These are the Braai Accessories that any true braai enthusiast will need if he is to fulfil his duties as “the chosen one”
Every braai master has his own style and his own braai accessories he is most comfortable with so this is not a list of what you MUST have but rather a collection of tools that will help you in your journey towards becoming an epic braai master. These tools and kits are a combination of tools I’ve seen being used by the experts and myself over the past few years. As always, if you have anything to add – send me an e-mail! I’d love to hear from you and keep this post going.
I’ll start with the most important first, the absolute essentials and work down towards the accessories options that will be chosen or disregarded according to your own uniques styles and tastes.
First of all having A BRAAI is ESSENTIAL! Having trouble deciding what kind of braai would suite your needs? Check out our buy-a-braai guide to find out what braai was made for you. You can also read our article on the difference between charcoal and gas if you are still not sure which of the fuels is more suited to your needs. The most important part is that you have a braai!
The 6 essential Braai Accessories Every Man Should Own
1. A FIRE STARTER
Fire starters can include your basics such as a lighter, matches, firelighters and then you get your more advanced options such as your extended BIC lighters, gas burners and if you are the real deal you can actually start a fire by rubbing two sticks together. This is a skill only reserved for the times with no other option and when you’ve got the energy to show off to your braai mates.
It is important to have your fire starter on you at all times around the braai, you’d be surprised how often a lighter comes in handy. There are also some really cool tools that can aid in the fire making process, these include the:
The Weber Chimney starter:
Check out this video review to find out how it works!
Buy it here:
Accessories 
2. TONGS
The number two essential accessory is a great set of tongs. Tongs are basically an extension of yourself when it comes to braai’ing. There are tons of awesome braai accessories that have the potential to make for an epic braai experience, but if you have great set of tongs, a few good mates and she quality food you’re already on your way to having a fantastic braai experience. My personal preference is the THE BRAAI TOOL as it comes with a multitude of options and has a nice and firm grip. There’s nothing worse than a ‘floppy’ pair of braai tongs that just won’t grip the meat.
Check out this awesome video from the team at The Braai Tool (You can follow this link if you’d like to buy The Braai Tool – we hope to be adding to our catalogue soon!)
Most of the leading brands in South Africa also have great options for tongs, it really depends on your personal taste. The most important factors include:
- The firmness of the grip
- Length – this depends on how warm you’re willing to get next to the fire
- The shape of the points (These can come with knife attachments, hollow wires, solid steel etc)
We’ve also got this awesome Jamie Oliver braai accessory bundle set:
3. A KNIFE
This is mostly for protection against the wannabe braai amateurs attempting to cook on your grill! Kidding. But seriously, having a knife is essential for cutting open those plastic wrapping your meat is trapped in, opening another beer and testing the meat with small off cuts for yourself and those around to help in the testing process. Depending on the kind of knife you’d prefer you can check out the wide selection on Mantality’s website through the link below:
4. THERMOMETER
This is not something most braai skilled individuals require as they tend to be able to sense the heat of the fire by simply looking into the flames. For the guys with a more scientific approach or perhaps if you are cooking something that requires a more accurate way of measuring the temperature of your meat or the actual fire, which I will admit to using on more than one occasion for those real experimental recipes and jobs.
I would recommend checking out the Weber remote digital thermometer. Thermometers, like any other braai accessories, comes in many variations, shapes and forms with different technological abilities. This specific model is wireless… Yes, wireless. This means you can be watching the rugby in the living room and keeping an eye on the temperature of your braai from over 50m away.
5. CLEANING EQUIPMENT
Nobody enjoys the cleaning process but it is something that we have become accustomed (Especially if you don’t have kids to whom you can pass off the cleaning work as chores) to as it forms part of the whole post-braai experience. To make your life easier there are a few awesome products that can aid in the cleaning process without having to get your hands to dirty! For example this ALVA grill brush:
6. SPECIALITY BRAAI ACCESSORIES
These are the accessories that are specific to your personal likes and habits, everyone should see these as essential as they become an item that accentuates your personality and makes the experience of the braai that much more exciting! Plus who doesn’t like gadgets and novelty items?
The army apron! This is my personal favourite as it includes all the holders and pockets a braai man needs while also making you look like you are in charge of the situation and ready to go to war on the grid with your tongs and beer in hand! Unfortunately we don;t stock this item… yet.
Have a look here if you haven’t seen it before: ARMY APRON (You could always get it shipped from Amazon in the mean time)
Other cool speciality accessories I’d recommend having a look at include:
- Basting brush
- Protective cover for your braai (This is important for keeping your braai in good condition through any weather)
- Smoker Box
- Beer chiller (Peefect for keeping your beer cool in Summer!)
All of these can be found in our Accessories section!
If you’d like to request or suggest any products, please e-mail in**@te**.com
