I’m finally sharing with you my recipe for the most popular authentic Romanian street food, Mititei! Mititei or Mici are little sausages without any casings made with ground meat and spices, and are usually served with lots of mustard, bread and a cold beer. They’re juicy, plump, delicious and really easy to make!
Mititei Or Mici
I can’t believe that in the 10 years that I’ve been blogging I’ve never shared this recipe for mititei with you before. I’m here to rectify that because I was born in Romania and these mititei are one of my favorites. Let me begin by saying this is one of the most popular if not, the most popular Romanian dish, snack, street food or whatever you want to call it. You can find these mititei at every street corner, or in any restaurant. Mititei are to Romanians as hot dogs are to Americans.
Mititei or mici literally means “little ones”. They’re basically little sausages without any casings, grilled to perfection and served with plenty of mustard. I’ve also never really made these often until recently while trying to perfect this recipe. The reason I’ve never made them is because they are a street food and if you’re in Romania, you find them everywhere. I also find them here in Canada in Hungarian or Romanian stores.
Having said that, I have always wanted to make them, and while I’ve always put it off, my husband has been making these for a few years now, so of course I consulted with him while perfecting my recipe. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think my recipe reigns supreme.
Ingredient Notes
- Meat – These are usually made with a mixture of meat such as ground beef, ground pork and ground lamb. You’re looking for a fattier meat and not extra lean. The fat will make the little sausages extra juicy and not dry and boring. You will want to combine at least two meats and not use just one.
- Thyme – Dried thyme is one of the most important ingredients in this recipe. The amount for this is something you have to play with. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of dried thyme, so I usually use very little. If you like, feel free to add more. Traditionally “cimbru” is used which translates to “summer savory”. However, I never find it here, so thyme is an acceptable substitute.
- Salt and Pepper – You need quite a bit of salt and some pepper, especially since we’re working with 3 pounds of meat.
- Baking Soda – This is the secret ingredient in mititei and I really wouldn’t recommend omitting this ingredient. The purpose of the baking soda is to make the mititei fluffier and it also helps with digestion. Again this is something you can play with in regards to how much to use. I recommend to use as instructed in the recipe the first time you make these, and then later on adjust to your preference.
- Garlic – Garlic is actually optional here but I love a bit of garlic flavor in my mititei. You can also use garlic powder instead.
- Other spices – Allspice and Sweet Paprika are also required. Allspice gives a warm and spicy-sweet flavor. The paprika is great because not only does it give the mititei a great color but it also adds a bit of fruity and bitter flavor.
- Beef Broth – This is also added to make the sausages juicy and plump. Sometimes we also use mineral water instead of the broth, which also helps to make them fluffy and tender.
How To Make Mititei
- Make the meat mixture: Add all the ingredients and ¼ cup of the broth to the bowl of your stand mixer. Start mixing using the dough hook or paddle attachment for about 3 minutes on medium low. As the liquid is absorbed by the meat, keep adding ¼ cup of broth at a time until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Cover and chill: Transfer the meat mixture to a bowl and press it down with a spatula to push out any air bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This allows all the ingredients to get friendly, resulting in very tasty sausages.
- Shape into sausages: Form the meat into long little sausages that are about 4 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter. You can use a piping bag, this way you’ll end up with perfect mititei all the same size. You can also use your clean hands to shape them into long sausages. This is easier achieved if you wet your hands as you roll the meat. Make sure they are long enough, as they do tend to shrink when grilling.
- Grill the sausages: Grill on a hot grill, turning every 3 minutes on each side. You want to make sure the grill is not scorching hot, as they will burn on the outside and will end up raw in the middle. If the heat is too low they will dry out.
- Serve: Serve with lots mustard and french fries.
FAQs
Mititei, also known as Mici, are Romania’s most popular street food. Mititei literally translates to “little ones” and it’s a recipe that came hundreds of years ago from the Turks. They are little sausages made with ground meat without casings, lots of spices, grilled and served with lots of mustard.
As I mentioned Mititei to Romanians are like hot dogs to Americans, so really you don’t need much to serve them. Lots of mustard is a must, and they are usually served with a toothpick inserted in each one, alongside some bread, maybe French fries and a good cold beer.
Typically these are made with ground beef and ground lamb, but ground pork is also acceptable. I would not use ground chicken, as it’s a dry meat and you want these little sausages to be as juicy as possible.
While I strongly recommend grilling these, you can bake them. I would bake them at 425°F for about 20 minutes in a roasting pan fitted with a rack, this will allow some fat to drip from them as they bake. I would also rotate them half way to make sure they get browned all around.
Tips
- Don’t use lean or extra ground meat, you’re looking for something with a little bit of fat. Fat is usually what makes these sausages extra juicy. Lean meat will make them dry and boring.
- If you don’t have the time to let the meat chill overnight, make sure you let them chill for at least an hour before grilling.
- If using your hands to shape into sausages, make sure you have a bowl with water next to you. As you shape, dip your hands in the water bowl first then shape the meat into a long sausage. Dip your hand in the bowl with water again and continue working. This will make it much easier to roll into sausages, without the meat sticking to your hands.
Leftovers
Grilled, these little sausages will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. I usually just warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
Freezing
You can easily freeze the meat for these. I usually shape them in sausages and place them on a tray or a baking sheet, right next to each other. You can even stack them if needed. Wrap them up tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before grilling.
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Mititei (Romanian Street Food)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 cup beef broth no sodium added
Instructions
- Make the meat mixture: Add all the ingredients and ¼ cup of the broth to the bowl of your stand mixer. Start mixing using the dough hook or paddle attachment for about 3 minutes on medium low. As the liquid is absorbed by the meat, keep adding ¼ cup of broth at a time until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Cover and chill: Transfer the meat mixture to a bowl and press it down with a spatula to push out any air bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This allows all the ingredients to get friendly, resulting in very tasty sausages.
- Shape into sausages: Form the meat into long little sausages that are about 4 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter. You can use a piping bag, this way you'll end up with perfect mititei all the same size. You can also use your clean hands to shape them into long sausages. This is easier achieved if you wet your hands as you roll the meat. Make sure they are long enough, as they do tend to shrink when grilling.
- Grill the sausages: Grill on a hot grill, turning every 3 minutes on each side. You want to make sure the grill is not scorching hot, as they will burn on the outside and will end up raw in the middle. If the heat is too low they will dry out.
- Serve: Serve with lots mustard and french fries.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Recipe will yield about 30 mititei. Nutritional information is per one sausage.
- Don’t use lean or extra ground meat, you’re looking for something with a little bit of fat. Fat is usually what makes these sausages extra juicy. Lean meat will make them dry and boring.
- If you don’t have the time to let the meat chill overnight, make sure you let them chill for at least an hour before grilling.
- If using your hands to shape into sausages, make sure you have a bowl with water next to you. As you shape, dip your hands in the water bowl first then shape the meat into a long sausage. Dip your hand in the bowl with water again and continue working. This will make it much easier to roll into sausages, without the meat sticking to your hands.
- Grilled, these little sausages will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. I usually just warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
- You can easily freeze the meat for these. I usually shape them in sausages and place them on a tray or a baking sheet, right next to each other. You can even stack them if needed. Wrap them up tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before grilling.
The legend says that the original Mititei recipe comes from Carul cu Bere in Bucharest when the chef ran out of casing for his sausages one evening, so he threw a beef sausages mixture on the charcoal grill. It was such a success that he had to make this every single day afterwards. Original recipe says it was only made with ground beef. At least 27% fat. And if the meat is not fat enough, you need to add beef suet. Also, the original recipe calls for garlic, cumin, star anise, summer savory, pepper, salt, all spice, mujdei (garlic water) – used for basting mititei while grilling, and for a 48 hours processing time. While still tasty if prepared that way, Mititei are never baked or pan fried. If you want to have the best tasting experience you have to grilled them on high temp on a wood charcoal grill. Turn them only three times. Tip – they have to be seared to keep the juices in.
hi can i do this in food processor instead of mixer?
Hi Winnie! You could but I would maybe use the plastic blade so you don’t mince the meat too much.
Love this recipe! Can they be cooked on the oven? If so, how long and at what temp?
Yes, there’s information in the FAQ section, under “Can I bake these?”
Scrumptious and easy to make. I used a 2 TBS ice cream scoop to make them and wore rubber gloves to roll them (no sticky mess) – I got 28 sausages. I let them set in the fridge overnight, then grilled 14 and froze 14. The mustard to dip is a must. My daughter commented, “I could eat these every day!”
So glad you liked them, Rick! 🙂
Oops, should have said I used a 3 TBS scoop, not 2.
OMG you too me right back to the early 60’s. RAYS (Romanian American Youth Society) picnic. I would consume till I burst. I am getting the ingredients today and having my own RAYS picnic 2021 style. Thank you.
My pleasure, let me know how they turn out for you. 🙂
I would like to freeze half of the recipe. Would it be best to freeze them raw or after cooking?
Shape them into sausages then place them on a tray right next to each other, and you can even stack them, then just freeze them for months. When you want to grill them just thaw them in the fridge overnight.
These look GOOD! Want to serve at multi National brunch. What’s the make a head advice?
Well you can shape them and freeze them, then thaw them in the fridge overnight, then just grill them the day of the brunch.
Could you freeze some of the uncooked sausages?
Absolutely. As a matter of fact when I buy the meat from the Romanian or Hungarian stores they come frozen. So basically you shape them into sausages then place them on a tray right next to each other, and you can even stack them, then just freeze them for months. When you want to grill them just thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Hello , very interesting. what kid of mustard is used in Romania ?? what kind of bread , do they really serve with French fries ?? Ya can easily grow savory in window box. A French chef I grew it for loved it !! ” Good Appetite “
We serve this with plain yellow mustard, nothing fancy required. As far as bread, it just depends, but usually we like a good crusty bread with them. And yes they are served with fries, especially if you have them at a restaurant. 🙂
I can’t eat beef so I am wondering if turkey would work-I can do the pork?
Turkey just like chicken is very lean, so I wouldn’t recommend it. Can you eat lamb, because you can mix lamb and pork together.