Romanian charcoal-grilled skinless sausages of beef, pork, and lamb spiced with garlic, thyme, and bicarbonate — the soul of summer.
Mititei (literally 'little ones', often called mici) are Romania's national grilled meat — short, plump, skinless sausages of mixed minced beef, pork, and lamb, kneaded with garlic, thyme, savory, black pepper, and a critical pinch of bicarbonate of soda that aerates the mixture and gives mititei their signature springy, almost gelatinous bite. They were invented in 1880s Bucharest at the legendary Caru' cu Bere when sausage casings ran out and the cook simply shaped the spiced meat by hand. Grilled over charcoal until charred and juicy, mititei are eaten with mustard (always Tecuci mustard if you're serious), white bread, pickles, and a glass of cold beer at every Romanian summer barbecue, football match, and roadside grill. The meat must rest 24 hours minimum — fresh from the mixer they taste raw and underseasoned; rested, they bloom.
Serves 6
Combine all three minces in a large bowl. Keep everything cold — work over an ice bath if your kitchen is warm.
Add garlic paste, salt, pepper, thyme, savory, allspice, coriander, and caraway. Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda evenly over the surface.
With cold hands or a stand mixer with paddle, knead the mixture for 5–7 minutes, gradually adding the cold stock 1 tbsp at a time. The mass should become pale, sticky, and slightly fluffy — air incorporation is key.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, ideally 24. This rest is non-negotiable — the bicarbonate works on the proteins, garlic mellows, spices bloom.
Wet hands with cold water. Form the mixture into 18 stubby cylinders about 10 cm long and 3 cm thick. Tap each on the work surface to compact — there should be no air pockets.
Light a charcoal grill or chimney starter; let coals burn to medium-high heat with white ash. A gas grill works at 220°C; cast-iron grill pan also acceptable.
Brush mititei lightly with oil. Place on the grates. Grill 5 minutes per side, turning a quarter-turn each minute to char all 4 sides evenly. They puff up — that's the bicarbonate working.
An internal thermometer should read 70°C. The juices run clear; the skin is mahogany; the inside is just-set and bouncy.
Pile onto a wooden board with a heap of Tecuci mustard, white bread, pickled hot peppers, and a cold pilsner.
The 24-hour rest transforms the mixture from raw-tasting to deeply seasoned — never grill fresh.
Cimbru (Romanian savory) is the secret — order it online if your shop doesn't carry it. Thyme is a passable substitute but lacks the peppery edge.
Don't press the mititei flat with a spatula on the grill — you'll squeeze out the juices that make them juicy.
Caru' cu Bere style — add 1 tsp ground sweet paprika and a splash of brandy.
Spicy version — work in 1 finely chopped jalapeño and 1 tsp chili flakes.
Oven version — bake at 230°C for 12 minutes if grilling isn't an option, but the flavor isn't the same.
Cooked mititei refrigerate 3 days; reheat in a dry pan to crisp the outside. Uncooked mixture freezes 2 months — shape and freeze on a tray, then bag.
Mititei were invented at Bucharest's Hanul lui Iordache (later Caru' cu Bere) in the 1880s when the cook ran out of sausage casings during a busy lunch service. The meat was simply shaped by hand and grilled — diners loved them so much they refused to go back to skin-on sausages.
Either you didn't knead long enough (proteins haven't bound) or the grill was too cold. Knead 7 minutes minimum and grill over hot coals — they sear and hold.
You can, but the texture changes — without bicarb, mititei become dense regular sausages. The fluffy, springy bite is bicarb's gift.
Both are skinless grilled sausages of the Balkans, but mititei use three meats including beef, contain bicarbonate, and are spiced with caraway and savory. Ćevapi are typically beef-lamb, no bicarb, and simply seasoned.
Per serving (180g / 6.3 oz) · 6 servings total
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