To cook steaks on the braai, you need lots of super hot coals, with some flames still licking the air, and the grid nice and close to get the most out of the intense heat that beef needs. It’s quite the opposite of what you need for, say, pork chops.

Whether they will flame when you give them a splash of brandy depends on how hot the coals are and how close the steak is to the flames. But it’s worth doing if you can pull it off.

Rosemary and brandy work a bit of magic together. I marinated them first for a few hours to get the intensity of the herb and liquor deep into the meat.

When braaing steak, I cook them fatty edge down first, then each side.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

2 x 300 g thick-cut sirloin steaks with a generous fat cap

½ cup 80 ml Musgrave Copper vanilla flavoured potstill brandy, or similar

A splash more brandy while they’re cooking

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

3 rosemary sprigs

Salt

Black pepper

Method

Pick the leaves from the rosemary and put them in a container with the brandy, mustard, salt and black pepper. Marinate the steaks in this for a few hours.

I made some notes while cooking them. Here they are, verbatim:

Steaks went on close to very hot coals on the grid at 7pm. Fat side down. You could hear the sizzle immediately.

Five minutes on the fatty edge. If it flames, leave it.

At 7.05 pm I turned them on their flat sides. Still high heat, near the coals. On the lowest rung of the grid, about 8 cm from the top of the hot coals.

Flamed them with a splash of brandy. Blue flames licked the steaks.

Cooked them for 4 minutes on their sides. Turned at 4 minutes.

Three or four more minutes on the other side.

Rest.

Finally, heat the remaining marinade and pour over when serving. DM

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido.

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.

This dish is photographed on a pan plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.