Jan Braai’s steak sandwich with mustard, mayo and caramelised onions

In a pot or pan over medium heat (not too hot), heat a generous amount of olive oil or butter and add the sliced onions.

Fry gently until soft, then continue to fry gently until they begin to turn brown and slightly caramelised from their natural sugars. This should take about 20 minutes – be patient!

Now add the brown sugar and vinegar and keep stirring. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid becomes reduced and syrupy.

Season lightly with salt and pepper (the flavours are already quite intense, so not a lot). Stir well and remove from the heat. Cover and store the onions where flies can’t attack them. (You can cook the onions in advance before your guests arrive.) Caramelised onions keep well in the fridge for a few days.

Braai the steak or steaks over very hot coals for 8 minutes in total until medium rare. You can season the meat just before, during or after the braai, depending on when you believe it’s best to season meat.

The steaks need to rest before you slice them. This should be for at least 5 minutes, but can be for a few hours as well, as it’s entirely acceptable to use cold steak for this sandwich. When you slice the steaks, lie them flat on a cutting board and go in at a 45-degree angle instead of straight down. This allows you to slice through the fibres in the meat an additional time, resulting in even more tender slices of meat. If you struggle to produce neat, thin slices, you need to sharpen your chef’s or carving knife (or you need a new knife altogether).

Butter or oil the slices of bread and toast on the grid, taking care not to over-toast (burn) them.

To assemble the sandwich: Bread, mustard, lettuce, steak strips, caramelised onion, mayonnaise on the other slice of bread, bread.

Extract from Jan Braai’s latest cookbook, JanBraai Braaibroodjies and Burgers which also available in Afrikaans.