Homemade Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

[Steve Kroll]

Gyros
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Toppings: chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced onions, cucumber tzatziki sauce (recipe follows)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F

Mix all ingredients well and form into an elongated egg-shaped loaf. Place on a nonstick roasting rack with foil underneath to catch any drippings. Bake 45-60 minutes, or until the internal temp is 160F.

Cover with foil and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice thin and serve on warm pita folds with chopped tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce. For an authentic restaurant style touch, you can wrap them in foil for easier eating.


Tzatziki Sauce

I usually make tzatziki a day ahead of time, as it helps the flavors develop.

Ingredients:

• 1 16-oz container of plain Greek yogurt
• 1 English cucumber, peeled and shredded with a box grater
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Preparation:
Lightly salt the shredded cucumber and let sit for 20-30 minutes. This will help pull excess water out of it. Wrap the cucumber in a paper towel and squeeze out as much water as possible.

Mix everything together and let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

 

[GotGarlic]

Yum! I will definitely be making this! Thanks

 

[Dawgluver]

Ooh, there it is! Thanks, Steve, C&P!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I gotta try this!

I wonder how it would be as grilled lamburgers or lamb sliders in mini pita pockets!

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Oooo I saw this on the WFD thread the other day. Tantalizer and teaser it 'twas. Glad you posted the recipe now. Thanks.

 

[powerplantop]

Looks great and the recipe sounds really nice.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I gotta try this!

I wonder how it would be as grilled lamburgers or lamb sliders in mini pita pockets!

Both would be good.

If making it as lamb burgers, I would cut back on the amount of salt to maybe half. The amount of salt in the recipe seemed like a lot to me at first, but then I realized 1.) I don't use much salt on any other part of the sandwich, and 2.) the saltiness is a big part of what makes them taste authentic. Restaurant gyros are salty as can be.

When I was first putting this recipe together, I tried a number of other recipes posted online. Most fell flat in the flavor department. So I played around with the spices until I came up with this combination. I think it's pretty authentic. So if you make it, please let me know what you think.

 

[Dawgluver]

Do you double grind the meat, Steve? The gyro meat we have had seemed pretty finely ground, but I've never bought fresh ground lamb.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Do you double grind the meat, Steve? The gyro meat we have had seemed pretty finely ground, but I've never bought fresh ground lamb.

I don't double grind it. I've used recipes that call for putting everything into a food processor and turning into puree, but I've found that results in a weird texture. On top of that, it just makes more things to clean up, and I promised Cave76 this would be simple.

I choose instead to mix it well by hand. And I do mean by hand. You have to get your fingers in there and mush it all together good.

 

[Dawgluver]

Thanks!

 

[Kayelle]

I happened to buy two packages of ground lamb today, not knowing exactly what I had planned for it. Ground lamb is hard to find around here and when I see it, I buy it.

Low and behold.........I discover this recipe you posted Steve! I can't wait to make this!

Thank you!

 

[CWS4322]

Those sound great, Steve. When you make your tatziki, do you seed the cucumber before you grate it?

 

[FrankZ]

When I have made gyro meat I run it in the food processor. I also make it into a squared off roll in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

Then rotisserie over charcoal. Shrinkage is an issue so I have to wrap it in twine and tie that off to the forks.

 

[Roll_Bones]

Looks excellent. Did you make the flat bread yourself? If yes, please tell me how.

Also someone asked if you seeded the cuke before gating. I assume you do seed it.
I always seed cuke no matter the use.

 

[Dawgluver]

Looks excellent. Did you make the flat bread yourself? If yes, please tell me how.

Also someone asked if you seeded the cuke before gating. I assume you do seed it.
I always seed cuke no matter the use.

Steve had mentioned in his dinner post that he used store-bought pitas, though he probably has a recipe. And with English cukes, I don't think they need to be seeded.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Those sound great, Steve. When you make your tatziki, do you seed the cucumber before you grate it?

With English cucumbers, I don't seed them and don't notice any seeds in the sauce. With other cucumber varieties, I probably would remove them.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I guess I don't know what an English cucumber is.

I know the burpless/seedless, Kirby and the majority of the ones sold in grocery stores.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I guess I don't know what an English cucumber is.

I know the burpless/seedless, Kirby and the majority of the ones sold in grocery stores.

English cucumbers are the long thin ones. Often they come wrapped in plastic to help keep them fresh longer. Most larger supermarkets carry them these days.

 

[mmyap]

This may be on the dinner menu tonight! We recently tried lamb burgers for the first time and I tell you what, they are now our burger of choice. Looking forward to gyro's tonight.

 

[Rocklobster]

Just did it with pork tonight. It is in the oven now. I used my food processor because I never use it much. Thanks Steve. Smelling yummy around here.