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Chevapchichi sausages in a frying pan

Ćevapčići (Balkan Skinless Sausages) in a Skillet

For lunch or dinner — as tasty and appetizing as it gets! Ćevapčići are skinless meat sausages cooked over coals or in a skillet at home. The dish comes from the Balkans. You can use different kinds of ground meat. They're easy to make, and the result will blow you away!

Pearl

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Ground meat

300

Egg

Onion

Garlic (to taste)

Paprika

Baking soda

Salt

Ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 22 % 9 g

Fats 73 % 30 g

Carbohydrates 5 % 2 g

323 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make ćevapčići in a skillet? Gather all the ingredients on the list. You can use store-bought ground meat, but it's better to grind it yourself. Ćevapčići can be made from beef or from a mix — for example, beef plus pork. Run the meat through a grinder twice.
Step 2:

There are two ways to prep the mixture. First: run the onion through the grinder and press the garlic. Add all the spices, salt, egg, and baking soda to the meat and knead thoroughly. Second: chop the onion and garlic and add them to the meat.
Step 3:

Put the meat in a blender or food processor and add the egg, spices, salt, and baking soda.
Step 4:

Blend the whole mixture, then transfer it to a bowl.
Step 5:

Knead the mixture well, or throw it against the bottom of the bowl a few times, until it's smooth and cohesive. Cover it with a plastic bag or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or two.
Step 6:

Scoop up the chilled mixture with a tablespoon and, with wet hands, shape it into thin sausages about 3/4 inch (1.5–2 cm) across and 4 inches (10 cm) long.
Step 7:

Heat refined vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the sausages to fry.
Step 8:

Turning them now and then, cook the ćevapčići through. Set the finished sausages on paper towels to blot off the excess oil.
Step 9:

Serve hot.

Ćevapčići are made differently across Southeastern Europe and the Balkans. In Bosnia the sausages are short and thick and made from ground beef; Serbian ćevapčići use beef, lamb, and/or pork; Croatian and Bulgarian ones are usually thinner and longer and made from pork and beef. The baking soda is there for a reason — it gives the mixture the right texture, so it turns out springy and shapely. Ćevapčići started out as street food cooked over coals. To make them easy to eat, they're served with a flatbread called lepinja and topped with ajvar (a red-pepper relish). If you can grill your ćevapčići over coals, absolutely do — the sausages are made from fatty meat, and as they cook the fat drips onto the hot coals, sending up flames. That gives you the signature sizzle and an unbelievably mouthwatering aroma! Enjoy!
Everyone's tolerance for salt, sweetness, bitterness, heat, and acidity is different, so always season to your own taste. If you're using a spice for the first time, remember that some are easy to overdo — chili pepper is a prime example.
Fry with an oil that has a high smoke point. Every oil is good only up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it starts to burn and forms harmful compounds, including carcinogens. Most unrefined oils have a low smoke point: they carry a lot of unfiltered organic particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils tolerate heat better and smoke at higher temperatures. Whenever you're roasting, frying, or grilling, reach for a high-smoke-point oil. Common choices include refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed oil.