Matt Davidsons Dartmouth Donair Meat Food

DONAIR MEAT

Steps:

• Try to get your butcher to run the meat through the grinder a few times. A food processor will do the trick also.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
• Knead for 20 minutes.
• Shape into two tightly formed loaves.
• Bake on broiler pan for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cool loaves and slice into thick slabs.
• Meat can be frozen for future use. If (like me) you are not fortunate enough to own your own rotary-stick-cooker thing like the ones in the good shops, you may find that the inner parts of the loaf are not browned enough. This can be remedied by re-heating the meat in a frying pan. This browns it nicely and gives it that slightly chewier texture.

THE ORIGINAL DONAIR FROM THE EAST COAST OF CANADA

Steps:

• In a bowl, thoroughly mix together the ground beef, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Pack the spiced meat into a thick loaf shape, cover, and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the meat loaf onto a baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour, flipping the loaf over halfway through cooking. Allow the meat loaf to cool so it holds together for slicing.
• Mix together the evaporated milk and white sugar in a bowl, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and then add the vinegar by teaspoons, mixing together after each addition, to taste. Refrigerate the sauce until serving.
• Slice the meat loaf into 1/4-inch thick slices, and brown the slices in a skillet over medium heat until both sides are brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side.
• Sprinkle the pita bread rounds with a little water, and press each onto a heated skillet to warm up.
• To serve, place several slices of meat into a warmed pita bread, and spoon about 2 tablespoons of sauce over the meat. Roll the pita bread into a cone shape, wrap in aluminum foil to keep the sauce from dripping out, and serve.

DONAIR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and salt. Press into an 8x8 inch square baking dish, or casserole dish.
• Bake for 2 hours in the preheated oven, until cooked through. Set aside to cool for at least 1/2 hour, the meat will slice even better if it is actually chilled completely.
• To make the sauce, combine the evaporated milk, sugar and vinegar in a jar with a lid, and shake well to blend. Set aside to thicken.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and slice off thin slices of the meat loaf. Fry the slices briefly in the hot skillet, until browned on each side. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm. Flick a little water onto the hot skillet, and brown the pita breads a little on each side to soften.
• Load up one side of pitas with meat slices, tomatoes and onion. Spoon sauce over the filling, and fold pitas in half, then towards the center. Voila, you're eating!

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.

DONAIR MEAT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• For Meatloaf: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
• Knead for 20 minutes.
• Shape into two tightly formed loaves.
• Bake on broiler pan for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cool loaves and slice thin.
• Meat can be frozen for future use.
• For Sauce: Stir canned milk, sugar and garlic powder until sugar is dissolved.
• Slowly add vinegar and continue mixing.
• Let sauce sit for at least one hour in refrigerator before using.
• For Sandwich: Heat thin sliced donair meat in a frying pan.
• Dip a pita bread in water and fry in frying pan to soften.
• Place a small amount of sauce on bread.
• Top with meat, chopped onions and tomatoes and finish off with more sauce.
• Roll up or serve open face on a plate.