Best Wood for Braai: Hardwood vs Softwood Explained

Ask ten people what the best braai wood is and you will get ten confident answers, at least three of which
are wrong. The honest version is simpler than the folklore: density and dryness do almost all the work, and
everything else is detail.

What “hardwood” actually means

Hardwood and softwood are not descriptions of how hard the wood feels. They describe the tree. What matters
for your braai is density — how much wood there is in a given volume — and moisture
content.

A dense log holds more fuel in the same space. That means more heat, for longer, from the same size fire.
It also means the wood breaks down into coals rather than flaring up and collapsing into ash.

Softwood: fast, furious, forgettable

Softwood lights easily, which is why it is so tempting. It also burns out quickly, throws sparks, produces
more smoke and resin, and rarely gives you a coal bed worth cooking over. You end up feeding the fire
constantly and cooking over flames instead of coals — which is how meat ends up black outside and raw inside.

Softwood has one genuinely good use: getting the fire started. That is what
kindling is for.

Hardwood: slow, steady, worth the wait

Dense hardwood takes a bit longer to catch and then does the job properly. It burns hotter, lasts longer,
smokes less and — most importantly — collapses into a deep bed of coals that radiates even heat.

That coal bed is the whole point. Almost everything you braai is cooked over coals, not flames. Wood that
does not make good coals is not good braai wood, no matter what the bag says.

Which wood should you actually order?

Short version: they all burn well, they just burn differently.

• Sekelbos — the all-rounder. Lights without a fight, burns hot,
  gives you a proper coal bed. If you are not sure what to order, order this.
• Rooibos — dense and long-burning, with a subtle sweetness in the
  smoke. Good for a slow afternoon where the fire has to last.
• Soetdoring — sweet thorn. Hot, clean and steady, and it makes
  coals that hold their heat while you argue about whether the meat is ready.
• Swarthaak — the heavyweight. Hardest to light, longest to burn.
  Worth it for potjie and for anything that needs hours rather than minutes.
• Bluegum and Redgum — the
  familiar Cape braai woods. Reliable heat, easy to work with, good value in bigger bags.

Getting it going is easier with kindling (8 kg for R45) and a box of
firelighters. If you would rather skip wood altogether for a quick weeknight braai,
there is Namibian charcoal at R50 for 5 kg.

Direct or indirect heat?

Once you have coals, you have a choice:

• Direct heat — coals spread evenly under the grid. Right for boerewors, steak, chops,
  kebabs and anything that cooks in minutes.
• Indirect heat — coals banked to one side, food on the other. Right for whole chicken, a
  leg of lamb, thick cuts and anything that needs time without burning.

A useful habit: build enough coals that you can do both. Bank two thirds to one side, spread the rest. Then
you can sear over the hot side and move things across to finish.

Why dry wood matters more than the label on the bag

Wet wood is the single most common reason a braai goes badly. Water in the wood has to boil off before the
wood can burn, so you get hissing, thick smoke, a fire that keeps dying, and a braai master who keeps
insisting it is “nearly ready”. It also coats your grid and your food in the sour, sooty smoke nobody wants.

Our wood is dried before it goes out, which is why it lights faster, burns cleaner and gives you more heat
per kilogram. That last part matters for your wallet too: a bag of properly dried hardwood does more work than
a heavier bag of damp wood at the same price.

The verdict

For a braai, dense dried hardwood every time. Use softwood kindling to start it, hardwood to cook on, and
give yourself the forty minutes it takes to build a proper coal bed. The difference is not subtle.

Ready to stock up?

Browse the full firewood range, grab charcoal and
firelighters while you are there, and get it delivered before the weekend rather
than after it.