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How to light a braai fire, and when the coals are ready

Cook over coals, not flames. Light the fire early, wait until the coals are covered with a thin layer of white ash, and build a hot side and a cooler side. Never pour petrol or paraffin on a fire.

Wood, charcoal or briquettes?

• Wood takes about 45 to 60 minutes to burn down to coals. It gives the most heat and the pleasure of the fire itself.
• Lumpwood charcoal is ready in about 20 to 30 minutes and burns hot. It is good for a quick braai.
• Briquettes take about 30 to 40 minutes and give steady, even heat for a long time. They suit a kettle braai and slow cooking.

Wind and damp fuel change these times, which is why you light early.

Which wood to burn

The best braai woods are dense, dry hardwoods. Several favourites are invasive trees that are cleared to protect water supplies, so buying them helps: rooikrans, Port Jackson, black wattle and sekelbos.

Never burn:

• treated timber, such as old fence poles, decking and many pallets;
• painted, varnished or glued wood, including chipboard;
• driftwood from the sea;
• green, freshly cut wood;
• plastic or rubbish.

Pine spits and gives bitter smoke, so use it only as kindling. Store wood off the ground and under cover.

Three safe ways to light it

1. Firelighters and kindling. Put two or three firelighter cubes in the middle and build a small tent of kindling over them, with gaps for air. Light the cubes with a long match. When the kindling burns well, add thin pieces of wood and then bigger ones, stacked loosely.
2. Newspaper and kindling. Twist a few sheets into loose rolls under thin, dry kindling.
3. A chimney starter for charcoal and briquettes. Fill the tube, light a firelighter underneath, and tip the glowing charcoal into the braai after 15 to 20 minutes, wearing gloves.

Never use petrol, paraffin, diesel, methylated spirits or thinners. Petrol vapour spreads along the ground and explodes, and people are badly burnt this way every year. Never squirt any lighter fluid onto a fire that is already burning.

Keep children back, tie back long hair and loose sleeves, and have a bucket of water or sand next to the braai before you strike the match.

When the coals are ready

1. Big flames: the hottest stage and the worst for cooking. Flames burn the outside of the food and leave soot.
2. Dying flames: the wood breaks into glowing pieces.
3. Ready: an even bed of glowing coals with no flames, covered in a thin layer of white or grey ash.

Spread the coals and heat the grid for a minute or two before the food goes on. A good bed of hardwood coals gives 30 to 45 minutes of strong heat.

Build heat zones

Make a hot zone with a thick bed of coals for searing, and a cooler zone with few or no coals for chicken and thick pieces. If something browns too fast, move it across.

The hand test

Hold your open palm at grid height and count the seconds until it is uncomfortable.

• 2 to 3 seconds: hot, for searing steak.
• 4 to 5 seconds: medium-hot, for wors and chops.
• 6 to 7 seconds: medium, for chicken and fish.
• 8 or more: low, for keeping food warm.

Keeping it going

For a long braai, keep a small feeder fire at the side and rake fresh coals across when you need them. Never put new wood under food that is cooking. When fat causes a flare-up, move the food to the cooler side.

This guide is based on Chapter 2 of Braai and Outdoor Cooking.