GROOT BOEREWORS TREK: Succulent & spicy — the very best boerie in the land

After traversing South Africa in search of the very best that a stukkie boerewors can be, the wagons have come in, delivering a load of wors from every corner of the land. And we have a decisive winner.

What were the chances that the boerewors that most of you regard as the finest in the land is made and sold a seven-minute drive from my front door? I didn’t set it up that way, promise. Serendipity follows me around…

And it brought your favourite boerewors to me. And to my braai. And on it went. It sizzled gently, because I’d had the temerity – luck? – to have decided to braai it low and slow, taking its time.

This was fortunate, because this wors has a very fine casing. So soft. Negligible. Not quite gossamer, but a slim sheath. It could burst, and high flame will do that. It doesn’t mean it’s bad wors – it means the heat is too violent for it.

That slim casing means that little to nothing separates you and your palate from the delicious coriander-spiciness of our winning boerewors. From its succulent enticement. From that aroma wafting off the braai grid…

It’s in that picture up there, by the way. That’s it, on my braai, just days ago.

I also happen to know that those of you who named this boerewors the best in the land are pretty sure which boerie it is that I’m about to name. So let’s get it over with.

To think: I moved from the deep Karoo, where you’d expect the country’s best boeries to be found – to Cape Town, where you wouldn’t – only to find that the best is right here.

In second place with four votes from our nationwide voluntary team of boerie experts is the boerewors from Groenkloof Slaghuis in Pretoria.

And three boerie brands tied in third place: Van Rensburg Foods in George, Eatwell Meats in Maitland, and Woolworths Grabouw wors.

Several other brands were claimed as the best, and many of you argued convincingly for their claim to the Boerie Throne. I’ll be checking this list whenever I travel and hope to try as many of them as I can over time. In the meantime, which of them have you tasted, and how do you rate them?

Let’s start with the rave reviews that poured in for Joey’s boerewors. Joey, by the way, is a woman, not a man. I sent my AI alter ego, Agent Charles, down a few rabbit holes and he came back with this:

“Joey’s Boerewors is a legendary, highly rated South African sausage brand produced by Joey’s Vleisprodukte (Joey’s Meat Products). Known for its premium quality and strict production standards, the company started as a small family business in Brackenfell, Cape Town, managed by the Liebenberg family. Today, they operate their own temperature-controlled factory producing over a ton of boerewors daily to supply multiple stores across the Western Cape.

“Unlike many standard butchers who use miscellaneous off-cuts and trimmings, Joey’s primarily uses a single premium cut of beef: brisket.”