Global Grilling: BBQ ideas from the Southern Hemisphere

When searching for foodie inspiration, look no further than the Southern Hemisphere - where the grill is king. We’ve collected the very best tips from the Australia, Brazil and South Africa to help you add some international flavour to your BBQ.

Grill Aussie style

Outside of Australia, any mention of Australian 'barbecue' may bring up the oft-quoted 'throw another shrimp on the barbie!' And, while you’ll see them at BBQs, meaty lamb chops and sausages are much more common. They’re usually accompanied by corn on the cob, potatoes and fresh salads.

• Down under, BBQ buffs pour beer over pork chops and steak to add flavour and tenderise the meat

• For real Australian flavour, marinate some onions in pineapple juice before frying on the grill for a deliciously sweet caramelised flavour. These awesome onions make a tasty topping for all kinds of BBQ dishes – why not pile them on top of burgers?

Brilliant Brazilian BBQ

Brazilians are BBQ mad: there’s even a statue of a man cooking BBQ in the city of Nova Brescia! Known as 'Churrasco', meat is cooked on long skewers and placed on racks over fire, with fattier items placed at the top to drip down and flavour the leaner cuts.

• Brazilians marinate white meat in a mix of garlic, salt, and lime juice overnight – fast track your way to a carnival of flavour by sprinkling our zesty Brazilian Grill Mates on your chicken wings.
• Alternatively, rub your favourite Schwartz seasoning into a cut of fatty picanha (rump cap) and sizzle on skewers over charcoal for South American style steak.

Sizzle South African style

Souuth Africans celebrate Braai Day on 24 September (South Africa’s Heritage Day), so they take their braai very seriously! Here is the lowdown on what to expect at a barbeque Southern African style.

Beef steak, Karoo lamb chops and chicken or lamb sosaties (skewers) or a half chicken flattie are usually on the menu, but you will often also find boerewors (farmers sausage) and game specialities like ostrich steak, kudu and impala.

Boerewors is a thick beef sausage, flavoured with herbs and spices and grilled in a coil shape on the open fire as seen below.

Toebroodjies, which means 'closed bread', something South Africans love to pop on the braai. Toebroodjies are sandwiches with anything plus cheese on them. The exterior is brushed with olive oil or lightly with butter. Just sinful, I know! Make the best starters to munch on while you sit around waiting for the main event.

Why not try sweet potato, seasoned with paprika and cumin? Simply dice and sprinkle with spice, then wrap in a foil and place on the hot coals.

See our BBQ page for more recipes, hints, videos and new flavour ideas >