SA Braai Debuts South African Links

Add a new link to the ranks of Milwaukee sausages.

This one’s called a boerewor (“farmer’s sausage”) from South Africa, brought to Wauwatosa courtesy of the husband-and-wife team of Matthew and Wendi Devan.

Their sausage, originating from the Dutch settlers, the Boers, is just one typical offering at a “braai,” or cookout. Braai also describes the grill; “to braai” is to grill out.

Matthew Devan got his start at his father’s butcher shop in his hometown of East London, South Africa. He later honed his skills in Dublin, Ireland, where with his brother he once prepared boerewors for South African fans at a cricket match pitting South Africa versus Ireland.

“People just started going crazy” about the sausages, he said, though he didn’t realize at the time what that might foreshadow.

Matthew met Wendi in Dublin, and the two hitched up to return to her hometown of Milwaukee. He’s now working for Pritzlaff Meats in New Berlin, through which he hand-selects the meats for his boerewors.

The couple first started vending his sausages, frozen in six-packs for $8 or served hot on a bun for $4.50, just a few weeks ago at the Wauwatosa farmers market. Their neighbors pitched in as volunteers, and SA Braai soon garnered a rabid following.

The boerewors keep selling out, which must mean more Milwaukeeans are learning to braai.