For your next braai, why not fire up some Boerewors Rolls? Don’t get it? Meet South-Africas beloved answer to Hot Dogs.
By Alida Ryder
The United States have Hot Dogs, South Africa has Boerewors Rolls. Directly translated, Boerewors means Farmer’s sausage and in South Africa, no Braai (Barbecue) is complete without the very well known coil of Boerewors sizzling away. Boerewors is made from coarsely ground Beef which is most often combined with ground Pork and fat. The unmistakable flavour and aroma of Boerewors comes from the amount of spice added to the ground meat. Coriander, nutmeg, cloves, all spice and black pepper are all added and when the Boerewors is cooking over the coles, the aroma is intense and absolutely saliva-inducing.
Even though Boerewors is best braaied, it can also be fried in a pan or cooked in the oven. In South Africa, it is 
often served with Pap (a grainy porridge made from Mielie-Meal and very similar to the American Grits) and a thick tomato sauce but my favourite way of serving it is in a fresh hot dog bun with fried onions and tomato relish. Sadly though, South Africa is moving away from our beloved Braai season (Summer) and into comfort food eating season (Keep posted for some fab South-African stews “Bredie’s”) so I will be taking every opportunity to eat as many Boerewors rolls as I can in the next few weeks, but if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, why not track down a South African butcher and ask him for some of this delicious sausage, it really is worth it.
If all else fails, ask your local butcher for a coarse-textured farmer’s / country sausage and you might be absolutely delighted at the outcome. And don’t forget to serve it with an ice-cold beer! 
Boerewors Rolls
Serves 4
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- 1tbsn sugar
- 1tbsn balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
- 500g / 1.1 pounds Boerewors (or sausage of your choice)
- 4 fresh Hotdog rolls
- Wholegrain mustard, to serve
- Coleslaw, to serve
1. Firstly, start with the onions. Heat about 2tbsn oil in a large pan and add the sliced onions. Gently fry for 5-10 minutes until the onions are soft and golden. Set aside.
2. For the tomato relish, add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper to a small pot and allow to reduce on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until it’s thickened slightly.
3. In South Africa, Boerewors is almost always braaied but you can also pan fry the sausage of your choice. Cook until it’s cooked through but still juicy.
4. Serve the boerewors in the fresh rolls with some wholegrain mustard, tomato relish and fried onions. Add some coleslaw on the side.
Thanks for this Alida, I had to look up braaied to make sure i really new what is was. Have you personally tried this. I have a football draft this summer and think I will make this for us men. I will use the Primo Ceramic grill and grill them.
Thanks
HI Curtis. As a South-African I eat Boerewors Rolls regularly and it truly is one of my favourite South African foods. I think the ‘men’ will LOVE this and grilling them on a Ceramic Grill will be just fine, although the smoke from the barbecue will give extra flavour, it’s not a necessity. I hope you enjoy them!
Hi Alida.
It’s not fair to talk about boeries rolls when it’s snowing and miserable outside in Canada. I have yet to find perfect boerewors here.
I took some to work once and strangely the adventurous foodies at work didn’t like it.
Dear Denise
We have Seattle’s best kept secret here, in the form of some truly delicious boerewors! We do it in a beef, lamb and pork form, or a 100% beef in sheep casings. Call us if you need to try some! Our number is 206 932 9497
Hi
Can you give me the contact info for that supplier in Seattle.
Thanks
Thank you so much for this! I didn’t know the right kind of spices to use. I worked at a south african restaruant in Savannah (Zunzi’s) in college and I love this stuff. Very tasty!
NOT Street Food! this is something we make and cook At Home! once the sausage us made, at home or by a butchery, we use it the same way you might cook English bangers, bratwurst, etc… the fact that it cooks well on a braai/bbq, and is far tastier than regulsr hot dog sausages in a hot dog bun makes it ideal for venders and fundraising sales in the carpark of a supermarket or flea market. this is origjnally served with putu pap, mashed potato, rice, and veg, or along with steak, lamb chops, chicken etc cooked on a braai. its Boerewors – Farmer Sausage.
The fact thatthis item is Now made as a street food makes it as much street fod as fiet mignon and crudites just because some vender sells it on a sidewalk.
Coals not coles.