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

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.

The best boerewors in the land is:

Joey’s.

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.

Meanwhile in Pretoria, George and Maitland…

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.”

Agent Charlie delved further. Joey’s sources meat from free-range, grass-fed cattle from Namibia and Botswana, their boerewors contains no trimmings, no hearts, no mechanically deboned meat, no added hormones, and no antibiotics. It is made using only Omega-3-rich beef fat and pork back fat, ground with a unique spice and sauce blend, and stuffed into natural sheep casings.

Joey’s is owned by Fanie Liebenberg but is named after his sister Joey.

I’d buy them all again

I climbed into the car and found Joey’s at Durbanville Village Square. So much wors. Bought three styles of it: regular, curry, and “perske” (peach). All brilliant, utterly delicious, I’d buy them all again.

But before I’d tasted it myself, Michael Halperin was the first to pounce upon Joey’s as the prince of South African boerewors:

“I’m a relative newcomer to your food column and thoroughly enjoy reading it,” he wrote. “I started subscribing after I’d bought your Karoo cookbook. It’s my best. We live in Tokai, Cape Town and our favourite boerie is Joey’s boerewors. There are several outlets, mainly in the Northern Suburbs.

“The casing is very soft. The meat is reasonably coarse, and the seasoning is delicious with a strong coriander flavour. It’s a very good quality wors and doesn’t contain junk.

“Because of the soft casing, it’s the only meat that I cook closed inside a braai grid. It breaks too easily when using tongs and all the juices drain out.

“Everybody that comes to our home for a braai remarks about the boerie.”

Jean Beattie wrote:

“The best boerie I’ve ever had comes from a café attached to a petrol station at the traffic circle in Hermanus and it’s called Joey’s boerewors. Not sure where it comes from but this is where I buy it.”

Niel Muller did some digging and then wrote:

“I agree fully with you that there are various standards of boerewors – of which many are best avoided. I can however recommend at least two excellent boerewors:

1. Joey’s Meat Products. I think the original butchery was in Durbanville and they specialise in beef. They have several outlets of which I think most are depots with pre-packed products. To me they have the best boerewors using the best quality meat and recipe. I have googled the following addresses: Village Square, Queen Street, Durbanville (butchery); 94 Monte Vista Boulevard, Monte Vista (butchery); Shop 13A, Bellville Mall c/o Bill Bezuidenhout Blvd & Voortrekker Road, Bellville; Old Paarl Road, Brackenfell Blvd, Brackenfell; Shop 4, Shopping Centre, De Bron Road, Vredekloof Heights; Tyger Manor c/o Willie van Schoor & Bill Bezuidenhout Drive, Bellville; 5 Saffraan Street, Die Boord, Stellenbosch; 28 Langenegger Street, Gants Plaza, Strand (where I buy).

2. Eatwell Meats (full traditional family butchery) Mountain View Road, Ridgeworth, Bellville.”

(Jack Gray was in agreement: “I live in the northern suburbs of Cape Town and the place I normally buy my boerewors is Eatwell Meat. It’s a small family butcher that has been taken over by the son from the original blockman father. The price is classified as high but I would rather eat a good piece of boerewors than a sausage in a skin that has lower quality pieces of meat. The butchery is in Mountain View road, Ridgeworth.”)

Nina van der Velde wrote:

“I find Joey’s boerie the best and as close as ‘damnit’ to what we made living on a farm in the Free State while growing up. Every single year during winter.”

Tessa Moore wrote:

“Joey’s vleisprodukte. We’ve only had their boerie once.... cos we live in the Deep South.... but it was really good. However, friends, who are high-class restaurant-associated, swear by it.”

Jeanine de Villiers:

“Joey’s boerewors is the best in Cape Town!”

Louise Basson:

“Joey’s boerewors in Brackenfell and Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. Sold in Heldervue Spar in Somerset West.”

Lieze Norval:

“Go for Joey’s boerewors! Can be found at a number of delis around the Cape.”

Andrew van Niekerk even travels with his Joey’s wors:

“I live in Stellenbosch, and everybody I know within a 50km radius buys their boerewors at Joey’s. Branches I know of are in Stellenbosch, Brackenfell, Durbanville and Somerset West (Gant’s Centre). I even take their boerewors with me when I go to Kgalagadi, passing through the Boerewors Belt.

“They sell mostly beef, their droëwors and biltong is great. Best rib-eye, rump or sirloin. Be sure to ask for their 200g beef patties (rump and sirloin) and their special pure brisket patties. They even have frozen pre-cooked pulled pork.

“Anyway, they are my nomination for best boerewors. No, I don’t have shares there but I may have purchased enough wors to qualify as a business partner.”

Rick Bing offered to send me some:

“There is only ONE decent boerie made in Cape Town and that is Joey’s boerewors. It is consistently good and I have sold it from my shop for 7 or 8 years….

“Gewone, perske, chilli and ‘no pork’ and each is as delicious as the other! Drop me a line and I will deliver a pack to you to test (if you are in CT). And then I will teach you how to braai it the ‘vlamwors’ way….”

You have to duck to avoid the squirting fat

An aside: I’ve heard of vlamwors (flame sausage) and seen it done, in the Karoo. Boerewors is held directly in the flames, before coals have settled. Agent Charlie elaborated: “The vlamwors method is a fast, unconventional South African braai technique where boerewors is cooked directly over high, active flames instead of waiting for traditional coals to form. Often referred to as a quick weekday braai solution or colloquially as ‘bukwors’ (because you have to duck to avoid the sizzling fat squirting onto your clothes), it relies on intense heat to flash-sear the casing.”

Meanwhile, Adriaan van Wyk also buys what he says is the best boerewors at Joey’s – but he opts for another brand:

“The best boerewors can be ordered from Ditsem Karoo or you can buy some at Joey’s (Stellenbosch or Durbanville).

“Van Rensburgs in George also have delicious boerewors.”

Agent Charlie was helpful in finding out about Ditsem Karoo wors while I savoured another stukkie of Joey’s...

“Ditsem Karoo Boerewors is a premium, authentic South African sausage crafted by Ditsem Karoo Deli, an artisanal butcher based in Vosburg in the Northern Cape. Unlike ordinary commercial beef or pork sausages, their signature Ditsem Boerewors features a distinct, traditional blend of free-range sheep and springbok game meat, offering an authentic, rich taste of the Karoo.

“You can purchase this traditional boerewors directly online from the Ditsem Karoo Deli Online Store. They ship nationwide across South Africa using insulated cold-chain packaging and dry ice to keep the meat frozen straight to your doorstep.”

And with that, our boerie lives have been enriched. Now I’ll need to pop back to Joey’s in Durbanville to buy some Ditsem wors. Could it be even better than Joey’s own? I see a taste-test coming on… and I’ll let you know.

An informal taste test

Next I heard from Marc van Est, who I knew three decades ago in our Tamboerskloof era. Marc wrote:

“We’ve met, many many moons ago in Tamboerskloof. Love your column.

“My family did an informal boerie competition over a few weeks, using boerewors from local butchers (Edgemead/ Milnerton/ Tableview/ Blouberg/ Melkbos).

“We picked three favourites in order of preference:

“The Patient Butcher in Melkbos, who do a thin and a thicker wors. I love going in here just for its staff’s attitude and the variety.

“Table View Butchery, who also do a killer chilli wors, not for the fainthearted.

“Joey’s Meat in Monte Vista, although they are not always as consistent.”

This is interesting: Joey’s features but in third position. So now I need to make a foray over the Durbanville hills to Table View and Melkbosstrand.

‘One cooler box at a time’

Garth Remington agreed:

“We find that Woolies Grabouw boerie is one of the best.”

Christo Steyn was the first to cite a Pretoria brand of boerie as the best, and he was emphatic:

“Without any doubt, Groenkloof boerewors, obtainable from only two Groenkloof Butcheries in Pretoria. The texture, the smell, the taste, the consistency.

“I’ve been living in Cape Town for 33 years and have never come across a competitive alternative down here. I still get my wors from Groenkloof, brought here by benevolent friends and family when visiting, one tiny cooler box at a time.”

Linda Theron followed:

“Definitely the boerewors that Groenkloof Slaghuis (Pretoria) makes. Unbelievable taste – perfect blend of spices, not too fatty but certainly not dry, no sinewy bits, and not too tightly stuffed. It’s beyond yummy! 

“Thank you for your weekly newsletters – they’re brilliant!”

‘The beacon of boerewors’

Elmien le Roux hoped I’d never taste it:

“The best boerewors in South Africa is made by Groenkloof Slaghuis in Pretoria. I do not trust nor enjoy any other attempts at boerewors. Even now that Eddie van Niekerk (the man behind the wors) is no longer with us, the recipe and the quality have remained unchanged. 

“For your sake I hope that you will never taste it, as it will spoil all other versions for you.

“Greetings from Groenkloof, the beacon of boerewors.”

Of course, I now have to visit Pretoria.

Tinie Theron agreed:

“The best boerewors in Pretoria is without doubt Groenkloof Slaghuis boerewors. Eddie van Niekerk is the boerewors champion. Unbeatable texture and taste.”

But there was a dissenter from the administrative capital:

Dr Munya Makota wrote:

“For me in Pretoria it’s Boss Lady.”

Meanwhile in the Eastern Cape, Sam Venter, PE/GQ-based colleague (I’ve seen a clear tendency lately for Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha people to refer to their city as PE/GQ by the way), wrote:

“Lovely writing today by you and Louzel [Lombard Steyn] on the brilliance of boerie! Totally agree with you on well browned on the outside, but slightly underdone on the inside for maximum juiciness — nothing worse than a grys stukkie wors, or an overcooked, dried out one that wouldn’t qualify for the droëwors rack.

“To answer your question on where to find the best – many in PE/GQ (me included) are fans of Merino Butchery’s boerewors and will brave the slightly dodgy part of town especially to procure it. They’re in Crawford St, North End, so think informal taxi rank, lots of parking hustlers and promises to “keep an eye for your car, lady”, and general grime.

“All the purse-clutching and double-checking car door locks is worth it though, for friendly old-school butchery service, and the ’wors, of course.

“Properly braai’ed, it’s got that satisfying slight crunch through the casing into a meaty, juicy interior, just the right balance of meat and fat, those ‘dobbelstene’ as Louzel’s granny called them, the flavour boosted with warm spices (coriander, cloves, nutmeg, I’m guessing) and the fynbossy-herbs that say ‘Karoo plaas’ for us townies.

“I don’t know how their pricing compares these days to supermarkets or other butchers, but I remember it as a win on value for kids’ birthday parties or school fête boerie rolls, and it’s the kind of boerewors that, when served at a braai, has people saying ‘you must have got this at Merino’.

“They’ve got a nice back story too – family-owned, going in the same spot since the 1960s, and one of the local butcheries where you’ll see the bakkies lining up in hunting season to have their kudu, warthog, etc processed.

“Woolies Grabouw boerewors would be my distant second to this local gem.”

There were two responses from Kenton-on-Sea on the Eastern Cape coast where I am headed right after writing this story to host a lunch at their Barefoot Arts meander.

Danielle Hervey wrote:

“When you come down to Kenton we are taking you to our local butchery in town – their wors is beyond good. You will take at least 5kg home with you, so bring a bag. We will pre-order the ‘one with Willem’s spice’.”

(I’ll have to taste it while I’m there – I’ll be on the road for three days before returning home.)

And Ali Wilmot:

“Couldn’t believe you are looking for the best boerewors and you are coming to Kenton for our Barefoot Meander…

“The best boerewors is made in Kenton at our local Kenton Butchery. The recipe was handed down years ago to subsequent owners of the shop. The present owners may have fine-tuned it so I don’t want to take anything away from their product BUT it is really good. Present owners are Karl and Melanie Roux. They make all our venison into the most delicious wors and patties.

“I’ve booked to come to your Karoo lunch and am really looking forward to that.”

Now let’s find the stragglers, and there’s a whole range of them.

Still in the Eastern Cape, Marc van Antwerp writes:

“You must try Wagyu Boerewors from Zuney Wagu Alexandria.”

Gillian Dugmore says:

“In the village of Groot Brak Rivier, between Mossel Bay and George, is Hans the Butcher. Look no further for THE best boerewors.”

John Weaver:

“Ollies, a butcher in Betty’s Bay. Makes two versions: Ollies Boerewors and Winddroog Wors. Both excellent but Winddroog has the edge.

“Normally, I avoid boeries as it is the only food that gives me heartburn, but Ollies does not. Luckily, as Ollies is on my doorstep.”

Matt Gennrich:

“That’s easy – Sebastian’s Butchery in Humansdorp. Why do you think Manie Libbok plays such good rugby?”

Simon Fishley:

“My aunt-in-law shared your plea for good wors intel. You’ll probably hear about them more than once but I have to recommend Meat the Butcher on Rosmead Avenue in Kenilworth.

“The appropriately named Bertus Burger is the butcher there and they make really delicious wors as well as some other rounds you have to try. My personal favourite is the sosatie wors which is basically bobotie in a sausage tube and is completely delicious. Buy more than one pack is my advice.

“His other offerings include a pork and beer sausage which is superb. His porkies are proper too.

“He started up in Covid and survived and is always very happy to talk about meat.”

John Bryant enthused about wors both dik en dun:

“In George it is undoubtedly Van Rensburg’s Medium. They also do a Van Rensburg’s Dik and Van Rensburg’s Dun. The Medium is just the right thickness to get the outside nicely seared and the inside juicy. Not too heavily spiced. Just right.”

Judi Davis has me wanting to return to the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast:

“My husband and I spend much of our time travelling, camping and, therefore, braaing around southern Africa. However, we’ve yet to find boerewors that is quite up to the standard of Henry’s Boerie. 

“If you ever find yourself travelling on the KZN South Coast, along the winding main road that connects our little seaside dorpies, slow down when you get to Manaba. That’s the rather humdrum little strip of shops and small businesses between Uvongo and Margate. Look out for Henry’s Meat Market on the inland side of the road. If you miss it, ask a local. Henry’s is something of a South Coast institution. Inside, you’ll find a variety of different boereworses but stick to the plain, ordinary no-frill variety. 

“PS, don’t overcook it. Properly cooked, it’s beautifully moist and juicy when it comes off the braai. “

‘W Cape butchers cannot make boerewors’

Rocco Nel has tried every wors at the Cape yet he’s convinced that…

“The best Boerewors can be none else than Rembrandt Butchery in 4th Avenue Linden, Gauteng.

“I moved to the Western Cape five years ago and visited every butcher in the Winelands, Somerset West, Gordon’s Bay, Strand, Overberg I could find.

“Butchers in the Western Cape just cannot make boerewors….

“As a result, I order my boerewors from Rembrandt and the next day it is delivered, vacuum packed by courier.”

Cath Robertson writes:

“Pieter se wors in Bredasdorp Spar.”

Ted Baumann of Muizenberg makes two claims:

“I’ll probably never taste the best boerie because it’s made by some ou on a deep farm somewhere in the karoo. But my two personal favourites are:

1. Die Skeerhoek Padstal just before Heidelberg on the N2.

2. The Championship Wors at the Checkers in Robertson when the right guy behind the counter is making it. I prefer the thin version.”

‘Good Cape Town wors is an oxymoron’

There were two less rosy views:

Elizabeth Dawdye who wrote:

“Nobody makes good boerewors any more – it’s always heavily salted! I miss the thick, juicy wors where the meat was the main ingredient…”

And for Andre van Niekerk, nothing at the Cape will do:

“Dear Tony, as an ex-Namibian who is used to proper boerewors, I was introduced to the common ‘knowledge’ that ‘good Cape Town boerewors’ was an oxymoron, and that you had to get the good stuff from the ‘outside’. 

“Recently, visitors from George asked me if I would mind receiving a package on behalf of a friend, who would fetch it (their proper wors) from me, as they now have no supply in Cape Town.

“So I informed them of the not so secret Cape Town secret.”

Peter Raphaely has loved a boerie roll for all of his 84 years, he writes:

“However, being Jewish, I don’t eat pork. Many years ago I discovered what I still consider the best boerie ever. It’s made daily by Morningside Butchery, a small butcher in Wendywood, Sandton.

“Thick, 100% meat and perfectly spiced. Worth a try when you’re up here. I even take a kilogramme with us when we go away, frozen and packed in roll-size stukkies.”

Lerato, to whom I replied requesting a surname and to name her town, but had no reply, wrote:

“The best wors in my town is Rudy’s Boerewors. The balance of spices and the fact that it accommodates those who don’t eat pork. You put it on the fire for a few minutes and it remains tender and still has juices flowing. The perfect South African boerewors in my opinion!”

I googled and found these stockists: Rudy’s Braai Shop in Wetton, Cape Town, The Grove SuperSpar (Nelspruit, Mpumalanga), and Wicked Indulgence Biltong Shop (Karaglen Mall, Eden Glen, Edenvale).

David and Janine Strauss wrote:

“We live in Langebaan, but we order our lamb and boerewors from Darling Meat Market in Darling. We even order two thicknesses, thin for braaing and thick to pan-fry. Good quality meat and spicy but not too much. All at a reasonable price.”

When in Japan, you make a plan…

And then, something completely different. Carina Young wrote to say that I might need to fly all the way to Japan to find the best boerewors…

“A short snippet to share with you about the best boerewors… in Japan. My youngest son, Chris Young, moved to Japan in 2020, settled down and got married to a beautiful Japanese lady. But the longing for South Africa and especially our food, and his ‘lus vir boerewors’, drove him to make his own. After a few misses, he has now perfected his craft and it’s a regular on their weekend braais. With Mrs Ball’s Chutney to top it off.

“He uses mainly beef, with a lesser amount of pork added, a good handful of ground coriander, salt, pepper and the rest he will have to tell us. He bought a grinder to mince his meat. He’s even selling some extra stock to his local as a speciality dish… He says the smell draws a lot of attention and the braver young kids come over to look.

“A new Japanese legacy in the making. Boerewors will never die.”

Thank you for your weekly recipes, much enjoyed. Oh, and my good friend Coenie de Villiers ‘stuur groete’.”

And there you have it: a world of the best boerewors. Let’s light the fire. DM