The Art of the Roadside Braai

A lot of good things in life start with the letter B. Bikes, Braais and Beaches are three of our favourites. But combining a braai with a bike ride? That’s a bit more challenging. Space is limited, and you don’t exactly want to strap a Weber to your panniers. Still, where there’s a will, there’s a way and we’ve found some simple, road-tested solutions.

Packing Light: The Road Braai Kit

Sure, there are some clever little travel braais out there: compact, foldable, even designed specifically for motorcycles. The problem is, they’re often expensive and, honestly, overkill. You don’t need a fancy setup. Just a small grid with a foldable stand. We found one that comes with its own cover and fits neatly into a topbox. Perfect.

To round off the kit, we added:

• A short braai tong.
• Miniature picnic-sized spices and salts.
• A small casserole (optional, but handy).
• Firelighters and matches.

A grocery bag full of small wood pieces we collected after previous braais — useful for a quick fire, and the bag doubles up as rubbish storage afterwards.

 

What goes on the Grid?

Think simple, tasty, and easy to pack Boerewors rolls is the go-to solution here, but not your only option. You can swap the wors for sosaties for instance.

Steak or chops with braaibroodjies is also an option and yes, we even have a topbox-friendly method for the broodjies. Sandwiches don’t travel well, especially in a violently shaking Topbox. One gravel road and the sandwich is transformed into a wet little bread ball with some of the ingredients protruding on the sides. So, the whole idea of having a braaibroodtjie has to be approached from a whole new angle.

Firstly, the bread. Think compact and sturdy that would hold up traveling in a Topbox. Our choice fell on bought roosterkoek. Next, we had a look at ingredients. Tomato might not be ideal, but there’s a plethora of other options available. Coming up with new ingredients and recipes was half the fun.

We came up with 5 different combinations: The first was Cream cheese, Biltong and Cheddar. The second was a rather fancy Bacon, Brie and Caramelized onions. The easy option was Ham, Cheese and Greenpepper. The fourth option was Salami, Mozzarella and Mushrooms and lastly, a 3 Cheeses and Garlic.

We preprepared our braaibroodjies the night before the ride and wrapped our creations in foil and popped them into the refrigerator. The next morning we loaded the topbox and set off for the ultimate roadside braai. The braaibroodjies held up well traveling in the topbox, and were easy to braai in the foil with nothing falling out etc. This worked almost better than expected, and now we can’t wait to start expanding on the menu options!

The meat was pre-marinated and vacuum-sealed. We kept in a smaller cool bag with ice packs that kept everything cold and fresh. Pack it tight, insulate it well, and you might even have ice left for a drink by the time the fire is ready. No leaks, no fuss, and it’s ready to go straight on the fire.

The Spirit of It All

A roadside braai isn’t about the gear, it’s about the moment. It’s about pulling over somewhere quiet, firing up a grid, and enjoying a proper South African meal under the open sky. Minimalist, practical, and unforgettable.

So next time you pack the bike, leave a little space for the grid and the wors. You never know when the road will hand you the perfect braai spot.