NOW THAT'S A BRAAI!

Gielie Basson from Calitzdorp has set a new world record with his 84-hour marathon cook

- PIETER VANZYL

THE final countdown blares from the speakers and the crowd buzzes with excitement, cheering an exhausted and sunburned Gielie Basson as he triumphantly lifts his 95th piece of boerewors from the coals to complete an 84-hour-long braai.

Gielie has spent the better part of four days in front of this braai at the Zamani Grill in Calitzdorp near Oudtshoorn and not even swollen ankles, a thunderstorm and barely any sleep could sway him from his mission: smashing the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest braai.

His marathon surpassed the 80-hour record held by South African Jan Greeff who was recognised for his 2014 effort in his adopted hometown of Columbus in the US.

Gielie’s momentous task is recorded on three cameras for Guinness inspectors to examine and decide if he’ll officially make it into the record books.

To qualify, he had to have five items sizzling on the coals at all times – Gielie chose pork chops, boerewors, corn on the cob, chicken thighs and beef chuck steak – and teams of monitors watched him like hungry hawks.

The food was donated to the police station, the Vygieshof old age home and the NPO, Calitzdorp Feeding Centre.

“My biggest reason for doing this attempt is to put our town back on the map worldwide,” Gielie tells the YOU team when we join him at the braai shortly before the Heritage Day long weekend.

“No one may help me with the braai in any way, the meat can’t be undercooked or overcooked and I can only use tongs to flip the meat,” says Gielie, who’s originally from Somerset West and co-owns the venue where the braai is taking place.