Mititei- Authentic Romanian Grilled Sausages Recipe

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Mititei- Authentic Romanian Grilled Sausages are made with ground beef, garlic and other spices. They are served with mustard, bread, and cold beer.

When in the mood for partying and the weather is fine, Romanians go out for picnics. One of their favorite food out there is “Mititei” or “Mici“.

Mititei are small skinless sausages made with ground beef, lamb or pork meat, garlic and other spices.

The sausages are grilled on charcoal hot grill and served with mustard, fresh bread, French fries and cold beer.  It is a meat dish encountered in multiple countries in the Balkans, but each one of them uses its own mixture of spices.

This picture was taken at a summer festival in Bucharest, Romania.

The Mititei are a delicious summer delight. As Americans get together for hamburgers and hot dogs, Romanians get together for Mititei and grilled meats.

We gather together with family and friends, and enjoy the meats with salads, good wine and cold beers.

And we make lots of “Mititei” because they are so good that you cannot eat just a few. They have to be crunchy on the outside, but juicy, soft  and slightly pink on the inside.

Few years ago, when we visited Maramures, a beautiful region in the north of Romania, we had this:

The grill was made in a round shape and looked like a hat.

Bacon was cooked first on the edges of the grill and potatoes fried in the rendered fat released in the middle.

The “mititei” were added to the grill and cooked.

I cannot even describe you the taste of the fried potatoes and the grilled meats cooked like this. Juicy and delicious! Add a summer tomato salad to all this and you will have the best meal you ever had!

How to make the Mititei- Romanian Grilled Sausages Recipe:

Meat: The best taste for these little sausages is acquired when the meat is prepared with a night before, so the ingredients have time to get friendly together.

The meat mixture has a lot of spices and a little bit of baking soda. The baking soda makes them fluffier and easier to digest.

Traditionally, the meat is a mixture of beef and lamb. Pork is accepted instead of lamb for the ones who don’t like the taste.

It has to contain some fat, so for that matter, beef suet is added to the ground meat. If you cannot find that, then buy a pork cut that has more fat in it.

The final product will be juicy and delicious. No fat, and the sausages will be dry and boring.

What kind of spices and herbs you need:

The recipe came to Romania hundreds of years ago from the Turks. Most countries in the Balkans have a recipe of Mititei, even if they call them differently, like Ćevapi or ćevapčići.

However, each country adapted the recipe according to the spices available and the taste they enjoyed.

The rule, in general, when you make sausages, is to use fresh condiments, as they have a more intense flavor than the ones sitting in the back of your pantry cabinet.

Thyme, black pepper, allspice, anise, coriander spices are the traditional ones used for the Romanian Mititei.

a few words about thyme and ingredients in general:

Some of you out there told me that I need to use the so called “cimbru” instead of thyme to make this recipe. Well, Romanian “cimbru” is called summer savory, but to tell you the truth, I never saw summer savory in the stores in Minnesota.

I had to replace it with thyme because this is what is available. I used thyme for roasting meats, to make sausages, cabbage rolls and other traditional Romanian recipes that require summer savory.

You also have to remember that the ingredients for most recipes I share with you on this blog are adjusted to fit the American needs. I know there are a lot of purist out there who would insist that I have to make the recipe in a way or another.

However, for a regular American, who might have some Romanian roots and would love to try some recipes, thyme is a perfect option for this recipe.

If you do not like thyme and cannot find summer savory, use Greek oregano, or even Mexican oregano, which are milder and will not change the taste of the meat considerably.

what other ingredients you will need:

The garlic is crushed and spread through the mixture. I gave you the amount of garlic for the meat, but you can adjust it, according to your own taste. Some people like it more garlicky, some people don’t.

You will also need a concentrated beef broth or plain water.

Make sure is very cold. The idea is to add enough liquid to the meat to obtain a soft mixture.

The mixture has to be mixed really well. For that matter, if you have a vertical stand mixer, you can use it.

Otherwise, use your clean hands to mix and even knead the mixture really well.

When you are done mixing, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator over night.

The ingredients will have time to get friendly with each other and transform the sausages into a symphony in your mouth. 

What size to make the Mititei and how to cook them:

The next day, using your wet hands, form cylinders of about 2-3 inches long and 1 inch thick. Approximately. Try to make them the same size. They will cook even.

Traditionally, the sausages are grilled on a wood and charcoal grill. The grill should not be very hot (the sausages will burn on the surface and stay raw in the middle).

If the heat is too low, the sausages will dry out. Do not flip them unless they come off easily from the grill. If you mess with them, they will break.

The time is approximate 8 minutes, but each grill is different.

Serve them with mustard, fresh buns or French Fries. A beer is always a perfect addition to them.

Enjoy and happy grilling!

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