
20g x Salted Butter
Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

Method how to prepare & cook Surf & Turf:

Preheat the Braai to 300°C (570°F) or hotter if you can
Cut the lobster in half as described above and remove the air sack in the head and the stomach waste (just like you do with prawns).
Season the steak and the lobster with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter and finely chop the Dill and add with the juice of the lemon to the melted butter.

Brush the lobster meat with the dill butter.
Place the steak on the braai as well as the lobster with its’ shell facing downwards.
Cook for 4 minutes.
Turn them over brush the lobster with the dill butter again and cook for a further 4 minutes.
This will give you medium rare steak and the lobster meat should have a lovely white flesh, with the shells a deep red. Just cook for a little longer on the steak if you want medium or well done.
Finally give the lobster one final brush with the dill butter before serving.

You can watch the video below on how to cook the perfect steak or go to the blog and read how its done.

This meal was a real treat and one I hope to repeat a little more often over the summer. We’re lucky down this part of the world that we still have lobsters along the rocky shore line, hopefully I will come across one or two!! I served this with a fresh salad just to finish the dish off but really you don’t need anything else when you’ve got this combination. It’s amazingly quick to prepare and cook, all you need is a large overdraft!

T-Bone Steak with Monkey Gland Sauce on the Braai

May 03, 2013 by Larry Susman in Beef, Big Green Egg, Braai, Food Websites, Hot & Spicy, Meat, Recipes, Video

T-Bone Steak with Monkey Gland Sauce on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

To non-South Africans this must sound like and outrageously unappetising dish, LOL! But I can assure “No” monkeys or any other parts of a animal went into making this fantastic sauce. It is not known where this name comes from but it is such an inherent part of South African cuisine that I just had to make this before this blog ends in a couple on months time. However you can read a couple of accounts of stories which claim to know the true origins of this sauce but I would not guarantee this, however the second account does sound genuine.

Monkey gland sauce is a traditional South African sweet and hot sauce for steak but is great with any braaied meat, chicken, pork or even Boerewors. This recipe is just fantastic and it only take a couple of minutes to make, you can cheat if you want and buy one of the pre-made Steers sauces that we sell but its just not going to be as good. Take the time to make this, I promise you will not regret it, it was just fabulous “even if I say so myself”. This is my version of this classic SA sauce so I hope that you like it!

Also you could win a bottle of Mrs Balls Hot Chutney, see the end of the blog for details.

Ask your butcher to cut T-Bone steak thick, (if you're not South African you can always share this huge amount of meat with somebody you love) if they are thick you can cook it for a little longer and still have it rare/medium rare and lovely and hot at the same time. Allow one steak per person if they are big meat eater otherwise, one will be more that enough between two.

To see how to cook the perfect steak just click here, to go to the blog I did last year on this or checkout the video I did on how to cook the perfect steak on our youtube channel.

All you need do is now make the sauce below and pour it over the steaks and serve.

SERVES 4-6: PREP: 5MINS: COOK TIME: 4-6MINS

Ingredients for the Monkey Gland Sauce:

Olive oil for frying
1 x Large red onion sliced
1/2 x Cup water
2 x Large tomatoes diced (can of tomatoes work just as well)
1 x Cup of All Gold Tomato sauce
1/2 x Cup of Worcestershire sauce
3 x Coves of garlic finely chopped
1 x Cup of Mrs Ball Hot/Ex-Hot chutney
1/2 x Cup of brown sugar
2Tbsp x Safari Vinegar
1Tsp x Tabasco sauce
20g x Piece of fresh ginger finely chopped

Method for making the Monkey Gland Sauce:

Preheat the Braai to 300°C (570°F)
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet or frying pan.
Add the onions and sauté with ginger and garlic until soft.
Add remaining ingredients into a bowl, mix well and simmer for a few minutes.
Set aside to use later.

BIG TIP, always let the meat rest for at least 5-10 minutes after it comes off the braai so that it relaxes and re-absorbs the juices. Be patient and you will be rewarded.

This was just the perfect carnivores meal and if you wish to wash it down with a glass of Nederburg Baronne red wine even better.

We are giving away 2 bottles of Mrs Ball Hot Chutney this week, so you can try this great recipe out.

All you have to do is please leave some feed back and you could be 1 of 2 lucky people that get a chance to make this really great South African traditional sauce. 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. Entries will close on the 16th May 2013.

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...

Potjiekos (pot food)

October 12, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Beef, Big Green Egg, Potjiekos, Video

Potjiekos Chilli Con Carne

Gee, doesn't time fly when your having fun? This week the weather just got worse and winter is now nearly here in the UK, gales and rain nonstop for the last week. So with all this gloomy weather I thought that a warm stew would be just what we all need and what could be better than a Potjiekos (literally meaning pot food) but with a twist. Chilli Con Carne, lends itself really well to this sort of cooking and we've got a great cheat spice pack which we sell and will make this one of the easiest and tasty meals you can prepare for all the family. Its one of the one shot recipe packs from Nice n Spicy and they make a very good chilli con carne, its not to hot so if you like a big burn then you will need to add a couple of chillies to the recipe to spice it up.

Hears a little history of Potjiekos, this is very traditional way of cooking in SA and when the first Dutch settlers arrived in the Cape, they brought with them their ways of cooking food in heavy cast iron pots, which hung from the kitchen hearth above the fire. However long before their arrival the indigenous people of Africa who were migrating into South Africa as well, learned the use of the cast iron cooking pot from Arab traders and later from the Portuguese colonists. These cast iron pots were able to retain heat well and only a few coals were needed to keep the food simmering for hours. They were used to cook tender roasts and stews, allowing steam to circulate inside instead of escaping through the lid. The ingredients were relatively simple, a fatty piece of meat, a few potatoes and some vegetables were all that was needed to cook a delightful meal. You don't have to stick with traditional recipes which is why Im going to try doing a Chilli so lets see how it comes out.

Serves 4 - Prep: 20 mins - Cook Time: 100 mins

Ingredients

1 x pack of Nice n Spicy Chilli Con Carne (click on the link to buy from our web site) you can add a couple of extra chillies if you like it hot
500g Beef Stewing Steak cubed to bite size or you can use beef mince or cubes of pork if you prefer
100g of bacon roughly chopped or Pancetta
2 x large finely chopped Garlic cloves
1 x red or green Pepper chopped
1 x chopped red onion
1 x chopped white onion
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Tin of Kidney Beans
Steamed rice to eat with the chilli when ready

Method:

Put a large saucepan or potjie (dutch Oven) over a medium heat on the braai or over some coals and fry off the bacon or Pancetta until it starts to get crispy
Add the first sachet of spice to the meat and mix around, one the bacon is crispy add the meat and brown off sealing in the juices
Remove from the potjie but leave the fat in the potjie and set aside to add back in once you have sautéed the onions
Add the chopped garlic to the potjie and stir so they don't burn
Next, add the second sachet of spice to the onions and peppers, stir and then poor into the potjie pot, sauté these for a few moments until they soften
Add the meat and bacon back into the potjie and sauté for a few more moments
Now pour in the chopped tomatoes and then the kidney beans, stir
Next dissolve the last packet of spices in a cup of hot water, this is a blend of seasoning and a thinking agent (corn flower) add to the mixture and stir.
Bring to the boil and the leave to simmer for 90 mins at 150°C (300°F) if on a braai or in the oven or on low heat if on a cooker plate. Or over some coals, you can place a few on the lid to keep the temperature even if you want.

If you've got a heavy potjie and the heat is not to high your potjie pot should protect the food inside but its worth occasionally lifting the lid and giving it a stir, you don't want the bottom to catch and burn. All thats left to do is make some steamed rice (Tactic rice if you're from SA click on the link and you can purchase it from our web site) and serve the Chilli Con Carne on a bed of steaming rice.

This recipe once again turned out pretty well, the only thing I would have liked is it a bit hotter, so the addition of some extra chillies would have been a good idea. These one shot spice packs are really good and the taste is pretty authentic as far as I'm concerned. I will however start to be more adventurous in the coming weeks once my confidence is high and I know just how this braai is going to react. It's amazing what and how well it cooks, its making me look good at the moment as I have not a big disaster as yet (hope i'm not tempting fate). Thanks for taking time to follow this blog and please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section.

Watch the video below and see just how easy this is to cook.

Texan Steak, Blue Bull Steaks or even a Heinke Steek

How to Braai the perfect Steak!

September 28, 2012 by Larry Susman in Meat, Braai, Food Websites, Beef, national braai day, Big Green Egg, Video

Texan Steak Braaied to perfection

Well, what a week we've had in the UK, force 6-8 winds, floods, thunder and lightning how exciting! Anyway I managed to braai this week and what I decided to do was braai a massive pieces of rump steak or what some people call "Blue Bulls Steaks" depending on where you're from. Or as one of my Facebook fans suggested "Heineke Steek" LOL. However we will be selling these on our web site and call them "Texan Steaks" just to keep the peace.

It's a very simple thing to cook a great steak but its just as easy to murder a great piece of meat. If you follow the following simple instructions you shouldn't go to far wrong.

Serves 2 - Prep: 2 minutes (1hr marinating if you must) - Cook Time: 6-8 mins

Ingredients:

1 x 800g Black Gold Rump Steak (300-400g per person) if you are a South African carnivore or less if your from anywhere else, lol.
Sea Salt or a marinade of your choice if you must but these steaks just don't need anything added
2 x potatoes to bake on the Braai
Salads of your choice

Method

Preheat the braai to about 300°C (550°F)
Get the Braai as hot as you can
Idealy you need a lid to cook this way as this stops the flames from rising to high and just burning the meat
Season the meat to your choice (see image below)
If you are using a marinade, always give it at least an hour to absorb the spices
Make sure that the meat is rested and not to cold, don't cook straight from the fridge always let it come up to room temp
The trick when cooking a steak is not to turn it to often, once on each side and the just a quick turn again to put those great diagonal burns in the meat.
For a steak of this size 850g I cooked it only for 4 minutes on each side to get a medium rare steak. Add or subtract a minute on each side depending on if you want to go up or down the cooking scale. This usually works a treat for me, resulting in a steak landing on my plate just the way I want it.
BIG TIP, always let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes after it comes off the braai so that it relaxes and reabsorbs the juices. Be patient and you will be rewarded.

Get a 800g Texan Steak for free!

To launch these steaks on our web site they will be discounted by 15% for the first two weeks that they are on sale, so make the most of this offer if you are a meat lover. Also tell me why (in the comments area below) you think you should be the first to try one of these steaks for FREE and we will send you a 800g steak to try. Sorry but this is only available to people on the UK mainland due to delivery restrictions, entries close on the 4th October 12.

Lobster & T-Bone steak on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

SERVES 2: PREP: 5 MINS: COOK TIME: 8 MINS

Ingredients for Surf & Turf:

Method how to prepare & cook Surf & Turf:

T-Bone Steak with Monkey Gland Sauce on the Braai/BigGreenEgg

SERVES 4-6: PREP: 5MINS: COOK TIME: 4-6MINS

Ingredients for the Monkey Gland Sauce:

Method for making the Monkey Gland Sauce:

We are giving away 2 bottles of Mrs Ball Hot Chutney this week, so you can try this great recipe out.

Classic Boerie Rolls

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

Ingredients

Boerewors Braaiing Tips

Win pack of Boerewors and a bottle of Mrs Ball Chutney

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

Potjiekos Chilli Con Carne

Serves 4 - Prep: 20 mins - Cook Time: 100 mins

Ingredients

Method:

Watch the video below and see just how easy this is to cook.

Texan Steak Braaied to perfection

Serves 2 - Prep: 2 minutes (1hr marinating if you must) - Cook Time: 6-8 mins

Ingredients:

Method

Get a 800g Texan Steak for free!

Watch me Braai this 850g Rump Steak