Good braai wood decides how long you wait for coals, how hot they are and how long they last. Bad wood gives smoky flames, ash and coals that die before the chops are done. This is how South Africa’s common braai woods compare.
Quick comparison
| Wood | Heat | Coals last | Ready in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sekelbos (sickle bush) | Very hot | Long | Medium | A favourite in the north. Cleared as a bush encroacher, so it’s a good choice ecologically. |
| Rooikrans | Hot | Medium–long | Fast | The Western Cape classic. An invasive alien, so burning it helps clear fynbos. |
| Mopane | Very hot | Long | Slow | Dense. Burns hot and long; great for big braais. |
| Kameeldoring (camel thorn) | Very hot | Very long | Slow | A protected tree. See the note below. |
| Blackwattle | Medium–hot | Medium | Fast | An invasive alien. Affordable and widely available. |
| Port Jackson | Medium | Short | Very fast | An invasive alien. Good for starting a fire, but burns out quickly. |
| Vine stumps (wingerdstompies) | Medium–hot | Medium | Medium | Gives a lovely aroma. Mostly found in the Western Cape. |
| Bluegum (eucalyptus) | Medium | Medium | Medium | Burns fine when dry. Oily smoke when it’s green. |
The best all-rounders
For most braais, rooikrans or sekelbos is hard to beat. Rooikrans lights easily and gives you good coals quickly, which suits a weeknight braai. Sekelbos takes a little longer, but the coals are hotter and last long enough for a second round of meat.
For a long braai or a potjie, mix a hard, dense wood (mopane or sekelbos) with something that lights quickly (rooikrans or blackwattle). The fast wood gets the fire going; the dense wood gives you coals that last.
A note on kameeldoring
Camel thorn (Vachellia erioloba) is a protected tree in South Africa. You may not cut or damage live protected trees without a licence. If you buy kameeldoring, ask where it came from and buy only from sellers who can show it was legally harvested (for example, dead wood removed under permit). If in doubt, sekelbos and mopane give you similar heat with less worry.
Woods to avoid
- Pine and other softwoods: they burn fast, spit and give off resin. They’re fine as kindling but bad for cooking.
- Treated, painted or varnished wood, including old pallets and offcuts. These can release harmful chemicals onto your food.
- Green (wet) wood: lots of smoke, little heat. Braai wood should be properly dry, with cracks on the ends and a light, hollow knock when two pieces are tapped together.
How much wood do you need?
As a rough guide, one standard bag of braai wood does a braai for four to six people. Buy an extra bag for a big crowd, for a potjie, or when it’s cold and windy, because wind makes coals burn out faster.
Wood or charcoal?
Wood takes longer (usually 45 minutes to an hour before you have proper coals) but gives you the flame, the ritual and the flavour. Charcoal and briquettes are faster and more predictable. Our guide to gas vs charcoal vs wood covers the trade-offs, and how to make a braai fire covers the method.
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