JIRI KREJCIR

Restaurateur & Custom Butcher

“I have always loved food from growing, collecting to creating and eating. My journey has gone through about a dozen restaurants plus tree that I owned and operated. The first great memory I have of open flame cooking was  being six years old and going with my grandfather to the butcher shop to get some of the local thick slightly smoked sausages that were hanging from the ceiling (they would cut off as many as you wanted and wrapped them in newspaper). We made a little fire and cut some twigs that we impaled the sausages on and cooked them over the fire with the skin bursting and streams of burning fat shot out. That feeling of fun, comfort and closeness is something I value to this day when grilling with friends and family over an open fire with a nice glass of wine in hand.”

Braai Master Tip:

“When marinating meat, always pat it dry before putting it on the grill to avoid flare ups which will make the food taste like kerosine and also the steam from wet food will not give you a proper sear. After brushing the hot grill grates off to clean, have a small bowl with a paste of salt and water that you dip an old cloth in and wipe the grates with it - your food will not stick to the grates.”