Simphiwe Sithole's friends and family call him Bobs, but they also call him their braai master because of the magic he weaves with his braai tongs. And those tongs are kept busy with Bobs' marinated pork sausages, one of his favourites which he shares with us.
“I am the Sithole household family braai master, and I don’t mean to brag, but I think it’s my braai skills that keep our family together, apart from prayer,” he said.
And his inspiration – for family and food comes from movies: “I realised from watching American movies that, in their barbecue tradition, they always manage to solve a family issue when they are enjoying a braai together.”
Friends count on him to get things going when they braai.”They will beg me to tag along for drinks, even when I do not have any money, because they know that the meat will not taste the same if anyone else handles it,” he said.
Growing up, Bobs’ brothers did not live at home so he spent most of his time with his sisters. “So it was kind of by default that I was always asked to light the fire and handle the meat … until I started to enjoy it so much that I started to experiment with different styles of braaing meat instead of the usual routine.”
“On Heritage Day we normally go to church, and after that the family gathers at my place to enjoy our family traditions … and I get to show off my braai skills,” says Bobs.
He has a 5 year old daughter and a fiancé whom he loves.
Bobs marinated pork sausages
Ingredients
12 Pork sausages
Juice from two lemons
100ml tomato sachet
100ml ginger ale
1 table spoon salt
1 tea spoon black pepper
Crushed garlic to taste
Method
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.Keep ½ cup of the marinade a side for the grilling glaze. Pour the remainder of the marinade over the pork, turn regularly. Cook after 1 hour.