Mici / Mititei Recipe (Romanian Grilled Meat Rolls)

Step 1

Add the ground beef, ground pork, minced garlic, thyme, paprika, salt, and black pepper to a large mixing bowl, and mix everything until the spices are evenly distributed.

Step 2

Slowly start adding the beef stock while kneading the meat mixture. If you have a stand mixer with the dough function, you can use that. If not, kneading by hand will take about 20 minutes.

Step 3

Keep kneading until you have an almost paste-like consistency.

Step 4

Combine the baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and the lemon juice (the acidic properties of the lemon juice activate the baking soda), and then add them to the meat mixture.

Step 5

Knead for one more minute to mix in the baking soda well.

Step 6

Cover with plastic wrap (cling film) and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Step 7

After the meat mixture for the mititei has been resting in the fridge for at least 12 hours, shape the mixture into about 14 equal cylinders. There are multiple methods to do so but our preferred method is to shape the mititei by hand. You’ll want to keep a bowl of water next to you and keep your hands wet while shaping the meat rolls so that the meat mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.

Step 8

Grill the mititei on a hot grill (on high heat) until fully cooked (for about 7-8 minutes, depending on your grill), turning to make sure they’re grilled all around.