Making ćevapčići popular in Windsor-Essex

Ćevapčići is one of the most popular Balkan dishes. 

It's a mixture of different ground meats and spices that is shaped into little cylinders and grilled. While it looks similar to breakfast sausage, there is no casing involved. The dish is more like a hamburger patty that's been formed into a sausage shape.

Ćevapčići is especially popular in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina — but you don't need to fly there to find it. Thanks to a few local businesses, you can try it in Windsor.

Deda's Meats & Deli is one of the most popular of these establishments. Located a few blocks east of Pillette Road at 5211 Tecumseh Rd. E., it's a retail/takeout counter and provincially-inspected meat processing plant that specializes in Serbian foods. 

The shop is run by the Stankovic family.

"Back in the 80s, my parents used to have a delicatessen — they had it for a number of years. They ended up selling it; they were both factory workers, so it was a little tough for them," says Milan Stankovic.

"My dad was [then] doing it on the side — he had private customers. I went on to school to become an engineer. Nobody ever thought I'd become a butcher. After doing engineering for about 10 years, I decided to get into the family business of opening up a meat shop."

Deda's Meats & Deli opened five years ago, calling themselves the "Home of Louis' Famous Ćevapčići."

While the restaurant offers a few varieties of the dish, the most popular is the original, which is made with ground pork, veal and beef.

While mixing three meats with some spices sounds simple enough, Stankovic says there's more to it than meets the eye.

"There's a procedure on how you grind the meats and how it binds, and what meats you grind first. It's a lengthy process. Then we add our natural spices. There's no nitrates, no preservatives, gluten-free, no fillers, no breadcrumbs, nothing at all."

Every week, Deda's Meats & Deli produces 900 kg (2,000 lbs) of ćevapčići, or about 24,000 individual pieces. While most of it is sold in Windsor, as a provincially-inspected meat processor, the Stankovics sell to customers across the province.

At the store on Tecumseh Road, half of the ćevapčići is sold raw for cooking at home. The other half is freshly grilled at the take-out counter, where it is served on a large Serbian bun, and topped with onions. You don't eat it as a giant sandwich — you rip the bread into pieces, and eat the ćevapčići with your choice of sauce. Some of the popular options are a creamy garlic sauce and a pepper sauce called ajvar.

While ćevapčići is a staple of Balkan cuisine, Stankovich says that people of all different backgrounds are buying his product — and using it in non-traditional ways. Some chop it up and use it instead of meatballs in tomato sauce. Others purchase the ground meat mix and use it in chili. Whatever way you decide to eat the ćevapčići, it's very delicious.

Hear Jonathan's latest food adventure every Thursday at 8:10 a.m. on CBC Radio One - 97.5FM in Windsor, 91.9FM in Leamington, 88.1FM in Chatham & 90.3FM in Sarnia. Do you have a food, restaurant or dish that you think Jonathan should explore? Call (519) 255-3400, email windsormorning@cbc.ca or tweet him directly at @jonathan_pinto.