Gyro Recipe

Homemade Greek gyros are SO easy to make at home (baked in a loaf tin)! You’ll see that you can re-create these yummy Mediterranean delights in your own kitchen!

Do you (and your family) love gyro sandwiches from your local Greek restaurant as much as I do?

Then you’re in the right place, because you are going to be very happy to learn that you can make gyros in your own kitchen that taste like they do from that restaurant. It’s also great to know that homemade Greek gyros are as easy to make as a meatloaf (maybe easier)!

One problem many families have is balancing after school activities and having time for a healthy dinner. Besides crock-pot dinners, another option is freezing meals. Freezing some foods is definitely a put-off because of how they taste when defrosted, but others are perfectly suited to the freezer. Luckily, gyros are in the latter category.

Before we go any further, let’s deal with the pronunciation of this Greek word: I’m not Greek, but saying “jai-roh” just sounds like saying “broo-shetta” for bruschetta to me. The best way to say “gyro” in the US is “YEER-oh,” without the hard “g.”

Homemade Greek Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce (Kebabs*)

My version of Alton Brown’s delicious gyro recipe.

Prep: 20min

Total: 1h35min

Serving Size: 1 gyro

Nutrition Facts: calories 343 calories, Carbohydrate 6 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 106 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 22 grams fat, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 30 grams protein, Saturated Fat 8 grams saturated fat, servingSize 1 gyro, Sodium 692 milligrams sodium, Sugar 3 grams sugar, Trans Fat 0 grams trans fat, unSaturated Fat 10 grams unsaturated fat

Ingredients:

• Tzatziki Sauce (recipe link in directions)
• lettuce
• sliced tomatoes
• sliced sweet onion
• 1 medium size onion, roughly chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 1 Tbsp dried marjoram
• 1 Tbsp dried ground rosemary (or a small sprig of fresh, taken off the main stem)
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instruction:

1. Run the onion in a food processor for about 15 seconds. Place the onion in the center of a kitchen towel and squeeze out the juice and return the onion pulp to the food processor. Discard the juice.
2. Add the meat, garlic, spices, salt and pepper to the onion, and process. Do so until it looks like a fine paste, about a minute. Place the mixture in a loaf pan and press evenly.
3. Bake in a water bath (place loaf pan inside another pan filled with water) at 325°F (165°C) for about an hour or more until temperature reaches 165-170°F (75°C.)
4. Remove from the oven, drain fat, and place on a cooling rack.
5. Cover meat with aluminum foil and a heavy weight (Alton suggests a brick) for about 15 minutes until internal temperature is 175°F (79°C) (I found the times are not quite accurate, and I didn’t know if the brick actually had an effect, but I think the important part is getting the meat to the correct temperature.)
6. Place meat on a cutting board and slice as thinly as possible with an electric knife (using anything else would be much more difficult.)
7. I added the following step myself as I think it mimics the rotisserie a bit more. Add a few slices to a nonstick frying pan (very little or no oil) and heat gently until the meat browns a little.
8. In another pan, heat the pita bread.
9. Finally, place the meat on one half of the pita, topped with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and onion. You could also put a little Greek dressing on the tomatoes too (extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano.)
10. Serve Homemade Greek Gyros with rice pilaf, or fries, and a Greek salad!

Greek Gyro

Gyros are one of my favorite Greek foods. Flavor packed meat, sliced thin and pan fried until crispy. Wrapped in a pita loaded with tzatziki, cucumber, red onion and feta cheese! You might think that you need fancy equipment to make them, but trust me you don’t. This beef and lamb gyro meat recipe is aromatic, juicy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. It’s perfect for homemade gyro wraps.

Prep: 15min

Total: 105min

Yield: 6

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 427 kcal, Carbohydrate 5 g, Protein 26 g, Fat 33 g, Saturated Fat 14 g, Trans Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 109 mg, Sodium 1261 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 1 g, unSaturated Fat 16 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs ground beef (medium or lean (not extra lean or the gyro will be dry))
• 1 lbs ground lamb (or pork, or use all beef)
• 1 onion (large, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp oregano (dried)
• 1 tbsp thyme (dried)
• 1 tsp rosemary (dried, crushed)
• 2 tsp marjoram (dried)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• Oil (for cooking)
• Pitas
• Lettuce (sliced)
• Tzatziki
• Tomatoes (sliced)
• Red onions (sliced)
• Feta cheese (crumbled)
• French Fries (optional)

Instruction:

1. Place onion and garlic in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
2. In a stand mixer, mix the ground beef and lamb with the pureed onion, garlic and all the spices. Mix until the meat is a paste like consistency. Or mix by hand in a large bowl.
3. Optional: refrigerate the meat for 2 hours or up to 24 hours to marinate.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F
5. Line a baking tray with foil.
6. Shape the meat into a log and throw the meat down onto a kitchen counter 2 – 3 times to release any air. This keeps the meat compact while baking so it will not crumble when sliced. Optional: or shape meat into a loaf pan and bake like a regular shaped meatloaf. Cover the loaf pan with foil. Press the meat down to release any air pockets.
7. Tear a large piece of tin foil and place the meat in the center of the foil. Insert a skewer through the center of the shaped meat. Wrap the tin foil around the meat and squeeze the ends closed around the skewer. Note: be careful not to press or bend the foil into the meat.
8. Place the foil wrapped gyro onto the prepared baking tray and bake on the middle rack of your oven.
9. Cook for approximately 1.5 hours, flipping the foil wrapped meat once after 1 hour, until the meat reaches 160°F internal temperature. Note: if baking in a loaf pan just rotate the pan in the oven, do not flip the meat. Remove any excess fat or grease in the loaf pan while cooking.
10. Remove the meat from the oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before unwrapping the foil. When the skewer is cool enough to handle, stand the meat up using the skewer to hold it up and shave thin slices of meat off the skewer. Optional: if baked in a loaf pan – after baking thinly slice meat.
11. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook shaved gyro for 2-3 minute per side until slightly crispy.
12. Assemble your gyro pita with warm pita bread, tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta cheese and some of the gyro meat. Optional: add some French fries for a classic Greek street food!
13. Roll up the pita tightly, wrap in foil or parchment paper to hold it together and make it easier to eat. Enjoy!

Greek Gyro with Homemade Gyro Meat

Make your favorite American-style Greek gyros at home! This gyro meat recipe combines ground beef and lamb to get that distinctive flavor you find at Greek restaurants. The texture is meatloaf-style rather than restaurant-style, but the flavors are on point. Doing it this way saves tons of time. Top with Tzatziki Sauce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers!

Prep: 20min

Total: 35min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 718 kcal, Fat 43 g, Saturated Fat 15 g, Cholesterol 148 mg, Sodium 2087 mg, Carbohydrate 52 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 7 g, Protein 32 g, Trans Fat 1 g, unSaturated Fat 16 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease (OR butter*)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 6 cloves garlic (smashed and finely minced)
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt (yes, 4 teaspoons**)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram (optional)
• 1 batch Tzatziki Sauce
• 1 large red onion (sliced thin)
• 2-4 tomatoes (sliced)
• 1-2 cucumbers (sliced)
• 8-10 pita rounds
• fresh dill (to garnish, optional)

Instruction:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. If you have a food processor, use it to finely chop the onion and garlic. If not, use a knife to chop finely.
4. 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.)
5. 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.)
6. Shape the meat into about 10 oval patties. See photos. Line them up on the pan making sure they are not touching each other.
7. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
8. 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.
9. 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!
10. 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!

The Ultimate Greek American Gyros

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