Mititei (Romanian Sausage Links)

 What hot dogs are to American food, mititei (literal translation "little ones") are to Romanians, in more ways than one. They're a staple of the grill as spring warms into summer, they're key to social gatherings for leisure, sports or vacation, and the top tier product is all beef*. 

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Before anyone comes after me for the heresy of claiming all beef mititei, I will note that popular recipes include a combination of beef, pork and/or mutton, and I'm here to tell you that even lighter protein can feature too - I've tried with half ground chicken or turkey, though you have to be extra careful to hydrate them well enough and not overcook to lose moisture. However, key ingredients to a good batch are garlic - plentiful and fresh - bone broth and baking soda. I am not entirely sure whether the baking soda is more important for binding the mix together or for texture/slight airiness, but I do know that you can't call something mici/mititei without it.

I adapted my home recipe from the gold standard for mititei in Romania, those served at the historical and legendary Carul cu Bere. The step by step pictures I included in this post were done with a mix of 1lb ground beef and 1lb ground chicken - as I mentioned before, recommendation for optimal results is all beef, 85% lean, which is what I will include in my recipe writeup below.

For optimal flavor, start the mix the day before you plan to eat it, and some prep-ahead can be helpful in streamlining the process. To that end, day 1 (T-2 days before mititei party) plan on making your bone broth. If you use store bought go for the real deal (should be gelatinous when cold) and skip ahead to day 2. I used beef bones in a 4qt pot and simmered them on low heat for 3-4 hours. The longer the better, but make sure the heat is quite low so you don't lose too much to steam. Once done, let the broth cool to room temperature then set in the fridge to chill completely. Skim the fat layer off the top to get a beautifully thick bone broth ready for use.

Onto day 2 (T-1 days before mititei extravaganza) - measure and ready your spices. As with most Romanian food, these are not spicy but rather well seasoned and aromatic. The all star lineup: black pepper, thyme, allspice, coriander, cumin and anise powder. For this step you'll also need a head of garlic, baking soda and lemon juice.

Add the 2lbs of meat in a large bowl, sprinkle the baking soda and pour lemon juice on top, then mix thoroughly. Next, incorporate all the powdered spices and 1/4 cup of cool bone broth, then knead into the meat. I find that a wooden spoon works well for this step, but don't be afraid to get your hands dirty on this one, as long as you take proper precautions in handling raw meat (wash hands with soap and warm water before touching anything else for next steps). 

You can push the garlic through a garlic press or mince with a knife. My quick shortcut for this step was blending the garlic into 1/4 cup of bone broth with an immersion blender, then adding it to the meat all together. If you mince the garlic separately, then add it to the bowl along with 1/4 cup of bone broth (1/2 cup so far) and mix well. You're looking for a soft but not too loose consistency at this stage, so you may need to add a touch more broth or hold some back, use your best judgement. Cover tightly and set in fridge overnight.

Day 3 - party day! In the morning, get meat mix out of the fridge and check for consistency - if it's very stiff you can add another 1/4-1/3 cup of bone broth to loosen up, season with salt and add another half a head - one whole head of garlic minced and knead in well. Press into a 9"x13" pan covered in foil, then cover tightly and set back in the fridge for the rest of the day.

About 20 minutes before cooking, pull the meat from the fridge, and fire up the grill. If you don't have a grill available or the weather is not cooperating (as was my case), then a cast iron pan or grill will produce pretty good results. It's time to shape the sausage links - the classic is a bit shorter and thicker than a hot dog, but any oblong shape will do. My favorite hack is to use a spatula to scoop them out of the pan directly into prism-like shapes directly into the pan - less cleanup and some nostalgic reminder of store bought prepped mititei for quick cookouts in my childhood (I don't think my parents ever took on the arduous process of making their own mix, but it was readily available in deli markets).

Cook on all sides until they're nice and brown on the outside and cooked through, but do not overcook! Nothing sadder than a burnt mititel after all that hard work. They should have a slight crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Now let's talk accoutrements. The two must-haves for mititei are toothpicks as utensils (as seen above, two of them per link make a perfect makeshift fork) and mustard as dip. A sharp mustard is preferred, even better if it has some horseradish flavor as well. Next most important is a nice starch/carb side - either fries or bread buns are great. For the meal pictured above, I made both - sourdough dinner rolls and fresh cut fries because why not. While I have certainly eaten my fair share of meat and potato meals in Romania, I decided to also include another staple of summer cookouts in this spread - the tomato cucumber salad. I included thinly sliced red onion, though in the early summer scallions are a great addition as well, and dressed it simply with a touch of olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

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Mititei

Ingredients

• 2lbs ground beef
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp anise powder
• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• soup bones (beef or pork)

Method

1. Day 1 - make bone broth by simmering bones with water on low heat for 3+ hours. Cool completely and chill in the fridge. Remove fat layer from the top and cover to save for the next day.
2. Day 2 -  Mince first head of garlic with a garlic press.
3. Measure out all the dry/powdered spices.
4. Put meat to a large bowl, then add baking soda and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
5. Add spices, garlic and 1/4 cup bone broth and knead into the meat. 
6. Add another 1/4 cup bone broth gradually while continuing to mix, until a soft but not quite loose mix is achieved - it should mostly keep its shaped if scooped onto a plate.
7. Cover and place in fridge overnight.
8. Day 3, morning - take out bowl with mixture and check for consistency. If it's too stiff, add up to 1/4 cup of bone broth more and mix well.
9. Season with 2 tsp salt and add half - whole head of garlic more (to taste) and mix thoroughly. 
10. Press into foil lined 9"x13" pan, cover and put back into the fridge until ready to cook.
11. Shape into sausage-like rolls and grill on all sides, turning only after one side is well browned to allow for proper maillard reaction and avoid breaking up the mititei as they cook.
12. Cook thoroughly but do not overcook so you don't lose moisture and flavor.
13. Serve hot with mustard and bread or fries. Best enjoyed with a cold beer :)

Notes

• In the United States, thyme isn't exactly like the thyme in Romania, haven't established if it's a different related plant or just a regional difference. I sometimes use ground savory in place of some of the thyme in this recipe because it's a similar flavor but adds complexity.
• I use two whole heads of garlic in total, but if you're not as obsessed with garlic as I am or if your stomach is sensitive to it, you can cut it in half or even a quarter and still get a good amount of flavor.
• In this iteration, I actually used half beef and half ground chicken. I've made these with ground turkey as well, but beware that if the overall mix becomes too lean, you lose out on texture and moisture in the final product. 
• Dijon or dusseldorf mustard are my preferred pairing for mititei, but if you can get your hands on some authentic Eastern European horseradish mustard, go for it!