The Ultimate Romanian Meat & Bean Stew – Smoked Pork Jowl, Sausages & Mici

 A hearty Romanian bean stew packed with smoked pork jowl, sausages and grilled mici. Rustic, smoky, slow-cooked Balkan comfort food.

Introduction

If there is one dish that captures the soul of Romanian winter cooking, it’s this: a deep, smoky, slow-simmered bean stew loaded with smoked pork jowl (gusa de porc), Romanian sausages (cârnați) and grilled mici. It’s rustic. It’s smokey and meaty. It’s the kind of stew you make when the temperature drops, the wine is open, and time slows down.

This recipe is not a minimalist version. It’s the full Romanian experience — paprika, roasted peppers, slow reduction in red wine, a spoon of mustard for depth, and even a touch of honey to balance the smokiness.

It’s the kind of dish that feeds a table, not a plate.

Ingredients

Meat & protein

350–400 g smoked pork jowl (Romanian gusa de porc), sliced

2–3 Romanian sausages (cârnați), cut into chunks

4–6 grilled mici (beef/pork/mutton mix)

Base & vegetables

400 g cooked white beans (or 1 large can, drained)

2 onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small parsley root (or 1 cup diced celeriac)

1 Romanian red chilli or mild pepper

2 roasted bell peppers (red + green), peeled and sliced

2 tbsp tomato paste

300 ml passata (or crushed tomatoes)

150 ml dry red wine

250–300 ml veal or beef stock

Seasoning & flavour

1 tbsp mild paprika

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp honey

Salt & pepper to taste

bay leaf, marjoram

Method

1. Make the flavour base (sofrito)

Sweat the onion, garlic, parsley root and chilli in oil over medium heat until soft and lightly caramelised.

2. Add roasted peppers & beans

Stir in the roasted bell peppers and white beans. Let everything warm together.

3. Brown the meat separately

In another pan, sear the smoked pork jowl and sausage chunks until browned and fragrant.

Deglaze with red wine + chopped tomatoes and pour everything back into the stew pot.

4. Build the sauce

Add the tomato paste, passata, mustard, paprika (both kinds), stock and honey. Stir well.

Bring to a simmer.

5. Slow cook

Let the pot gently bubble on low heat for 40–60 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce thickens and the flavours concentrate.

6. Add the grilled mici

Grill or pan-sear the mici separately (they hold their shape better).

Add them to the stew 10–15 minutes before serving.

7. Adjust and serve

Taste for salt, pepper, sweetness, acidity.

The stew should be smoky, rich, slightly spicy, and deeply savoury.

Smoked pork jowl is key: it gives the stew the flavour that pork belly tries to have but never fully reaches.

A spoon of moutarde de Dijon + honey = balance.

A splash of smoked eggplant purée (zacusca style) works beautifully for extra Balkan depth.

If you can’t find mici, replace with Cevapi

How to Serve

Traditional serving:

✅ With mămăligă (Romanian-style polenta)

✅ With pickled green tomato 

✅ With ewe's milk telemea

✅  a spoon of smântână (Romanian sour cream)

Wine Pairing

Pair with a bold Romanian red:

This Freedom blend made with 65% Saperavi was perfect. Powerful and fruity.

Or:

Fetească Neagră – dark fruit, soft tannins, slightly smoky

Negru de Drăgășani – spiced, rustic, excellent with smoked meats

Novac – elegant, slightly peppery, great with stews