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 * ⅓ 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.
- 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' 😉
- 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.
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 ?