Centurion champ takes best boerie in the land title

There is only one town in the country that can say it has the best wors in South Africa, all thanks to Clubview resident and Boerewors champ, Ruard Briel (37) from his make-shift butchery in his garage.

After seven years of dedication and perfecting his recipe, Briel, a financial manager from Centurion, finally claimed victory in the 2024 Shoprite and Checkers Championship Boerewors competition.

This year, over 2,300 contestants entered the 32nd championship, with last year’s champion selling enough to make 8,274km of wors, almost enough to make one boerie-roll for every South African.

The grand finale, held in Stellenbosch, saw Briel rise above nine other top finalists from across the country.

“I am in disbelief! I am absolutely ecstatic,” Briel said after his win.

“It really comes down to getting the boerewors’ flavour profile balanced, combined with belief in myself. I am so happy.”

The road to victory was no easy feat. Briel told Rekord that the competition was a challenging three-stage journey.

“Everyone enters their recipe into an online form, and the South African Chefs Association (SACA) judges all the entries. If your recipe doesn’t meet the standards of the Government Gazette’s definition of boerewors, you’re out,” he explained.

In the second stage, the top 30 recipes are selected, and contestants send dry spice samples to Cape Town, where SACA makes and tastes the boerewors to narrow it down to the top 10.

“It was my first time making it to the top 30 last year, but I didn’t get through to the top 10. This year, it all came together,” Briel said.

In the final round, contestants have to direct a SACA professional on how to braai their boerewors, which adds to the challenge.

“As South Africans, we’re used to braaiing our own wors, so instructing someone else was one of the toughest parts.

“The key to a perfect boerewors is heat management – too hot and the casing bursts, losing all the ‘liquid gold’ inside.”

Briel said that most people will have their own style that they have perfected over the years, but he shared some tips on how he enjoys cooking and eating boerewors.

“I usually go by feel when braaiing. If it’s soft, it’s raw. When it becomes bouncy, it’s getting there. And I never braai it for more than 10 minutes.

“It really comes down to your fire. If your coals are too low, then it will take too long. Everyone wants a nice bright outside, and a crunch or snap when you bite into it.”

His passion for food and boerewors-making started over a decade ago.

“I began hunting and processing my own game, and that’s when I started experimenting with biltong, dry wors, and patties.

“Eventually, I converted half my garage into a DIY butchery,” Briel said with pride.

His wife shares his passion for good food, and their favourite way to enjoy boerewors is the classic “pap en sous”, though he also loves a boerie roll with tomato relish and fried onions.

Briel dedicated his win to his late colleague, Cynthia Tshabalala, who first encouraged him to enter the competition.

“She passed away a few years ago, but I wouldn’t be here without her support. This win is for her, my family, colleagues, who were my test subjects, and most of all, God, who has blessed me abundantly.”

While Briel claimed the top prize – a brand-new Toyota Fortuner, R20,000 in cash, and the title of South Africa’s boerewors champion, the competition was fierce.

Second place went to Marthinus Verwey from Bloemfontein, and Jasper Gordon from Strand took third.

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