Ćevapi (Bosnian Grilled Beef Sausages with Somun and Onion)

About This Recipe

Ćevapi (or ćevapčići, the diminutive) are the most iconic street food of Bosnia and Herzegovina, beloved across the entire former Yugoslavia but most fiercely defended in Sarajevo, where every dedicated ćevabdžinica has its own secret recipe and devotees who insist no other version comes close. The principle is deceptively simple: very fresh minced beef (sometimes with a touch of lamb), seasoned only with salt, garlic water and a small pinch of bicarbonate of soda, kneaded until the meat becomes elastic and tacky, then rested overnight to develop flavour and texture. The mixture is shaped by hand into small skinless sausages — about the thickness of a finger and 7 cm long, not pencil-thin and not bratwurst-thick — and grilled hard over white-hot charcoal so the outside chars and gets smoky while the inside stays juicy. The classic serving is uncompromising: 5 to 10 ćevapi tucked into a warm split somun (a soft round Bosnian flatbread that absorbs the meat juices), with a heap of raw chopped onion alongside, and a spoonful of kajmak — the cultured clotted cream of the western Balkans, somewhere between butter and cream cheese, that melts gloriously over the hot meat. Add ajvar (red pepper relish) if you wish, but Sarajevans will tell you the holy trinity is meat, bread and onion. Eaten with a cold dark beer or a glass of šljivovica plum brandy, ćevapi are the meal that defines Sarajevo's Baščaršija old town and that Bosnian families abroad miss most fiercely.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 700 gfreshly ground beef chuck (20% fat)(best ground twice through a coarse plate)
• 200 gfreshly ground lamb shoulder (optional but traditional in some recipes)
• 4garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt
• 100 mlvery cold sparkling water (or plain ice water)
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda (baking soda)(the secret that gives the bouncy tender texture)
• 1 tspfine sea salt plus 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4fresh somun flatbreads, or 4 thick warm pitas split open
• 2 largewhite onions, very finely chopped (raw)
• 100 gkajmak (or thick crème fraîche/mascarpone mixed with feta)(Balkan groceries; the right kajmak transforms the dish)
• ajvar (red pepper relish), pickled chillies, and cold beer to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Make garlic water

   Whisk the crushed garlic paste into the cold sparkling water in a small jug. Let sit 10 minutes — the garlic infuses the water and the sparkling bubbles add lightness to the meat later.

2. 2

   Mix the meat

   In a large bowl, combine both ground meats. Add the bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper. Pour over the garlic water, straining out the garlic solids (or leaving them in if you like a stronger garlic note). Knead hard with your hands for 4–5 minutes — the mixture should become smooth, elastic, tacky and slightly lighter in colour as it incorporates air. This kneading develops the bouncy texture.

   Wet your hands with cold water to prevent sticking; the soda starts working immediately.

3. 3

   Rest overnight

   Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate at minimum 8 hours, ideally 24. The rest is non-negotiable — the bicarbonate of soda works on the meat proteins to tenderise and give that characteristic bouncy bite, and the flavours develop substantially.

   Some Sarajevo masters rest the mix 48 hours and use even older meat — the flavour is markedly deeper.

4. 4

   Shape the ćevapi

   Wet your hands with cold water. Take a heaped tablespoon of mixture (about 35 g) and roll between your palms into a smooth sausage shape — about 7 cm long, the thickness of a finger, rounded at both ends. Lay on a tray as you go. Aim for 25–30 ćevapi. Keep cold until grilling.

5. 5

   Heat the grill hard

   Light a charcoal grill and let the coals burn down to white-hot — they should make you instinctively pull your hand away after 2 seconds at grill height. A gas grill should be on its highest setting for 10 minutes. The ćevapi need fierce heat to char outside before the inside dries out.

6. 6

   Grill quick and hot

   Brush grill grates lightly with oil. Lay ćevapi across the grates and grill 2–3 minutes per side, turning once or twice, until they have deep mahogany char marks all around and feel firm but yielding when pressed. Total cook time 6–8 minutes — much longer and they go dry. The inside should be juicy and just-cooked, not pink, not grey.

   If using a stovetop grill pan, do it with the kitchen extractor on full — they smoke beautifully.

7. 7

   Warm the somun

   While the ćevapi rest 2 minutes, warm the somun directly on the grill 30 seconds per side until just toasted and pliable. Split each open to make a pocket — but the bread should still be soft, not crisp.

8. 8

   Assemble and serve

   Place 5–7 ćevapi in each warm somun pocket. Top with a generous handful of raw chopped onion and a spoonful of kajmak laid directly on the hot meat so it begins to melt. Set on a plate with a side of ajvar, pickled chillies, and another mound of raw onion on the side. Eat immediately with the hands, with cold dark beer or chilled šljivovica.

Variations

• •

  Banja Luka ćevapi — northern Bosnian version where 4 ćevapi are joined together as small grids (rather than separate sausages) and served as one piece per portion.

• •

  Lamb ćevapi — 100% lamb shoulder for a richer, gamier version popular in Serbia.

• •

  Pljeskavica — the same meat mixture pressed into a single large flat patty (Balkan burger) and grilled.

• •

  Vegetarian ćevapi — made with mushrooms, walnuts, breadcrumbs and beans; surprisingly good when grilled hard.

Storage

Uncooked shaped ćevapi keep refrigerated 24 hours, or freeze on a tray then bag — grill from frozen, adding 3 minutes. Cooked ćevapi keep refrigerated 3 days and are excellent reheated in a hot pan with a splash of water. The meat mixture itself, unshaped, can be made up to 48 hours ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions