Best Greek American Lamb Gyros Recipes

HOMEMADE GREEK-AMERICAN STYLE GYRO MEAT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, 163 degrees Celsius.
• Place the garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped.
• Add onion and puree until smooth.
• Add ground meat with all of the spices. Pulse until the mixture becomes like a paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between pulses.
• Place the mixture in a loaf pan. Compact it as much as possible.
• Bake for 45 minutes till 1 hour.
• Allow the pan to cool at room temperature completely. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before removing from the pan.
• Remove from pan onto a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice it thinly. Pour all of the pan juices over the slices along with any of the fat that has gelatinized. It adds so much flavor when heating it up for the sandwiches.
• At this point, the gyro slices can be placed in a freezer-safe bag and frozen for future use.
• To make the Gyro sandwiches, place a cast iron pan over medium heat and cook the gyro slices until they are browned on both sides.
• Warm the pita bread slightly. Place some chopped lettuce, onion and tomato slices over the pita, the warm gyro slices and tzatziki sauce with crumbled feta. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy!​

AMERICAN GYROS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish. Line with parchment paper that extends up the sides. Turn the parchment paper over so the oiled side is up.
• Place ground lamb and beef in a mixing bowl. Add onions, garlic, rosemary, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and bread crumbs. Mix until well combined. Transfer to prepared baking dish and press the meat mixture firmly into the dish in an even layer that extends to the edges. Meat mixture should be packed and fairly dense.
• Bake in preheated oven until nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
• Transfer meat to a cutting board. Cut into 3 pieces crosswise. Slice each piece into 1/8-inch thick slices as you need them.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook slices until browned, about 2 minutes per side.

GREEK AMERICAN LAMB GYROS

Steps:

• Combine lamb, kosher salt, pepper, and oregano in medium bowl.
• Mix with hands until homogeneous.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, place yogurt in fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl.
• Allow to drain in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place cold mixture in bowl of food processor with onion, garlic, and bacon. Process until smooth puree is formed, about 1 minute total, scraping down sides with rubber spatula as necessary.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• With moist hands, form meat mixture into a rectangle about 1-1/2 inches high, 8-inches long, and 5-inches wide.
• Bake until center of loaf reads 155 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer, about 30 minutes.
• Allow loaf to rest at room temperature for fifteen minutes (or refrigerate for up to a week-see note).
• Meanwhile, make sauce.
• Combine strained yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley; stir to combine.
• Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
• Adjust broiler rack to highest position (about 1-1/2 to 2 inches from broiler element). Preheat broiler.
• Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8th to 1/4-inch strips (each strip should be about 5-inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide).
• Lay strips on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
• Broil until edges are brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.
• Tent with aluminum foil.
• Warm bread by placing on a rimmed baking sheet and broiling until soft and pliant, about 45 seconds per side.
• Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over each piece of bread.
• Divide meat evenly between sandwiches.
• Top as desired, wrap with foil, and serve.

BEST HOMEMADE LAMB GYROS

Steps:

• Two to three days before:.
• Cut the meat into small cubes, removing only large pieces of fat. Grind rosemary until fine, add the garlic, oregano, rosemary, salt, pepper, and lemon zest (fine grated from one lemon) and process a bit. Do not add the onion!
• Place the meat and spice mixture in a plastic bag, mix well, seal tightly and chill, turning now and then.
• 8 to 18 hours before serving:.
• Coarsely chop the onion and process it in the food processor until it is mushy with no onion pieces in it. Pour it out onto a clean fine weave cloth, gather the cloth up around the onion and squeeze out the liquid very well until the onion is very dry.
• Working in batches, grind the meat cubes in the food processor until finely ground. Add the onion to all the meat and mix well. Then re-process in batches until the mixture is reduced to a fluffy paste -- this may take two or more minutes per batch. Knead the meat mixture very well, form into a compact log 8-10 inches long with blunt ends, and wrap very tightly in plastic wrap (see picture). Chill for 3 to 18 hours.
• 1.5 to 2 hours before serving:.
• Remove plastic wrap and re-wrap tightly in foil. Put on indirect heat on the BBQ 375-400 degrees, turning every 15-20 minutes for about 60-70 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Remove from grill and leave in foil for at least 20 minutes. Final temperature should be 160-165.
• Slice very thin horizontal slices. If you like your gyros meat crispy, saute the slices in a hot skillet for a few minutes before serving (I like mine soft, so I just zap it very briefly if I need to warm it up!).
• Serve with tzatziki (try #59336) and warm pita.