These homemade sausages also known as mici (which will translate as "small" or 'little' and pronounced "Meech") are a Romanian BBQ staple. There is no bbq without these tasty little ones. Mici or mititei is street food in Romania and they are loved by everyone that likes meat. Love at first taste and sight too as they do look appetizing.
Generally, people purchase them ready from local butchers raw and grill them at home. Mici is now available to buy here in the UK, but why buy them ( mainly frozen) when they are so easy to make at home? So, please give them a try and let me know how they came out for you.
If you are a Romanian and have visited Romania, you know what I am saying. If you are not, never visited Romania, or never met a Romanian, then, you must try these delicious little ones aka mici (mititei) immediately.
What is mici or mititei?
They are small homemade sausages with no casing and they're so different in many ways, they're super, super nice!
Ideal for a picnic or BBQ especially to grill them and eat them freshly on the spot there and then. They can be pan-fried or baked but.... they will not be the same.
The best mici are the homemade ones obviously as they're the real stuff. You know what's in them and that is an absolute must as far as I believe. No need to add anything nasty for those to be the 'real stuff'. Many people buy them ready-made because they think they're too fancy to prepare. They are not. Not at all!!
Keep the recipe simple and you'll see how beautiful they'll turn out.
Traditionally the recipe calls for quite a bit of fat but I have made them with super lean (just 5% fat) pork mince and 5% fat content beef mince. The result?! Simply gorgeous, super juicy, and absolutely delicious mici. A lot healthier too!
But there is not to say that are no secrets to making those little ones, there are!
The secret to making and preparing mici….
The fat content, as believed by many, isn't the actual secret to getting nice juicy mici, not at all.
The very secret to good mici or homemade sausages are a couple of things :
- The moisture level - need to add liquids to the mixture (see ingredients)
- Soda bicarbonate and the beer (the star ingredients)
- Fire (needs to be cooked on fairly rapid-fire) and this is the key to success.
More Important Tips
- Fresh minced meat/ground meat is important to get the best-tasting mici;
- Mici need and must be cooked on fairly rapid fire and this is to keep them juicy and tender.
- Serve immediately as they come off the BBQ;
- For the best results, taste, and flavors wise, the mixture needs to rest for a couple of hours in the fridge. No need to rest for more than a couple of hours but if no choice, make the mixture the night before.
Serving Suggestions
- traditionally, mici must be served on their own with your favorite mustard and a cold, cold super good pint of beer. Once you have all these in place you're good to go.
- they can be served with chips, bread or buns, or a salad of your choice too (I know I will be told off by a Romanian for saying this lol).
FAQs
Can I freeze mici?
Yes, you may. If you think you made too much mici mixture and might not use it all, freeze it. Place it in a freezer bag and you may keep it frozen for up to two months. You may freeze it as a chunk or as readily formed mici. If you decide to form the mititei and then freeze them, you may do so but place them next to one another in an airtight container on layers separated by parchment paper. Remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge overnight to thaw it out.
How long can I keep mici?
They are best when consumed fresh, however, they can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. They will need to be reheated in a pan before serving.
Here's the recipe folks, and I've had quite a few requests for this recipe (sorry for the wait) but here it is now, so let's start rolling these yummy meaty open amazing little case-free sausages.
Before getting these done, here are some more nice BBQ side dishes that you may like to make in addition to enjoying a real feast.
More recipes you might like
- Cabbage And Carrot Salad
- Courgette Salad
- Homemade Burger Buns
- Korean Corn Dog Recipe
- Delicious Egg Chicken Roll Recipe
Did you make this mici recipe? Leave a comment and even rate the recipe to tell us what you thought and how it came out for you!
Homemade mici - romanian garlicky meat open sausages
Equipment
- glass bowl
- spatula
- tongs
- tray
- mug
Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef (17.7 oz or 2.2 cups) I used 5% fat content
- 500 g ground pork (17.7 oz or 2.2 cups) I used 5% fat content ( you can use more fat content)
- 180 ml beef stock (6.09 floz) ideally homemade * see recipe notes
- 50 ml beer ( 1.69 floz)
- 1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate * ½ US teaspoon as that is larger
- 1 teaspoon salt * â…“ US teaspoon
- 2-3 cloves garlic (small cloves) grated and made into a paste
- 1 teaspoon thyme dry or fresh
- 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chilli flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Place the meat into a bowl, you can give it another whizz into the food processor for a double grinding but don't worry if you don't fancy doing this. There is another solution - extra mixing/kneading.
- In a larger mug, I mix the beef stock with beer, soda bicarbonate, spices, salt pepper and give it a good stir until the salt has dissolved entirely.
- Add this liquid mixture to the meat and mix really well until the mixture becomes almost a paste. And this is your double grinding technique
- You can now work with a dash of oil or water to form the sausages into their shapes. A little touch of oil takes you a long way so just grease your palms with a tiny dash of oil or, use a bit of water. I always use oil. It helps with preventing them from sticking. Place all on a plate or a little tray, something that can easily be placed in the fridge.
- Transfer the open sausages to the fridge to rest for 2 to 4 hours but you can leave them overnight too, it's absolutely okay.
- Place them onto a hot, hot grill or in a hot pan and cook them on each side ( x 2) for no longer than 4 min.
- Mici must be served with mustard and a super cold glass of beer. HEA VEN!
Notes
- To make the beef or lamb stock at home I always choose oxtail or lamb neck and boil these for a good few hours. They can be made separate or mixed it really does not matter.
- Â If you don't eat pork replaced this with lamb but if you do, feel free to mix all three types of meat to a ratio of 2:1:1 meaning 2 parts of beef, 1 part pork and 1 lamb. It's a sensational one.
- Needless to say that I always add chilli flakes to spice things up a little or serve them with nice 'n spicy mustard.
- Resting time it's an important step as they will soak in all the spices and all flavours will blend in nicely.
- Mixing the meat is crucial - this needs mixing by hand until resembles a paste
- Mici can be grilled, ideally on the charcoal grill but a gas or electric grill would do the job too. They can be even fried in a pan or baked in the oven.
- These need to be grilled on quick-fire. High temperature is another secret to PERFECT MICI and turned a couple of times - this is for the best-looking mici (see picture below) but also for delivering some really nice mouthwatering and very juicy mici 'little ones' 😉 Â
- To check whether Mici or the little ones are cooked to perfection while on the grill tap them harder with a fork or the tongs and if they are bouncy, they are ready.
Â
Jenny says
I had never heard of mici before; they look wonderful and mouthwatering! I have to try them! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Veronika says
I've never tried mici before but it looks so delicious! Going to save the recipe and make it sometime soon 😉
Tammy says
Beautifully photographed! I have to make my own sausages...nothing compared to homemade and I love the heat in these. Sounds and looks SO good!
Colleen says
This is the first time I've heard of these, but I would love to try making them this summer. They look delicious and I'm sure they will be a hit!
Chef Dennis says
I would love to try a Romanian BBQ staple! This mici looks absolutely delicious. I am so excited to have this on our table.
Bernice Hill says
These mici look pretty amazing and I can't wait to try them for our next barbeque. Garlic sausage is one of our favourites.
Elizabeth says
Great recipe! So delicious!
Jessie says
These sound incredible! Could I make them with just beef, or will they end up too dry? What a great meal with a little crusty bread!
Ramona says
Hi Jessie,
Yes, absolutely! Beef only will work beautifully too and it does not have to be high in fat content 😉
Audrey says
Such an authentic recipe! Talk about yummy too.
Julia says
Wow learned something new today! These will definitely be great for summer BBQs but I can also see myself prepping these for my WFH lunches!
Ksenia says
I can see why these babies are beloved by many! So flavourful
Maddie says
I've never heard of this dish and can't wait to try it now. What a delicious and flavorful combination!
aurel dumitrescu says
Hai sa traiesti Ramona si numai bine. Facem mici de o gramada de timp chiar si iarna care in Canada cere respect si nu-mi aduc aminte sa fi ramas ceva pe masa. Ca o paranteza la reteta ta as trece nutmeg coriander si cumin la optionale de bere sincer nu am incercat dar 50 ml nu e o moarte de om la un kilo de carne. In retetele vechi bicarbonatul de sodiu se stingea cu zeama de lamaie sau apa gazoasa si noi asa o facem desi noul stil se pune pudra direct in carne. Unii prefera ienibaharul allspice un sfert de lingurita in locul corianderului altii adauga paprika sweet jumatate de lingurita la un kg ma rog preferintele se leaga de locuri. Sarbii mananca micii lor cevapcici cu caimac si ajvar un fel de zacuska si ii baga intr-o lipie rau nu este dar gustul difera poate saracia condimentelor. Plangerile de baza la consumatorii din familie au fost impotriva bicarbonatului nestins si a usturoiului pisat si in cantitate mare. Mai nou la 4 catei de usturoi pisati minced se adauga ceva apa cam la 2 linguri si iese un fel de mujdei care mai taie din iuteala noua de place the pink garlic lautrec in franta chesnot in usa. Altfel suntem aproape de reteta ta si bere si cartofi prajiti sa avem sa le descantam. Sanatate si numai bine.
Ramona says
Buna Aurel,
Ce bucurie mi-ai facut!
Da, intr-adevar retete sunt mai multe depinde de loc si placul fiecaruia, cu grasime, fara grasime, mirodeniile difera depinde de gustul fiecaruia. Eu sincer, de fiecare data can fac mici adaug mirodenii diferite dar cimbrul nu lipseste. Da, eu adaug bere in loc de apa minerala, sincer imi place mult si dizolv bicarbonatul in bere adaug toate mirodeniile si amestec pentru o omogenizare cat mai buna. Nici mie nu imi place cu ustroi in nestire, sincer.
Multumesc mult pentru ca te-ai oprit si mi-ai lasat acest mesaj de la suflet 😉
Salutari din Londra si MULTA sanatate!!
Gunjan says
Love your photography. I don’t eat meat do I shared your page with my brother and he is making it tonight 🙂
Eileen Kelly says
My family loved these meatballs. The flavors are bold and delicious, a wonderful meal.
Veronika says
Wow, what a fun recipe! I've never tried these mini sausages before but want to make next weekend. So much flavor in a mini package!
Aditi Bahl says
They looks absolutely delicious. The recipe sounds so doable, am trying these tommorow for dinner. Thanks for sharing.
Ramona says
Thanks Aditi, oh, it’s definitely a delicious doable recipe 😊
Tatiana says
These sausages look amazing and so delicious! Grilled to perfection! Saving for trying as soon as I have some free time!
Andrea Howe says
This was a new one for me, but man oh man am I glad I came across this recipe! SO Good!!! Everyone loved it, will be making more than once for sure.
Julia Osgood says
I love garlic and it’s nice that you reduced the fat in your recipe. I’ve never traveled to Romania, but I can have a taste of it in my own kitchen with your mici. Thanks for sharing!
Shelley says
I really, really enjoyed reading this post! I've never heard of mici, and found myself wishing I could purchase them here. But no need! I can make my own! I particularly like that in your recipe, you reduced the fat to make them healthier but still delicious - that's how I like to cook, too, and the goal for all my recipes, so I really appreciated your efforts to lighten them without sacrificing flavor! Terrific super-helpful, recipe post - thank you!
veenaazmanov says
Delicious option for a starter. Love the amazing flavors and yet so easy to make. This platter looks amazing.
Erin says
Aaaah. I'm meeting my Romanian friend tomorrow (for a safe socially distanced walk in a park!) I might try to make these beforehand as a surprise. Thanks so much for sharing. These sound amazing!
Ramona says
Ha ha, good idea Erin! they will be very pleased, I can guarantee you 😉
Georgiana says
Absolutely spot on recipe. Delicious mici - we devoured almost 1 kg of meat between the 4 of us - a cold beer was just the cherry on the cake. Thank you, Ramona, for this wonderful mici recipe. I have recommended it to all my family and friends who, to be honest never thought making mici at home was that easy(myself included). You really made me a convert now. So many wonderful recipes on your website, cannot wait to make some of these. I am so happy I stumbled across your website - no wonder the mici recipe made it on the first page on Google. Delicious!
Ramona says
Oh my! Thank you so much Georgiana for your lovely, lovely feedback and message. You did make my day, you really did :-), so very kind of you! I am looking forward to you trying different recipes and get your feedback. Thank you once again! Rxx
Karen says
I love the name and the sausages sound so tasty! We all need tasty little ones on the grill, all the time.
Ramona says
Thanks Karen, I totally agree with you 😉
Jen says
It was great to try something different. Love the epork/ beef combo and the spices were in perfect proportion.
Ramona says
Thank you so much Jen, I am so happy you liked the little delightful mici.
Amanda says
What a fun summer recipe! We do a lot of grill-outs during the summer, so this will be the perfect new addition.
Ramona says
Thank you dear Amanda, these mici are definitely worth a try.
Razvan says
Arata delicios 🔥 Am gasit reteta din intamplare, dar abia astept s-o incerc.
Ramona says
Mã bucur mult Răzvan că ai gasit rețeta. Sper din suflet să-ți placă la fel de mult cum ne place și nouă, este foarte bună și mirodeniile le adaugi după gust dar cimbrul să nu lipsească. Sa vii înapoi și sa ne spui cum ți-au ieșit 😊
Lathiya says
I'm sure that this would be a hit at any party. Those fresh spices are perfect to improve the flavor of the dish
Ramona says
Indeed, thank you dear Lathiya 😉
Stephen says
Fabulous recipe - I prefer to use Cimbru in place of the Thyme.
Hard to find (I'm in the UK), but there is some on eBay from user "steakandmash" 🙂
Ramona says
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for stopping by. Cimbru is actually thyme ;-). I only like using cimbru - it is the herb and the flavour that I really like. Dry thyme (cimbru uscat) is the best. If you make these mici using my recipe, would be lovely to hear how you liked them. Thanks again
Julie says
What a great recipe for the family! The flavors in this really pop and it's so delish. LOVE THIS!
Ramona says
Thanks Julie 😉
Gail Montero says
I am such a carnivore so this is totally right up my alley! The more garlic the better! YUM!
Ramona says
We’re so alike then dear Gail, mmmmm. Thank you so much lovely ??
Alena says
I can definitely see how this is a great dish to bring to a picnic! My family would eat this right up if I made it!
Ramona says
Thank you dear Alena ?
Mirlene says
These are absolutely delicious! It is that unexpected dish you'd want to serve at your next gathering or easily dress it up for a special occasion. Definitely a must try!
Ramona says
Thank you Mirlene, oh, definitely a must try. There’s is something about these mici that are just makes them simply unforgettable ?
Sondra Barker says
Yum these sound and look amazing! I want to try this recipe out myself sometime!
Ramona says
Thank you Sondra, so glad you like them ?
Jacqui DeBono says
I had these Bistrita -they are wonderful! I never thought of recreating them at home, now they are a must for the next BBQ!
Ramona says
Thank you dear Jacqui, they are delish aren’t they. Especially when eaten straight from the BBQ with a nice fresh homemade bun, a good mustard and a pint of beer. Cheers lovely! ??
Emily says
This is how to do a BBQ right! What a delicious and garlicky dinner for the family!
Ramona says
He he, thank you so much dear Emily, I agree 100% with you 😉
Colleen says
I've never heard of mici, but wow do they ever look delicious. Barbecue season has begun here, so these are on our must-try list. Thanks for sharing!
Ramona says
Definitely so easy and delicious. Made them again yesterday - mmmm, mici are truly yummy 😉
Marta says
I've never before heard of mici, but now all I want to do is make this recipe so I can taste them!
Ramona says
Thank you Marta,
You should really try them. Truthfully, you would only know about them if you visit Romania or have any Romanian friends 😉
Constance Smith says
I love making my own sausage, but I had not heard of this variety yet. It sounds fantastic!!
Ramona says
Thank you Constance, they are really fantastic. Definitely try them 😉
Kay says
I will definitely be using this recipe soon! The weather is getting better so the BBQ will be on soon, always keen to try different recipes!
Ramona says
Thanks Kay, I am very happy to hear you want to make them 😉 I am sure you will love them.
Stine Mari says
I can definitely make sausages when I don't have to worry about the casings. These are definitely on my to-do list for the Summer!
Ramona says
A lot easier, right? I feel exactly the same 😉
Lesli Schwartz says
This sounds incredibly delicious! Love all of the spices you used in these sausages. Grilled to perfection!
Ramona says
Truly delicious dear Lesli.
Soph says
Excellent, I was looking for a recipe after seeing Mici in a travel documentary about Brasov. I am trying out cooking different Romanian dishes after a colleague gave me some Sarmalute foi de vita to try and I absolutely loved it. I tried to cook Sarmalute myself, but found it hard to find vine leaves here in the UK (that were not terribly overpriced!) so used cabbage leaves instead. It was not as good as the Sarmale my friend gave me, but it was still quite good. I will definitely be trying these next.
Ramona says
Hi Soph and thank you so much for stopping by! I am so glad you like sarmalute and mici - you definitely found the perfect recipe for these yumm little cuties. Sarmalute in foi de vita are definitely my favourite too - if you go to any Turkish, Polish or Romanian store you will find the vine leaves and I find they are pretty reasonable too. Cabbage are also good. Mmmm - you made me hungry thinking of these right now 😉
Please let me know how did the mici come out and how you liked them! Wishing you a lovely weekend and of course a Happy Valentine’s Day! 😉
Stine Mari says
Oh wow those homemade mici looks flavorful and moist and so scrumptious! I definitely need to give these a try sometime soon.
Brian Jones says
Your timing is impeccable, we booked a hotel in Oradea for my wifes Birthday last night... I'm loving the flavours in these Mici, definitely getting these on the BBQ as soon as possible!
Ramona says
Oh thank you Brian. I’m sure you'll love Oradea. Nice city! I haven’t been there for ages. I am looking forward for your recommendation on a good restaurant as we will be close to Oradea next week in fact.
Mici are great and please do not give them a miss, I’m 100% sure you’ll love them. Let me know how you find them xx
Laura says
These can definitely make a barbie special. I mean with all that flavor it is hard to be a miss. Definitely a great option for this summer.
Ramona says
Oh definitely! Thank you so much Laura. I’m so sure you’ll like them.
Lesli Schwartz says
Now that is some beautiful BBQ meat! Love that it's not your ordinary meat and perfect for summer BBQs!
Ramona says
Thanks Lesli, it is nice to change things every now and then 😉 these mici are super good and hard to give a miss.
Beth Neels says
These are so good! I made them for my sons girlfriend who just moved here from Romania and she loved them! Thanks for the great recipe!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Beth, I am so glad you guys liked my recipe - any time! Thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it.
Jere Cassidy says
I am pinning this because I know I will be making these sausages again. The beer is an interesting ingredient. Great recipe and tasty.
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
What a great dish! I"m sure this would be a hit at a party. Your photos are so pretty too.
Ramona says
Thank you so much Julie,
Made for a party is a great idea as these can stay in the fridge for 3-4 days so made ahead it’s ideal.
Thank you so much for your kind comment and for stopping by ?
Mark (De) says
My neighbours are Romanian….had a BBQ yesterday and had these little beauties for the first time….WOW, they were incredible….also grilled a fish I’ve never heard of before (any info?) Was also exceptional….
Ramona says
Hey, Guten Morgen dear Mark,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. These little beauties are delicious indeed and it's so good when you can make them at home, right? There is no one that tastes these beauties that did not love them, they're simply delish!
As far as the fish is concerned I am not sure but if you could describe them a little to me I might be able to help with some extra info (do your best) size, colour (if you saw it before getting on the grill) bony or if they can tell you what the fish is called in Romanian I will be able to help. Romanians eat carp, trout but it must have been a fish they bought locally?
Thanks again and have a wonderful day!
Mark (De) says
Scrumbie de Dunare …just found it out!!! (Fish)
Ramona says
oh, yes! that is delicious. Oh, my! I did not have that in a very long time. You just reminded me I definitely need to get some next time I go to Romania as I do not think I will find pontic shad - I will be on the search. Thank you so much dear Mark.