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Mititei (Romanian Grilled Meat Rolls)

Name: Mititei (Romanian Grilled Meat Rolls)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Romanian
Ingredients: 600 g Ground beef; 400 g Ground pork; 8 cloves Garlic; 120 ml Beef stock; 1 tsp Baking soda; 2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Black pepper; 1 tsp Paprika; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 0.5 tsp Ground coriander; 0.5 tsp Ground allspice; 1 tsp Dried thyme; Mustard; White bread; Pickles and raw onion; Fries

Romania's national grill food: ground meat kneaded hard with garlic-infused stock, cumin and — crucially — baking soda, rested overnight and grilled over charcoal. Casing-free sausages whose springy bite comes entirely from that soda. Mustard and white bread are not optional.

Ingredients

4servings

Ground beef · 20% fat — lean won't work600 g
Ground pork · add 200 g lamb for the traditional blend400 g
Garlic · it's supposed to feel like too much8 cloves
Beef stock · cold, for steeping the garlic120 ml
Baking soda · the secret to the springy texture1 tsp
Spices
Salt2 tsp
Black pepper1 tsp
Paprika1 tsp
Ground cumin · what makes them taste Romanian1 tsp
Ground coriander0.5 tsp
Ground allspice0.5 tsp
Dried thyme1 tsp
To serve
Mustard · non-negotiable in Romania
White bread · thick slices
Pickles and raw onion · to taste
Fries · optional

Steps

Grate the garlic very fine and steep it in the cold stock for 30 minutes. Strain and squeeze the solids out — you want the aroma without anyone biting into a piece of garlic.
⏲ 30 min
Combine the ground beef and pork in a bowl and scatter over the salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander, allspice, thyme and baking soda.
Add the garlic stock a little at a time while kneading hard for at least 10 minutes, until the mix is tacky and smooth. That tackiness is what gives mititei their springy bite.
⏲ 10 min
Press cling film onto the surface and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. The baking soda lightens the mix and the spices bloom into it.
⏲ 240 min
With wet hands, roll into sausages about 8–10 cm long and as thick as a finger. No casings. Rolled too thin, they dry out on the grill.
Get a charcoal grill (best) or grill pan very hot and lightly oil it. Grill 3–4 minutes per side, rolling them so all sides brown.
⏲ 12 min
They're done when the surface cracks slightly and the fat sizzles. Serve hot with plenty of mustard, white bread, pickles and raw onion.

Tips & Variations

Variations

Three-meat blend: Beef, pork and lamb at 3:2:1 is the traditional Romanian mix — the lamb lifts the whole thing.
Oven or pan: No grill? Broil 10–12 minutes, rolling them once halfway.
Chicken mici: Use ground chicken plus 2 tbsp olive oil so they don't go dry.
Spicy: A teaspoon of chili flakes makes them excellent with beer.
Beer in the mix: Knead with cold beer instead of stock for a lighter, softer result.

Tips

Don't skip the baking soda. Without it these are just elongated meatballs. The springy, light bite comes from here.
Add the garlic as an infusion. Minced garlic burns on the grill and leaves gritty bits; steeped in stock and strained, you get clean aroma only.
Don't shorten the 10-minute knead. Working the proteins is what holds the shape on the grill.
The overnight rest makes the biggest difference. Four hours works, a full day is noticeably better.
20% fat is essential. Lean meat splits and dries out over the fire.
Don't roll them thin. Finger-thick is the standard; thinner and they dry through.
Mustard is a partner, not a garnish. No one in Romania serves mici without it.
The shaped rolls freeze well — form them ahead and grill straight from frozen.

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