Mititei
(mee-tee-tay)
Sunday Grătar: The Romanian Backyard BBQ
Ask any Romanian what home smells like, and they’ll point to the scent of mici sizzling over charcoal. These intensely garlicky, skinless sausages are the undisputed kings of the backyard grătar. The secret to their improbable, bouncy juiciness isn't breadcrumbs or egg, but raw kitchen chemistry: baking soda and ice-cold bone broth worked violently into fatty ground meat. Make the paste on a lazy Sunday, let the alchemy happen overnight in the fridge, and you've got an instant, unapologetically glorious weeknight dinner.
Before you start
Activate the baking soda.
In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and lemon juice until the aggressive foaming subsides, then stir the mixture directly into the ice-cold bone broth.
Knead the meat aggressively.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the beef, pork, garlic paste, summer savory, salt, pepper, coriander, allspice, and paprika. Turn to medium-low, slowly stream in the cold broth, and beat the mixture for 5 straight minutes until it transforms from a loose crumble into a unified, sticky paste.
Rest the meat overnight.
Transfer the paste to an airtight container, press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the meat, and refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours and up to 48 hours to allow the baking soda to tenderize the proteins.
Ingredients
- 80% lean ground beef1 lb
- ground pork1 lb
- baking soda1 tsp
- fresh lemon juice1 tbsp
- beef bone broth3/4 cup
- garlic6 large cloves
- dried summer savory1 1/2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- ground coriander1 tsp
- ground allspice1/2 tsp
- sweet paprika1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Shape the sausages.
Set up a foil-lined baking sheet and a small bowl of water. Dipping your hands in the water to prevent sticking, scoop up a quarter cup of the cold meat and roll it between your palms into a smooth, plump cylinder about three inches long and an inch and a half thick.
- 02
Sear to a crusty finish.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat with a light drizzle of neutral oil, then place the sausages in the pan and leave them undisturbed until a deep brown crust forms. Turn to cook all four sides for about 8 to 10 minutes total, leaving the inside slightly pink and heavily juiced.
- 03
Serve immediately.
Eat them piping hot with a heavy dollop of sharp yellow mustard, crusty bread, and an ice-cold beer.
Notes
The authentic flavor secret.
Most English recipes mistakenly call for thyme, but the soul of the Romanian grătar demands summer savory, known locally as cimbru. It delivers a peppery, piney bite that thyme simply can't match.
Fat is non-negotiable.
Do not attempt this with lean meat. Standard 80/20 ground beef and un-trimmed ground pork are essential to hydrate the sausage properly and carry the heavy spice load.
Build a weeknight freezer stash.
Mici freeze exceptionally well. Freeze the shaped, raw sausages solid on a baking sheet, then bag them up to cook straight from frozen on a busy weeknight.
From Cook Romanian in America.