Greek Gyro Recipe with Homemade Gyro Meat
Make your preferred American-style Greek gyros at domestic! This gyro meat recipe combines floor pork and lamb to get that particular taste you discover at Greek restaurants. The texture is meatloaf-style instead of eating place-fashion, but the flavors are on point. Doing it this way saves tons of time. Top with Tzatziki Sauce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers!
yield: 8 servings
Greek Gyro Recipe with Homemade Gyro Meat
prep time: 20 MINScook time: 6 MINStotal time: 26 mins
Make your preferred American-style Greek gyros at domestic! This gyro meat recipe combines floor pork and lamb to get that particular taste you discover at Greek restaurants. The texture is meatloaf-style instead of eating place-fashion, but the flavors are on point. Doing it this way saves tons of time. Top with Tzatziki Sauce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers!
INGREDIENTS:
For the gyro meat:
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease OR butter*
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt (yes, 4 teaspoons**)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, optional
To assemble:
- 1 large red onion, sliced thin
- 1 batch Tzatziki Sauce
- 1-2 cucumbers, sliced
- 2-4 tomatoes, sliced
- fresh dill, to garnish, optional
- 8-10 pita rounds
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Start by making the Tzatziki Sauce. It needs time to marinate, so get it done first so it can sit in the fridge while you make the rest.
- Make the gyro meat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Or line with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
- If you have a food processor, use it to finely chop the onion and garlic. If not, use a knife to chop finely.
- In a large bowl, add all gyro meat ingredients: 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground lamb, 2 tablespoons butter OR bacon grease,* 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 cup Panko crumbs, chopped onion, minced garlic, 4 teaspoons kosher salt (see note), 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon marjoram. (It's ok if you don't have the marjoram.)
- Combine the meat using your hands. I like to wear disposable gloves when I do this. Using your hands feels a little weird, but it mixes the meat so much faster and more evenly than using a spoon, resulting in nice tender meat (as opposed to being overworked.)
- Shape the meat into about 10 oval patties. See photos. Line them up on the pan making sure they are not touching each other.
- Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, prepare the gyro toppings: Thinly slice a red onion. Slice the tomatoes. Slice the cucumbers. Warm the pita bread either in the microwave or in the still-warm oven. Chop extra fresh dill, if you want.
- How to construct your gyro: Add a layer of Tzatziki Sauce to a warm pita. Slice a gyro patty in half lengthwise for easier eating, and place on top of Tzatziki. Garnish with red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh dill. Devour!
- Gyros are traditionally served with french fries, or you could try it with these 3 ingredient Roasted Potatoes. It would also be great served with this Greek Salad!
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