Ryno Grobler
For Chef Ryno Grobler, food is inseparable from memory. Before he was leading the kitchen at Highlands Smokehouse, before the years spent as executive chef at South African game lodges and wildlife conservation properties – where cooking meant feeding guests in the middle of wilderness, with the land itself as both pantry and context – there was his grandmother’s kitchen. A place filled with the aromas of curry, roasted meats, chutney, and bubbling casseroles pulled from the oven for large family meals.
Born in South Africa’s Eastern Cape and raised in Gauteng Province, Grobler came to the United States in 2018, drawn by the pull of new countries and unfamiliar cuisines. He landed on the Plateau, worked as a line cook in Cashiers, and eventually spent three years as sous chef at Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club – where he also met his future wife, then the property’s food and beverage director.
They married in 2021 and have since had two sons. He took over as executive chef at Highlands Smokehouse in the fall of 2025. Many of the dishes he cooks today still trace back to those early meals shared around the family table in South Africa. Bobotie, one of the country’s best-known comfort dishes, remains especially close to him. Traditionally made with curried meat, dried fruit, chutney, and a savory egg custard topping, the dish reflects the Cape Malay influences that helped shape South African cuisine.
This spring, Grobler brought the dish to Chef’s Circle – the roaming, station-to-station feast held at The Farm at Old Edwards – representing Highlands Smokehouse alongside nine other Plateau kitchens. It was the kind of evening that asks a chef to distill something essential: one dish, one table, one shot to say something about who you are. Grobler chose bobotie.
At the Smokehouse, he’s adapted the classic using smoked brisket instead of the more customary ground beef or lamb – a natural bridge between his South African roots and his current home in the mountains of North Carolina. The smoked meat deepens the dish’s richness while the dried fruit, spices, and chutney keep the sweet-savory balance he grew up with.
“It’s hearty but still light. A dish you could eat and fall asleep with.”
Chef Ryno’s Smoked Beef Brisket Bobotie
Serves 4–6
Bobotie Ingredients
2½ cups smoked and shredded beef brisket
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 large red onion, finely chopped or grated, (2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons medium curry powder
1 teaspoon ras el hanout
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon dried mixed herbs
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chile powder
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup chopped dried peaches and cranberries
½ cup crushed cashews
2 slices white bread, cubed
½ cup whole milk
Salt and black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons chutney (see note)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon beef base
Olive oil, for cooking
splash of water
Topping Ingredients
2 eggs
½ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt
2–3 bay leaves
For serving
Yellow rice
Sliced bananas
Sambal (see note)
Chutney
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and all dry spices. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in vinegar, sugar, and beef base. Add dried fruit and cashews and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Add splash of water.
Meanwhile, soak bread cubes in ½ cup milk until softened.
Add brisket, soaked bread, chutney, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir thoroughly to combine. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased casserole dish.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and salt. Pour evenly over the meat mixture and top with bay leaves.
Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden and fully set. If needed, tent again with foil and continue baking until center is firm.
Serve with yellow rice, sliced bananas, sambal, and chutney.
Notes
On the chutney: Grobler uses his own homemade chutney, but Mrs. H.S. Ball’s Original Recipe — a South African pantry staple dating to the 1890s, made with sun-ripened peaches, apricots, caramel, and chiles — is the classic stand-in. It’s available at Amazon. Any good sweet-tangy fruit chutney will work in the recipe; save the real thing for the table.
Sambal: Dice equal parts tomato, cucumber, and red onion. Dress with white vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, and fresh chile to taste. This cool, bright condiment is essential — it cuts the richness of the baked filling.
Cook’s note: Grobler encourages home cooks to adapt the recipe to their own tastes. Different dried fruits, nuts, or spice levels all work well. “This recipe is a guideline,” he says. “Find your preferred flavor.”
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