Marinated Greek beef gyro until it turns white

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Caslon

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I may be imagining things. A long closed down drive thru Greek sandwich drive thru. They had a delicious beef Gyro made from chunks of beef that had been so marinated that the chunks of beef turned white. Am I imaging things? It was a devine Greek sandwich.
 
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Are you sure the white wasn't tzatziki sauce (Greek yogurt sauce with cucumbers and seasonings)? There is often also feta cheese on a gyro sandwich.
 
I think if it had been marinated long enough to turn the meat white (if that's even possible), it would be so mushy it wouldn't be appetizing or pleasant to eat.
 
Yeah, probably. I marinated beef chunks for kebabs once for so long that it ended up having the texture of liver.

Edible, but not that great. (I happen to really like liver).
 
Most of the Greek places, I've gotten gyros from, use a vertical rotisserie and thinly slice the meat. Are you sure the chunks were beef?
 
Yeah, probably. I marinated beef chunks for kebabs once for so long that it ended up having the texture of liver.

Edible, but not that great. (I happen to really like liver).

What part of beef did you use? I have never had this happen to me. Just wondering.
 
I know, I know...it may have been chicken and not beef in that gyro. I honestly swear the chunks looked white-ish and tasted like beef. That's what I ordered, a beef gyro. It was a small drive thru that vanished years ago. I went there twice and ordered a beef chunk gyro and the beef chunks were white-ish. It was delicious. A Greek drive thru joint. :yum:

I may be wrong about beef marinated until it turns white. Is that absolutely unheard of?
 
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Beef won't turn a brilliant white, but will turn grey from being cooked in an acid marinade.

BTW, I've never heard of a chunk gyro. I think you are referring to something like souvlaki or doner kebob.

A gyro, or a shawarma, is sliced from a large stack of meat. A gyro rotates (hence the name) in front of a heat source so as to cook the outer layer that is then sliced for serving.
 
Ya, it was a kabob type sandwich, not a gyro. I guess it must have been a chicken kabob instead of a beef kabob sandwich. I've resigned myself that long time marinated beef chunks don't turn light colored.
 
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Beef won't turn a brilliant white, but will turn grey from being cooked in an acid marinade.

A gyro rotates (hence the name) in front of a heat source so as to cook the outer layer that is then sliced for serving.

i thought that was shawarma.
 
i thought that was shawarma.
Same thing, different languages.

From Wikipedia, "A gyro or gyros[a] (Greek: γύρος, gyros [ˈʝiros], literally 'turn') is a Greek dish made from meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie."

And

"Shawarma (/ʃəˈwɑːrmə/; Arabic: شاورما‎), also shaurma and other spellings, is a Middle Eastern meat preparation based on the doner kebab of Ottoman Turkey. Originally made of lamb or mutton, today's shawarma may also be chicken, turkey, beef, or veal, cut in thin slices and stacked in a cone-like shape on a vertical rotisserie."
 
Same thing, different languages.

From Wikipedia, "A gyro or gyros[a] (Greek: γύρος, gyros [ˈʝiros], literally 'turn') is a Greek dish made from meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie."

And

"Shawarma (/ʃəˈwɑːrmə/; Arabic: شاورما‎), also shaurma and other spellings, is a Middle Eastern meat preparation based on the doner kebab of Ottoman Turkey. Originally made of lamb or mutton, today's shawarma may also be chicken, turkey, beef, or veal, cut in thin slices and stacked in a cone-like shape on a vertical rotisserie."

It can also be made on a horizontal rotisserie as we have done in the past.
 
It can also be made on a horizontal rotisserie as we have done in the past.
Of course it can be. and is done on a horizontal rotisserie too. But, wouldn't it at least strike you as odd if you went to a resto and they were using a horizontal rotisserie for gyros or shwarma?


DH and I were actually just talking about why would they have come up with a vertical rotisserie. We figure it's easier to cut meat off the vertical rotisserie while it is turning. Food won't be falling into the heat source. The person doing the cutting won't have to do the cutting and meat catching over the heat source. Those are just guesses, but they make sense to me.
 
Of course it can be. and is done on a horizontal rotisserie too. But, wouldn't it at least strike you as odd if you went to a resto and they were using a horizontal rotisserie for gyros or shwarma?


DH and I were actually just talking about why would they have come up with a vertical rotisserie. We figure it's easier to cut meat off the vertical rotisserie while it is turning. Food won't be falling into the heat source. The person doing the cutting won't have to do the cutting and meat catching over the heat source. Those are just guesses, but they make sense to me.
According to this, roasting the meat vertically minimizes the amount of fat that drips off into the fire, preventing flare-ups and the burned flavor that causes, and basting the meat with fat.

https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-how-to-make-shawarma-like-an-israeli-1.5467110
 
Of course it can be. and is done on a horizontal rotisserie too. But, wouldn't it at least strike you as odd if you went to a resto and they were using a horizontal rotisserie for gyros or shwarma?


DH and I were actually just talking about why would they have come up with a vertical rotisserie. We figure it's easier to cut meat off the vertical rotisserie while it is turning. Food won't be falling into the heat source. The person doing the cutting won't have to do the cutting and meat catching over the heat source. Those are just guesses, but they make sense to me.


If we were in business making gyros, then I would see the need for vertical rotisserie. We just make enough for our usage so We have a standard rotisserie for the Weber.

According to this, roasting the meat vertically minimizes the amount of fat that drips off into the fire, preventing flare-ups and the burned flavor that causes, and basting the meat with fat.

https://www.haaretz.com/food/.premium-how-to-make-shawarma-like-an-israeli-1.5467110

If the fire is built properly, no coals directly under the rotisserie, then the dripping fat won't hit the coals. Especially if a drip pan is used.
 
The burner for my gas grill rotisserie is horizontal, along the back wall of the grill. The fat drips down on to the grill and "flavorizer" bars and is burned/atomized.

No Ottomans needed.
 
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