Soutzoukakia smyrneika - Indirect wood fired oven

Soutzoukakia “Smyrneika”, as they are called, are something between a meatball and a soutzouki (a type of sausage). In Smyrna (modern Izmir), in the 19th century, when meat grinders were used for mincing raw meat and fresh meat was abundant, it’s highly possible that this recipe was invented, and ended up being the well-known Soutzoukakia recipe. Although they’re similar, soutzoukakia aren’t actually meatballs. They aren’t spherical in shape, but, like soutzouki (a type of sausage), they are cylindrical. They are small, sausage-shaped, and flavored with cumin. They are slightly fried and then simmered in thick tomato sauce to balance out the strong cumin flavor. So, let’s make Soutzoukakia “Smyrneika”, which will be slightly grilled -instead of fried- and then slow-cooked in the indirect wood-fired oven.

INGREDIENTS

For the mince:

0.7 kg minced mutton
0.8 kg minced beef (brisket)
350 ml sweet, red wine
0.35 kg bread (stale and without the crust, soaked in sweet wine)
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 g cumin
2 eggs
22 g sea salt
1.5 g black pepper

For the tomato sauce:

50 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions (chopped in a blender)
1 tbsp tomato paste
500 g canned tomatoes peeled (chopped in the blender along with the onions)
Leftover wine from the preparation of the mince
1 cinnamon stick
6-7 allspice berries
Sea salt
Black pepper
½ cup of water

PREPARATION

Mix the two types of minced meat. Soak the bread in sweet, red wine, and then squeeze out the excess wine. Add the bread to the mince, and knead to combine the ingredients. Wet your hands often with wine, while kneading. Then, add the egg and knead well. Lastly, add the salt along with the spices, and knead the mixture well for one last time. Cover the vessel, and refrigerate the mince for 2-3 hours.

Remove the mince from the fridge and shape the soutzoukakia into oval forms, using 30-35g for each one of them. Skewer the soutzoukakia, using four per skewer. It’s time to grill them.

COOKED ON Indirect wood-fired oven

COOKING

Before skewering the soutzoukakia, light your charcoal grill, and light the indirect wood-fired oven. Firstly, preheat the indirect wood-fired oven. Place alcohol-soaked cotton inside the fire chamber, and add thin pieces of dry hardwood on top of the kindling. Then, add thicker pieces of wood on top, and light the fire. Use enough wood to fill the fire chamber. Pile up the charcoals inside the fire cabin of your charcoal grill. Place kindling (alcohol-soaked cotton) sparsely on top and light them. The charcoals will be lit in 20 minutes, easily, quickly, and without smoke.

When the charcoals are fully lit, spread them inside the fire cabin, and grill the soutzoukakia on rotation. Otherwise, you can grill them on a grilling grate, until they are lightly browned. You could even follow the traditional method and slightly fry them. Once the soutzoukakia are slightly grilled, remove them from the charcoal grill, and remove the skewers. Keep them in a small clay baking tray.

Chop the canned tomatoes and the onions in a blender. Mix in the tomato paste. Then, transfer to a large vessel. Add the olive oil, the salt, the black pepper, the allspice berries, and the cinnamon stick. Add the leftover wine from the stage of preparation and mix. The sauce and the soutzoukakia should have different tastes, so that they can complement each other. Place the grilled soutzoukakia in a clay baking tray, and pour the tomato sauce on top. If necessary, add a little water. Since we skewered the soutzoukakia to grill them, the tomato sauce will easily fill the core of each “meatball”, and the result will be unique.

When the temperature of the oven’s upper chamber reaches 200⁰C (392⁰F), place the clay baking tray inside the oven. Cook for 45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

It’s served warm and accompanied by fine red wine. A good company is a must.

Happy cooking everyone!