How to Use STOKE Peri-Peri Smoked Sauce
The complete guide — marinade, basting, and table sauce
STOKE Peri-Peri Smoked Sauce works at every stage of cooking and at the table. Here is how to get the most out of every bottle.
As a Marinade
The best peri-peri chicken marinade in Australia
Peri-peri sauce is at its most powerful as a marinade. The acid from the vinegar and lemon juice breaks down the protein fibres in the meat, allowing the smoke, garlic, and chilli to penetrate deeply before the meat even touches the grill.
- 1.Score the surface of your chicken pieces with a knife — 3 or 4 shallow cuts per piece. This helps the marinade penetrate faster.
- 2.Coat the meat generously with STOKE — use your hands and work the sauce into every surface.
- 3.Seal in a zip-lock bag or cover the bowl tightly.
- 4.Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours — overnight is better. Do not rush this step.
- 5.Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Room temperature meat cooks more evenly.
- 6.Pat the surface lightly with paper towel before grilling — a drier surface gives a better char.
Works on: chicken thighs, chicken breast, whole spatchcock chicken, lamb chops, pork ribs, beef skewers.
As a Basting Sauce
How to build the perfect peri-peri crust
Basting with STOKE during the last 10 to 15 minutes of grilling builds a caramelised, slightly sticky crust on the outside of the meat that seals in the juices underneath. Apply it too early and the sugars burn before the meat is cooked.
- 1.Wait until the meat is approximately 80 percent cooked before applying the first coat.
- 2.Brush a thin layer over the top surface of the meat.
- 3.Close the grill lid or move to indirect heat. Wait 4 minutes.
- 4.Apply a second layer. Repeat once more if needed.
- 5.The sauce should look dark, glossy, and slightly charred at the edges. That is correct.
As a Table Sauce and Dipping Sauce
STOKE is made to be poured. The consistency is designed to coat food without dripping off — thicker than a vinaigrette, thinner than a paste. Pour it directly over food at the table or serve it in a small bowl for dipping.
10 Unexpected Ways to Use STOKE
Peri-peri sauce works on everything. Here are ten uses you probably haven't tried.
On fried eggs in the morning
The smoke and acid cut through the richness of the yolk
Poured over hot chips before they cool
The heat opens up the garlic and smokiness
Spread inside a toasted sandwich before grilling
The sauce caramelises against the hot grill
Stirred into mayonnaise 50/50
An instant dipping sauce people will ask you for the recipe of
Tossed through cauliflower before roasting at 200°C for 25 minutes
The sauce darkens and intensifies against the sweet vegetable
Mixed into hummus
A smoked peri-peri dip that transforms a basic snack
Drizzled over avocado on toast
Smoke plus creaminess is the combination
Used as a pizza sauce base instead of tomato
The smoked capsicum acts as a rich, savoury foundation
Stirred through cooked pasta with olive oil and parmesan
A ten-minute pasta that tastes like it took significantly longer
Poured over fried halloumi with fresh lemon
The acid and smoke against the salty cheese is extraordinary
Ready to cook with STOKE?
Real fire-roasted capsicum, pickled chilli, smoked paprika. $8.99 a bottle, shipped Australia-wide.
ORDER NOW — $8.99Want to learn more? Read our complete peri-peri sauce guide or master the South African braai.