In South Africa, many different types of wood can be used in a braai. The most common (from my favorite to my least favorite) are shekels, kameeldoring, swarthaak, mopane, rooikrans, myrtle, black wattle, and blue gum.
Best Braai Wood In South Africa
WHAT TYPES OF BRAAI WOOD ARE OUT THERE?
We only sell the very best quality braai wood, and there are certain types of firewood that are exceptionally well suited for use on the braai. Let’s take these one by one and examine their key qualities.
1. KAMEELDORING
Also known as ‘Camel Thorn’, this wood’s key advantages are that it:
- Has a lovely musky aromatic fragrance, which adds extra smokiness to the food.
- Burns is nice and hot.
- Generates almost no smoke.
This is a dense and heavy wood that burns for a long time and at a high temperature. In short, it is the perfect braai wood.
2. MOPANI
Key advantages of this wood are that like Kameeldoring it is:
- Dense
- Slow burning
- Dry.
It is also –
- Abundant throughout Africa and so easy to source
- Naturally termite resistant and so suitable for storing outdoors for long periods.
One provision is that this wood can be hard to light. You may wish to use fluid to light the braai when you use Mopani wood, though be warned that this can prevent you from enjoying the natural aromatic smoke of this braai wood.
3. SEKELBOS
A classic braai wood with a distinctive yellow wood, Sekelbos braai wood is perfect for:
- Adding aroma to your braai meats, as its fragrant resin is well known to enhance the flavor of your braai.
- Burning for a long time with little smoke.
- Offering a hotter flame than your average braai wood does.
Hot tip: another aromatic wood to use is Apple Wood, though it tends to be harder to source than Sekelbos as it is rarer.
4. BLUE GUM
This wood, which comes from the Eucalyptus tree, does not burn with such a hot flame as woods like Sekelbos do. What it does offer though is longevity: your braai will keep on burning for hours on end when you use Blue Gum firewood. Need an extra tip? Dampen your Blue Gum braai wood slightly as this will help it to burn for even longer (though it will turn down the heat a little more too).
5. ROOIKRANS
This is a brilliant all-round braai wood as it is:
- Dry
- Dense
- Slightly aromatic
Want to make your braai even better? Try mixing together various types of wood to get the temperature, longevity, and aroma that you desire.
What wood is best for a braai?
Popular wood options:
- Sekelbos – Is very popular, extremely dry, and hardy.
- Black Wattle – Easy to light, lasts extremely long, and provides glowing coal.
- Blue Gum is not endemic to South Africa and is often a little wet.
- Mopane is Indigenous to SA and the Braai king next to the Sekelbos.
What wood makes the best coals?
oak
Semersky says, “You can never go wrong with getting your fire going and establishing a bed of coals with oak. Kiln-dried oakwood is the best you can get because it has a long, steady burn and will provide a nice bed of coals without being overbearingly smoky.
What is the best wood for heat in South Africa?
Black wattle
It is an excellent firewood with a heat output similar to Blue Gum. It grows easily and is actually grown commercially in South Africa on a massive scale.
It is dry and burns slowly thereby providing heat for hours. For this reason, it is widely used in South Africa due to its minimal residue.
What is South African wood for burning?
Once burned, the African firewood produces hot coals which continue to burn for a long period of time, giving it the common name “Braaiwood” or BBQ Wood.
This wood is found in most areas of northern South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. This wood is extremely hard and is the longest-burning wood that we supply.