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These Grilled Romanian Mici, or mititei, are juicy, savoury, garlicky and a must try at your next cookout. They’re super easy to make, gluten-free, require only a few ingredients, and taste even better when prepared in advance. Every region and household uses their own preferred blend of meat and seasonings. Sometimes beef and pork is used, other times beef and lamb. The two most common ingredients, however, are garlic, which give the mici a distinct flavour, and baking soda, which helps to tenderize the meat and give the mici a fluffy texture.
Ingredients You Need for Romanian Mici
- Meat: Beef and pork is by far the most common combination used throughout Romania. I personally like to use a combination of beef and lamb to make mici. It gives them a delicious flavour and juiciness. Feel free to experiment with any combination you like, just be sure to use a meat with an adequate amount of fat, ideally 20-30%.
- Garlic: As always, measure this ingredient with your heart and don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much.
- Baking Soda: Adding baking soda to the mici mixture helps tenderize the meat and give them a fluffy texture. It’s one of the ingredients that defines Romanian mici from other Balkan kebabs.
- Seasonings: I used a combination of dried thyme, paprika, salt and pepper here.
- Carbonated Water: Adding carbonated water to the meat mixture helps distribute the seasonings and baking soda. It also ensures the mici stay juicy on the grill.
- Beef Bone Broth (optional): The absolute best mici have beef bone broth added to the meat mixture. This helps give the mici some added flavour and also keeps them very juicy as they grill. If you don’t have bone broth, use carbonated water instead.
What Are Mici?
“Mici,” (pr. meet-ch) also known as “Mititei,” are a traditional Romanian dish consisting of small, ground meat sausages typically made from a mix of beef, pork, and sometimes lamb. The meat is seasoned with a variety of spices and herbs, including garlic, salt, black pepper, thyme and paprika. Baking soda and carbonated water are also added to the mixture to help tenderize the meat, give the mici a fluffy texture, and make them juicy. Romanian mici are usually grilled over a charcoal fire and served with mustard and bread.
In Romania, mici vendors once dotted the city streets and local markets across the country. They were the undisputed heavy weight champions of street food. These days, with stricter bylaws, mici have all but disappeared from the streets and have found their way into restaurants and bars. They are also one of the most popular foods to cook at a Romanian BBQ. With an estimated 440 million mici consumed each year in Romania, it’s safe to say it’s one of the unofficial national dishes of the country.
Serving Suggestions
Romanian mici are most commonly served with a big dollop of yellow mustard and some bread. At restaurants, they’re often served with a side of fried potatoes.
Tips for Perfect Mici
1. Meat Mixture
- Beef and pork is the most common mixture of meat used for Romanian mici. Beef and lamb is also used, but is less popular. The mixture of meat used will not only affect the flavour of the mici, but also the texture so be sure to use a combination you enjoy.
- For juicy and flavourful mici, try to use meat with around 20-30% fat content. Ground beef chuck, ground pork shoulder and ground lamb shoulder will provide a good balance of fat and meat.
2. Let it Marinate
- For best results, it’s important to let the mici marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours or, ideally, overnight. Not only will it allow the seasonings to penetrate the meat, but it will also give time for the baking soda to properly tenderize the meat and give it a fluffy texture.
3. Grill over Medium Heat
- The best mici are cooked over a medium heat to avoid burning. Turn them often so that they keep their shape and cook evenly on all sides.
You can also find this recipe in my cookbook.
Grilled Romanian Mici (AKA Mititei)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground lamb, substitute pork
- 6 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, substitute oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup carbonated mineral water
- Dijon mustard, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground lamb, garlic, salt, baking soda, thyme, paprika and black pepper. Use your hands to thoroughly mix until well-combined and the mixture becomes tacky, around 5 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wet your hands with a bit of water and form small log-shaped kebabs approximately 3.5 inches long and 1 inch thick. Place the mici onto the lined baking sheet as you form them. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight. They can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Preheat your Traeger Grill to 500F (if using the ModiFire Sear Grate, preheat to 475F). If using a conventional gas or charcoal grill, preheat it to a medium direct heat.
- Place the mici onto the grill and cook, turning often to prevent burning, until browned on all sides and the cooked through, around 12 minutes total.
- Transfer the mici to a serving platter and serve with mustard for dipping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.