Mici
Mici (mititei)
Romanian grilled skinless sausages: beef and pork with garlic, bicarbonate and spices, charred and eaten with mustard and bread.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Mici (mititei).
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 12 hr
- Total
- 12 hr 37 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Mici, or mititei, are short, fat skinless sausages of minced beef and pork beaten with garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, coriander and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, then rested overnight and grilled over charcoal. The bicarbonate is not a gimmick: it changes the texture so the mici puff slightly and stay springy and juicy rather than crumbly. Stock worked into the mix does the same job. They are eaten with yellow mustard, white bread and beer, standing up. The meat should be fatty, at least 20 percent, or they dry out on the grill.
What you'll need
13 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Beef, minced, fatty cut such as chuck or brisket700 g
Choose one
Pork, minced, fatty300 g- Garlic, crushed to a paste with salt5 clove
- Baking soda4.9 ml
- Salt9.9 ml
- Black pepper4.9 ml
- Thyme, dried4.9 ml
- Ground coriander4.9 ml
- Allspice, ground2½ ml
- Chilli flakes (optional)2½ ml
- Beef stock, cold100 ml
- Mustard, mild yellow mustard, to serve80 g
- White bread, soft white loaf or rolls, to serve300 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Put both meats in a large bowl with the garlic paste, bicarbonate, salt, pepper, thyme, coriander, allspice and chilli flakes if using.
5 min
Step 2
Add the cold stock a little at a time and beat the mixture hard with your hand for 5 to 8 minutes, slapping it against the bowl, until it is sticky, smooth and paler. This is what gives mici their bounce.
8 min
Tip: A stand mixer with the paddle on medium does this in 4 minutes.
Step 3
Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. The rest matters; the bicarbonate and salt need time to work.
720 min
Step 4
With wet hands shape into stubby cylinders about 7 cm long and 3 cm thick, roughly 50 g each. You should get about 24. Chill 30 minutes.
15 min
Step 5
Grill over hot charcoal, or on a very hot ridged pan, turning with tongs every 2 minutes, until charred outside and just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes in all.
12 min
Watch: Do not press them with the tongs. You squeeze out the juice you worked for.
Step 6
Serve hot off the grill with mustard, bread and cold beer. Four per person is a portion; five is normal.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 616 kcal
- Protein
- 49.7 g
- Carbs
- 41.3 g
- Fat
- 25.6 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.8 g
- Fibre
- 1.9 g
- Sugar
- 0.6 g
- Sodium
- 832 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Beef and pork → All beef, or beef and lamb
The original Bucharest mici were all beef with a little mutton. Pork crept in later.
Tips
- Lean mince is the most common mistake. Ask the butcher for 20 to 25 percent fat or add a little minced pork fat.
- Brush with a little stock while grilling to keep the surface moist, as the stands do.
- The raw shaped mici freeze well. Grill from thawed.
History & culture
The smell of every Romanian fair, football match, roadside and May Day picnic. Mici stands sell them by the piece with a squirt of mustard on a paper plate. At home they are summer barbecue food, and arguments about the right spice mix are as heated as the grill. Beer is not optional.
Bucharest legend places them at a tavern near Lipscani in the late 1800s, when a cook ran out of casings and grilled the sausage filling bare. The story is suspiciously neat. They are clearly cousins of the Balkan ćevapi and the Ottoman kebab tradition, adapted to Romanian pork.
Traditional — Charcoal is the proper heat. A ridged pan or hot grill pan indoors works but you lose the smoke, which is a real loss.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Mici take?
12 hr 37 min all in — 25 min prep, 12 min cook, 12 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Frying pan, Tongs.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Beef and pork → All beef, or beef and lamb. The original Bucharest mici were all beef with a little mutton. Pork crept in later.
What should I watch for?
Do not press them with the tongs. You squeeze out the juice you worked for.
Any tips from this recipe?
Lean mince is the most common mistake. Ask the butcher for 20 to 25 percent fat or add a little minced pork fat. Brush with a little stock while grilling to keep the surface moist, as the stands do. The raw shaped mici freeze well. Grill from thawed.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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