Celeb chef & meat connoisseur David Higgs shares his top braai tips

David Higgs, celebrity chef and co-owner of Joburg's Marble Restaurant, is a man who takes meat seriously.

His Rosebank restaurant is grounded in a love for it. In fact, the name Marble is an ode to the delicate strands of fat running through a perfectly aged piece of steak.

So who better to ask for tips on how to get the most out of your meat when cooking over the coals at home? 

Here, Higgs shares some of his top braai tips:

1. When cooking at home, you have got to go for something with a bit of fat. When you cook on fire, temperatures are very high and you need the fat to prevent the meat drying out. Lamb works wonderfully because it has that fat. Rib-eye is great too.

2. People talk about eating meat straight from the fire as being the best and it’s true. Take the meat off the braai, let it rest a little bit, and then eat it while hot - that next brandy and Coke can wait until later.

3. Use a combination of wood and charcoal; while I prefer cooking on wood, charcoal helps keep the heat consistent and even.

4. It’s okay to flip the meat. If you don’t, what essentially happens is the top starts getting cold. Be sure to move the meat around on the grill, though, because that’s where the colour and caramelisation comes from, it’s that contact with the metal.

HIGGS ON HIS GO-TO BRAAI

I love soutribbetjie; lamb ribs cooked slowly next to the fire for 3 or 4 hours. Lamb chops and rib-eye are always great too.

My go-to sides are an avocado, red onion and “whatever cheese I have in the fridge” salad and then always just fresh tomato.

I’ll also often make my potato bake with seaweed – it’s such a firm favourite I even included it in my book Mile 8.

• This article is adapted from one that appears on Wanted Magazine website; read the original here. Visit wantedonline.co.za for all the best in luxury lifestyle news.