GYROS! Ever made the meat at home?

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GrillingFool

GrillingFool

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I got some ground lamb at a great price recently.
My cooking buddy and I are going to try making gyros this weekend.

It looks like Alton Brown's recipe is the one we will be referencing....
Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

Has anyone made gyro meat?
We don't have a vertical cooker (and aren't making one, LOL), but were
contemplating a different cooking method:

On the grill, with the meat formed into thin slices, instead of a big brick.


Any thoughts, suggestions or warnings?
 
gyros have been on my mind for several days now...when our power was out related to the ice storm, some friends had us over for a mid day meal, and we returned with a pound of roasted leg of lamb, securely enclosed in tupperware, which I poked into a snow bank. I was dreaming of gyros and looking up recipes for pita bread and gyros. I couldn't find a recipe for the sauce, so thanks for the link....
 
So we ended up making very thin patties of the meat and cooking it in a panini/George Forman style "grill".

I think I put a bit much rosemary in the mix, but otherwise, not bad at all.

Next time we are gonna cobble together a vertical cooker! :)
 
Gyro Meat Technique -

I made gyro meat a few months back and what I did may surprise you but worked so well,
that I am in the process of doing a video to put up on youtube today
(the video will go up once I make sure the meat flavor is what I want).

I will repost and include the link once it is up but the basics are pretty simple.

Get 2 bread loaf pans...and a brick. (yes, I am serious!) ;)

Mix your ingredients and push them tightly into one of the loaf pans.
If you are using a high fat content meat (I use ground beef and lamb),
then you don't need to add anything to the pan.

Now, take the second loaf pan and put it on top of the meat and then
put the brick inside so that it adds weight while cooking.
Give it a good press down to pack it even more.

Bake the whole thing until it is fully cooked in the middle.

Now, once it is done, LEAVE THE BRICK PAN ON IT and let it cool
completely. When you remove the top pan you will have the
tightest meatloaf, which is what you want.

After it has cooled completely, take it out of the pan, and put
it on a plate or another pan and put in the fridge until it is COLD.

The reason for doing this is so you can get really thin slices.

After it has completely chilled, take it out, and with a really
sharp knife, cut into slices that look like bacon.

You can now put them in the freezer, take out 6 slices
and throw them in a skillet with a little olive oil to give
them crispy edges.

Throw on a pita, with feta, tomato, onion, and fresh dill.
If you don't have sauce, use mayo. I have done this on
a flour tortilla for a delish roll up.
 
That is a really cool idea HeartlandCountryStore. Very cleaver!

Just as an admin note to you, you will need 15 posts before you will be able to post a link, but I can't wait for you to get to that point (it won't be hard) because I am looking forward to seeing your video. Welcome to the site!
 
Sparrowgrass, I don't know exactly where you are, but I get mine at Whole Foods. However, one thing I have learned with small town living, is that if you have a local butcher or even the meat counter at the grocer, talk to them and see what they can do for you. If they sell any kind of lamb, you just have to ask them to grind it for you and they will.

If you are way out in the boonies, check with any livestock dealers to see who may have it.

Worst case, next time you go to the "city" take a cooler with you and stock up. Then when you get home, separate it into 1/2 lb chunks and freeze it.

I also think this will work fine with just regular ground beef, but there is a distinct flavor with the lamb.

Admin, thank you! It was actually because I was looking for better gyro meat recipes that I stumbled on this site. And when I saw the post I decided to become a member and share what I have learned so far.

I actually just uploaded the 1st video on youtube. If you search "gyro meat" you should find it provided it is in the listings. The title is "poor man's gyro meat" LOL.

The second half will be posted later tonight.
 
GrillingFool said:
I got some ground lamb at a great price recently.
My cooking buddy and I are going to try making gyros this weekend.

It looks like Alton Brown's recipe is the one we will be referencing....
Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

Has anyone made gyro meat?
We don't have a vertical cooker (and aren't making one, LOL), but were
contemplating a different cooking method:

On the grill, with the meat formed into thin slices, instead of a big brick.


Any thoughts, suggestions or warnings?
Click to expand...

I cannot imagine making the meat without a vertical cooker to cook the block of meat whole. Any other way will not be Gyros, really. A great lamb sandwich, possibly, but imho the meat has to be shaved in long slices to be a Gyro. Somehow I don't think of Alton Brown as an "authority" on Greek and Middle Eastern food. :ROFLMAO:
 
ChefJune, I couldn't agree more. We have a place here in St. Louis that does wonderful gyro right off the spit. And they are huge! What I make can't compare to that.

The ones I attempt is me trying to get somewhat close because the cost is much cheaper. I can make 10 meals for the price of 1 order out. At this point it is more the economics of it all LOL
 
Best gyro's I ever had was from a small drive thru.
What I don't see much anymore is how they prepared the chunks of meat.
They marinated it so long that it turned the meat white like chicken.
Super authentic and delicious. Most gyro's I see now, the meat is cut
off a large slab as it's rotated. The meat wasn't white, but darkish.

Of all the reply posts, I didn't see anyone mention the kind of prep where
the meat turns white from the marinade process.
 
Caslon said:
Best gyro's I ever had was from a small drive thru.
What I don't see much anymore is how they prepared the chunks of meat.
They marinated it so long that it turned the meat white like chicken.
Super authentic and delicious. Most gyro's I see now, the meat is cut
off a large slab as it's rotated. The meat wasn't white, but darkish.

Of all the reply posts, I didn't see anyone mention the kind of prep where
the meat turns white from the marinade process.
Click to expand...

I've had gyro's made by Greeks, Lebanese, Armenians, Iranians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, a guy from Nepal and a Jewish guy from Brooklyn. The meats were lamb, goat, beef or a mixture of beef/lamb or beef/goat. I've never had one where the meat was white like chicken.
 
Last edited:
Michael in FtW said:
I've had gyro's made by Greeks, Lebanese, Armenians, Iranians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, a guy from Nepal and a Jewish guy from Brooklyn. The meats were lamb, goat, beef or a mixture of beef/lamb or beef/goat. I've never had one where the meat was white like chicken.
Click to expand...

So...you're not familiar with gyro meat that has been marinated so long it turns white?
Meats marinated WILL turn white.

Oh...just that you hadn't heard of such.

It surpasses that stuff they slice off a rotating "slab" and make into a "Gyro."
Hell, even my local liquor store/deli area has one of those "Gyro" rotating slabs.
 
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