{"id":66666,"date":"2019-02-14T08:56:07","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T08:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/?p=66666"},"modified":"2019-02-14T10:41:48","modified_gmt":"2019-02-14T10:41:48","slug":"interview-karl-tessendorf-greg-gilowey-beer-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/interview-karl-tessendorf-greg-gilowey-beer-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking All Things Beer, Food and Fire with Beer Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

Karl Tessendorf and Greg Gilowey are the guys behind Beer Country<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0Beer Food Fire<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, an epic new cookbook that marries those three things together in the most delicious way. We sit down and chat to the guys to find out more about how the book came about, what happened at #Boeriegate and how you make unicorns into braai spice.\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Talking Beer, Food and Fire<\/h3>\n

We\u2019re guessing the answer to this question is \u2018one night around a fire\u2019 but tell us how the idea of the book came about?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> That\u2019s what it says on the back cover but actually, the two of us are worse than useless at remembering our own recipes so we thought, let\u2019s write a book. At least they will all be in one place. Just kidding, but not really. It\u2019s something that we\u2019ve always wanted to do since the very beginning. I\u2019m so stoked that it\u2019s happened and we could not have asked for a better result. <\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> Well, since filming Beer Country, we have spent a lot of time around the fire cooking some epic fire-food. We had built up an insane collection of tasty recipes and it felt wrong to keep them all to ourselves. Sharing is caring.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When you decided to do a book, was the concept a no brainer from the get-go?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> The book is kind of an extension of the TV show so the beer, food, fire thing has been set in stone for a good 5 years now. The book has enabled us to refine recipe ideas, beer pairings and it also opened us up to the possibilities of cooking with beer and beer ingredients. <\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> Well, we learnt the hard way when filming Beer Country, that you stick to what you know, or risk looking like a tjop. So, once the book idea had its hooks in, it was only ever gonna be about beer, food and fire – it\u2019s who we are, it\u2019s what we do, and it\u2019s what we love.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What makes Beer Food Fire different from other braai cookbooks?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> Haven\u2019t you heard? It\u2019s the best one ever written\u2026 just kidding. There are a lot of braai books but there are no beer and braai books<\/a><\/strong> and that\u2019s what makes this special. Beer and braai are about as South African as you get and we have taken a deep dive into why beer works so well with braai chow. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is also a whole section on using beer ingredients like malted barley, hops and of course beer itself in cooking. Our beer condiments section is something that hasn\u2019t been done in South Africa before. <\/span><\/p>\n

Greg: <\/span><\/strong>It\u2019s life\u2019s greatest gifts, all together for the first time, sandwiched between two covers like the tastiest braaibroodjie<\/a><\/strong> you never knew you needed. There is something in there for everyone, from first-time craft drinkers to beer geeks, and\u00a0from once-a-month braaiers to seven-days-a-week braai masters and braai mistresses. <\/span><\/p>\n

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It’s beer pairing, it’s cooking with beer ingredients, it’s our fireside braai tips – and a whole bunch of delicious, easy to make braai-chow.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Biggest learning from shooting a cookbook?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> Sheesh, there were a couple. Shooting in winter is not the best idea because we were using all natural light and the sun rises late and sets early. We really had to push hard to get the mountain of shots done per day. Also, don\u2019t settle for something if you are not happy with it. The shot will bug you for eternity. And lastly, cooking nearly everything on fire all day can make for an expensive wood and charcoal bill! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> It\u2019s like braaing chicken – just when you think you are done, you still have a while to go. Having a kick-ass team of passionate people backing you up is a must. It\u2019s long, it\u2019s rough, it\u2019s tough but that said, when you hold your book for the first time, it is so very worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Biggest fail or funniest moment on the shoot?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> We had a baking powder issue, which was more of a fail but we managed to work it out. There was also #BoerieGate, which I am sure Greg will elaborate on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> Boerewors rolls are not the most beautiful things to shoot. We were done for the day, we had ticked all the boxes. Then checking out the final shots, we realised the one wors roll looked slightly off, a bit left field, a little weird\u2026 and then it hit us, it looked like a big willy! Once seen, it couldn\u2019t be unseen, so needless to say it needed a reshoot. The funniest fail we had in a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Favourite recipe from the book and why…<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> That\u2019s a tough one because it keeps changing. We\u2019ve been on a smoked chicken and white BBQ sauce binge lately but I am sure it will change soon! <\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> It changes daily, but at the mo, we are cooking the smoky chicken a white BBQ sauce<\/a><\/strong>, like a lot. It is so different, and just so damn tasty. Also, with summertime still in full swing, the yellowtail ceviche as a starter is next level yummy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is cooking over coals so magical?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> There are so many reasons but I suppose the most important is that it makes food taste better. The simplest way to test this theory is to make a piece of toast in the toaster and then make a piece on the braai and you tell me which one tastes better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> It\u2019s tattooed onto our DNA. Its\u2019 the delicious combo of smoke, caramelisation, and char. It’s using fire as an ingredient not just a heat source. You know, most people mistakenly think there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow\u2026there really isn\u2019t. There\u2019s a braai, and everyone\u2019s invited!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Does food really taste better cooked in cast iron?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> It does because it comes with extra love, gees and magic. <\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> If you treat your potjie right, definitely. But it\u2019s not just about how it tastes, it\u2019s about how it feels to slow down, light your fire and solve the world\u2019s problems while listening for the potjie whisper, beer in hand. Cooking in cast iron is good for the soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

How has the craft beer industry in SA changed in the past few years?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> It\u2019s been a busy few years since we shot Beer Country Season 1. Big strides have been made in the quality and consistency department. We\u2019ve seen a few big brands making big plays on the business side of things. <\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got more styles and out there beers than ever before and we now have a Craft Beer Association of South Africa to give brewers a unified voice. It\u2019s exciting times but still tough times due to South Africa\u2019s current economy. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> That’s a big question, with an even bigger answer that could be a whole separate article. Things have definitely slowed down a bit, with the guys and gals realising what it takes to open a brewery compete in a tough-as-nails market. The other side to that coin is the breweries that are still playing, are in it for the long haul, in it to win it, and making exciting, world-class beers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Where do you see it heading?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> The next few years will be interesting. I think the guys and gals that are going to succeed are the truly passionate people. It\u2019s a tough industry and contrary to popular belief it\u2019s not a money-making endeavour. As long as the beer drinking public want great beers, the industry will continue to chug along. <\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> The craft beer industry is distilling like moonshine and maturing like whiskey. Things have been tough out there, but I reckon there is light at the end of the tunnel (not lite beer thank goodness), and with this little shake up, the beers on the shelf are better for it. Who knows, that elusive South African beer identity may just shake out in the brewhouse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why should people buy your book?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Karl:<\/strong> Because it\u2019s the most awesome book ever? No, seriously, it\u2019s full of recipes that are so damn delicious but they are easy and approachable. Cooking doesn\u2019t have to be complicated to be delicious. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg:<\/strong> With Beer Food Fire, we are making the world a better place, one awesome braai at a time. We live in a crazy, wild-west, beautiful place and we need to support and have each other\u2019s backs. Keeping things local and lekka around the fire has never tasted this good – Beer Country guarantee!<\/span><\/p>\n

You guys make your own braai spice, can you tell us about it (and where to find it)<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n

Its called Karoo Dust<\/em><\/strong>. It’s our deadly braai spice made from phoenix feathers, dragon\u2019s teeth, fire and brimstone.\u00a0It\u2019s something that we were just initially making for ourselves on the TV show but our friends kept asking if they could buy some. So we packaged it up and boom!<\/span><\/p>\n

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It\u2019s the tastiest all-purpose rub you will ever use in your life. Its available directly from us<\/a><\/strong> (wholesale), and through a few niche retailers like the Olive Branch Deli<\/a><\/strong>, the Foodbarn, Biggest Little Beer Shop and Roeland Liquors. It’s our go-to spice and we smash it on everything – as it says on the bottle \u201cUse Dangerously.”<\/span><\/p>\n

See extracts from the book and enter to win a copy<\/a><\/strong> below.<\/p>\n

beercountry.co.za<\/a>\u00a0| Facebook<\/a> | Twitter<\/a> | Instagram<\/a>\u00a0| Email<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karl Tessendorf and Greg Gilowey are the guys behind Beer Country and\u00a0Beer Food Fire, an epic new cookbook that marries those three things together in the most delicious way. We sit down and chat to the guys to find out more about how the book came about, what happened at #Boeriegate and how you make unicorns into braai spice.\u00a0 Talking Beer, Food and Fire We\u2019re guessing the answer to this question is \u2018one night around a fire\u2019 but tell us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"brand_slug":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66666\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}