Brochettes are the grilled-meat street food of the Sahel and Central Africa — skewers seared over coals at roadside braziers, dusted with hot spice. Cheap, smoky and everywhere, they are the snack of the market and the bus stop.
Pull a piece off a brochette — charred-edged meat cube, glossy with palm-oil-and-paprika marinade. Bite: outside slightly crispy from grill, inside tender and juicy, the spice marinade penetrating; the piri-piri builds heat. With a wedge of lemon and a cold Mocaf lager (the local Bangui-brewed beer), this is Bangui street-food evening.
Marinating tenderizes and flavors. Soaking skewers prevents burning. Hot grill creates char while keeping inside tender.
Variations
With chicken. With lamb. With added bell pepper between cubes. With peanut-spice rub (kankankan-style). With more chili. With lemongrass.
On the Palate
Where Brochettes CAR sits in the Central African flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 30 min active + 30 min waiting
- 14 min
Cut 600 g beef shoulder (or goat) into 2-cm cubes.
- 232 min
Marinate: combine 4 minced garlic, 1 thumb ginger, 2 piri-piri, 2 tbsp palm oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin. Toss meat; rest 30 min.
- 314 min
Soak 12 wooden skewers in water 15 min (prevents burning).
- 44 min
Thread meat onto skewers, 4-5 cubes per skewer.
- 512 min
Light a charcoal fire; let it burn to glowing embers.
Watch outWait until the charcoal is glowing red with no flames — flames scorch the outside before the meat cooks through.
- 614 min
Grill brochettes 3-4 min per side, total 12-15 min, turning, until well-browned and cooked through.
Watch outLeave each side undisturbed until it's deeply browned before turning; you want char marks and juicy centers, not steamed grey meat.
- 71 min
Serve hot with chili sauce, lemon wedges, and rice or boiled cassava.
