- Chef Nkululeko Trevor Makamo advised home cooks to stop putting thick sauces on raw braai cuts.
- Sugar content in heavy sauces burns rapidly over open coals and stops heat from reaching the centre of the meat.
- Light liquid marinades work best for the braai, while thicker sauces belong in ovens, air fryers, or at the end of cooking.
Source: Facebook
South Africans take their braai traditions seriously, but popular food personality Chef Nkululeko Trevor Makamo is urging home cooks to rethink a common habit that could be sabotaging their weekend cuts. In a clip uploaded to TikTok on 2 October 2026, the culinary creator, TikTok user @chef_makamo, demonstrated proper prep techniques on seasoned cuts and warned viewers to avoid slathering raw meat with store-bought bastings.
He pointed out that heavy sauces contain considerable amounts of sugar that burn quickly over open flames. Rather than flavouring the cut, the sweet glaze forms a dense barrier over the exterior that prevents the core from cooking thoroughly.
The case for light marinades
Chef Makamo explained that cooks often end up with charred outsides and underdone centres when they coat their raw meat in glaze too early. Because the thick sauce shields the meat from the heat of the coals, the cut roasts unevenly and scorches. To get the most flavour out of a braai, the culinary creator recommended swapping heavy glazes for light marinades. Unlike thick sauces that sit on the surface, a light liquid mixture actually penetrates deep into the fibres without building a dense skin that catches fire.
He added that rich sauces still have an important role to play in the kitchen, particularly in appliances like air fryers or ovens where ambient heat remains consistent. On an open grill, however, thick sauces should strictly be brushed on as a final touch once the meat is fully cooked and ready to come off the fire.
Watch the original TikTok video here.
Mzansi viewers weigh in
The video sparked widespread conversation among meat lovers, with many sharing their own kitchen dilemmas and verifying his warning about charred crusts:
@Thandeka Samukeliswe Ndlo asked:
"Manje usuyilahla leyo (are you now going to throw that away) 😅?"
@AMP_28 enquired:
"So with the Worcestershire sauce, should we apply it together with spices or after (separate as a sauce) we braai the meat?"
@Nompendulo Nzali added:
"I feel seen!"
@Are.minously cute🤍 asked:
"Okay, what's the difference between putting sauce and marinating the meat?"
@OKKAMA | CPA said:
"If you know, you know."
@_Scott🌻 asked:
"When can we get a master class☝🏽?"
Other food-related articles
- Local foodie Olive demonstrating how to stretch a loaf of brown bread and a tin of baked beans into three filling meals costing just R6.00 per portion.
- A South African woman working as a chef in the United States shared a candid video revealing the exhausting, fast-paced reality of her high-volume kitchen shift.
- Marketing expert Lebo Lion sparked a lively debate online after sharing a video explaining why choosing cheaper store-brand groceries over trusted name brands might compromise quality, sparking a massive debate.
Source: Briefly News
Authors:
Tags:
Hot: