Best Gyros As Close As You Can Get Without The Spit Recipes

TRADITIONAL GYROS

Steps:

• Place onion in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Transfer onion to a piece of cheese cloth and squeeze out the liquid. Place onion in a large bowl.
• Mix lamb, beef, garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and salt with the onion using your hands until well mixed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place meat mixture in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and tacky, about 1 minute. Pack meat mixture into a 7x4-inch loaf pan, ensuring there are no air pockets. Place loaf pan into a roasting pan and pour enough boiling water around the loaf pan to reach halfway up the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Pour off any accumulated fat and cool slightly.
• Thinly slice the gyro meat mixture.
• Spread 1 tablespoon hummus onto each pita bread; top each with gyro meat mixture, lettuce, tomato, red onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.

GYROS (AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET WITHOUT THE SPIT!)

Steps:

• Combine wine, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Cut steak across the grain into slices as thin as possible.
• I use the Chinese trick of putting the meat in the freezer and partially freeze so that it will slice easier.
• Pour wine marinade over meat strips, refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour.
• Drain strips.
• Add butter or margarine to saute' pan.
• Add meat, in two batches, and saute' until brown on both sides.
• Remove to serving platter and keep warm.
• Wrap pitas in damp paper towels and microwave until very warm.
• Open one end of each pita to make pocket.
• Set out lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and yogurt.
• Let each person make his own.
• Tips: If you are lucky enough to have a Middle Eastern food store around,ask them for Lebne (pronounced"leeb nee") and use in place of the drained yogurt.
• It is much richer and creamier.
• Or make your own Tzatziki (cucumber, garlic, yogurt dip).

PORK SOUVLAKI GYROS (MEAT ONLY)

Steps:

• - Mix the dried herbs, water, olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, and vinegar in a bowl deep enough to hold the pork roast.
• - Coat pork roast with the marinade.
• - Slice the garlic and onion and spread over top of meat.
• - Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning and coating several times.
• - Place all in roasting pan or dish.
• - Tent and roast at 300 degrees 4 to 4.5 hours, basting often with its own juices. Should have internal temp of at least 170 degrees.
• - After removing from oven, allow to cool to touch.
• - Remove meat from bone, discarding any fat and/or grissle.
• - Mix all sauce and bits from the pan together with the pulled meat and salt to taste.
• - Meat should be very moist but if necessary, add olive oil and water to moisten especially if reheating.
• - Before serving, dry fry (no oil) the meat in a non-stick skillet. This will produce crispy golden brown bits nearly identical to that from a rotisserie.