Gyro Meat Food

GYRO MEAT WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
• Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.
• To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.
• To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
• Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.
• Preheat the grill to high.
• Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
• Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups

GYRO MEAT RECIPE

Steps:

• Place onions, garlic into a large food processor and process until finely chopped but not liquefied.
• Add meat and all the seasonings and grind for another 3-5 minutes. Do not skip this step. If you do, it will be like ground beef with some weird seasonings in it. Grind it until it's a big, huge, sticky mess that you wonder how you will ever clean up.
• Since writing this recipe I've discovered a faster way to do this, which is to use your stand mixer with the paddle. Paddle the living daylights out of the meat with the spices until it's a sticky mess. This is a lot easier to clean up than a blender, and the end result is the same. So use whatever you have that works for you.
• Put into a foil pan, and smooth out the top, and bake at 350 for 60 mins, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 175-180
• Take it out of the oven and drain all the fat.
• Cover it with foil and then place something heavy on it to compress it. I put a cast iron skillet on top and then carefully placed 3 cans of beans on top of the skillet to compress it.
• Let it rest for 30 mins and then slice into thin slices.
• Gyros!

GYRO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• For the gyro meatloaf: Gather the minced onions in a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible. In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion, beef, lamb, milk, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, fennel, coriander, egg and some salt and pepper and mix together. Fry up a small test batch; taste for salt and pepper, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Transfer the meatloaf mixture to a food processor and process it to the consistency of a paste. Tightly pack it into a loaf pan, making sure there are no cracks or air pockets. Bake until cooked through, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into thin slices.
• For the tzatziki sauce: Grate or mince the cucumber and add it to a bowl along with the yogurt, dill, lemon juice, mint, olive oil, coriander and cumin. Whisk to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the lemon vinaigrette: In a blender, combine the lemon juice, oregano, thyme and mustard. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream to emulsify.
• For the salad: Toss the lettuce, red onions and tomatoes with about 4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
• Heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Briefly warm up the pitas in the pan, giving them just long enough on each side to get hot but not crispy. In the same pan, sear the slices of gyro on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
• Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of tzatziki sauce onto each pita. Top with some slices of meatloaf and finish with some of the salad. Roll the pitas up tightly and wrap them in foil or secure them with a toothpick. Serve.

GYRO MEAT

Steps:

• Combine ingredients in a bowl, and shape into 1/2 inch thick patties.
• Broil 8-10 minutes until no longer pink.
• Slice thinly and serve with pita bread, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, cucumber yogurt sauce.

GYROS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Process red onion in a food processor until finely minced. Scoop onion into a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze as much moisture from the onion as possible. Return onion to food processor; add garlic and process until the garlic is well integrated. Blend marjoram, rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper into the onion mixture.
• Gradually blend ground beef and ground lamb with the onion and seasoning mixture by alternately adding small amounts of each meat to the mixture and processing until well incorporated before adding the next batch.
• Firmly pack the meat mixture into a loaf pan, assuring no air pockets are trapped in the meat.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 75 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Drain grease and slice thinly to serve.

GYROS - AN AUTHENTIC RECIPE FOR MAKING THEM AT HOME

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.
• Knead the mixture on the counter for 10 minutes - just like you're kneading bread. You may want to use a dough-scraper to help keep the counter clean. (I do). Pick that meat up and SLAM it into the counter, continuing to do so for the 10 minutes. This is key to getting the correct texture. I'm no Alton Brown, but I think the thing we're doing here is melting the fat so that we get a nice smooth texture in the end.
• Form into a flat loaf - I like to put the meat onto a piece of wax paper, and flattening it into a 3" high slab rectangle. I cover it with another piece of wax and use a rolling pin to flatten it out, just make sure you straighten out the edges to form a rectangle so that when it comes time to slice, they are nice and even.
• Bake the loaf on a broiler pan (or pan with raised edges, because it will leak grease!) at 350 for about an hour. Alternatively, you can grill it over coals, that's my favorite way, just be sure to turn often so as to distribute the juices.
• Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing thin.

GREEK GYRO RECIPE WITH HOMEMADE GYRO MEAT

Steps:

• 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!

TRADITIONAL GYRO MEAT

Steps:

• Place the onion in a food processor, and process until finely chopped. Scoop the onions onto the center of a towel, gather up the ends of the towel, and squeeze out the liquid from the onions. Place the onions into a mixing bowl along with the lamb and beef. Season with the garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and salt. Mix well with your hands until well combined. Cover, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place the meat mixture into the food processor, and pulse for about a minute until finely chopped and the mixture feels tacky. Pack the meat mixture into a 7x4 inch loaf pan, making sure there are no air pockets. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the loaf pan on the towel, inside the roasting pan, and place into the preheated oven. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
• Bake until the gyro meat is no longer pink in the center, and the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) on a meat thermometer, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Pour off any accumulated fat, and allow to cool slightly before slicing thinly and serving.

HOMEMADE GYRO MEAT AND GYROS

Steps:

• Place the onion chunks in the food processor and blitz them until they are super finely chopped. Scrape into the center of a clean tea or flour sack towel, twist and squeeze it over the sink to remove any extra moisture. Use your hands to combine them with the remaining gyro meat ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest for at least 1 hour but up to overnight in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F and bring a pot of water to a boil.
• Working in batches, pulse the meat mixture for a minute, or until it is a tacky, thick paste. Press it a little at a time into the loaf pans, taking care to eliminate any air pockets. You should have enough meat to fill 2 standard bread loaf pans. Press down firmly on the surface of the meat to even it out. Place a wet kitchen towel on the bottom of a large roasting pan and position the loaf pans on top of it. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. It should be 2/3 of the way up the outsides of the loaf pans. Carefully transfer the roasting pan into the oven and bake for 50-70 minutes, or until the meat measures 165°F on an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf.
• Carefully remove the loaf pans from the roasting pan and pour off any fat that accumulated. Put the loaf pan on a heat-proof surface (a cooling rack or a pan on top of the oven) and place a foil wrapped brick directly on the surface of the meat. Let the meat rest like this for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the brick, run a knife around the edge of the loaves, then gently turn the loaves out. Wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight to allow them to chill and firm for easier slicing.
• Unwrap the gyro loaf and use a sharp knife to cut long strips no thicker than 1/4-inch. Melt at least 2 teaspoons of ghee or olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Lay the strips down into the ghee or olive oil and fry for at least 1 1/2 minutes on each side, using tongs or a small flexible spatula to flip them, or until they are crisped and browned to your liking. Gently transfer them to a plate to cool briefly, then assemble in your preferred order with the remaining gyro ingredients on a gently warmed flat-bread pita. Fold, wrap in foil to help hold it together, and dig in!

GYRO MEAT RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium pot, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil.
• Put 1 sweet yellow onion in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the onion is pureed.
• Put the pureed onion in a paper towel and bring together the corners. Squeeze out any excess water from the onion.
• Return the onion to the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients (1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground lamb, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp marjoram, 1/2 tsp dry rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper). Pulse until everything is fully combined.
• Put the mixture in an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 loaf pan and press down. Fill a separate 9x13 pan with the boiling water.
• Put the loaf pan with the meat on the middle rack of the preheated oven and put the 9x13 pan on the bottom rack. Bake for about 60 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove the loaf pan from the oven and pour off the excess grease.
• Put the loaf pan on a cooling rack, cover it with aluminum foil, then place something heavy on top of the pan (you can use a foil-covered brick for best results. I used 3 cans and then placed a cast iron skillet on top.)
• Let the gyro meat rest for about 30 minutes until cooled and dense.
• Remove the meat from the loaf pan. Use a serrated knife to cut the gyro meat into slices.
• Heat the 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the gyro slices to the pan and fry until the meat is browned on both sides.
• Assemble in a warm pita with meat, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce. Enjoy!

HOMEMADE TRADITIONAL GREEK PORK GYROS

Steps:

• For the brine, place the sugar, salt, in a sauce pan with a cup of water. Simmer on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until sugar and salt have dissolved.
• Fill a large container or pot with the sugar-salt mixture and water. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, garlic, and herbs. Stir well. Place the pork in the brine. Make sure it is fully immersed and cover with water. Chill overnight.
• Remove the meat add dry the pieces well with a paper towel.
• In a bowl, mix ½ cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon dry oregano, 1 tablespoon sumac, 2 teaspoons sea salt, roughly chopped, like fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage and some freshly ground pepper.
• Place meat pieces in a pan and pour the marinade all over. Rub pieces with marinade. Let pork belly sit for 3 hours or overnight.
• Pierce the pork pieces on the vertical rotisserie. Add the pork belly slices between the cutlets. Add half a lemon on top or half an onion. Place meat on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn pork around every 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.