Traditional Greek Gyro Meat
The texture and taste of this is almost perfectly authentic for gyros.
Traditional Greek Gyro Meat
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 lb ground lamb
- 2 lb ground beef
- 2 medium onions (diced)
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp marjoram (or another tsp of oregano)
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp rosemary
- 2 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Preparing the Meat:
- Place the onion in a food processor and blend until it's chopped into tiny pieces.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend until it is a fine paste – about 1 minute. *If it is a small food processor, combine the ingredients in a bowl first then just blend a small amount at a time.
- Press into a 9×9 square baking dish, cover, and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour so the flavors can blend and become enhanced.
Cooking the Meat:
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- Place the pan of meat in a larger baking dish and fill the larger baking dish half full of boiling water, creating a water bath for the meat.
- Bake until the internal temperature is 165-170°. About 45-60 minutes.*If you are slicing and frying the meat, it is ok if it is still a little pink. Otherwise, cook it until it's no longer pink.
- When the meat is done, remove from the oven and water bath and allow to cool slightly.
- Slice thinly with an electric knife.
- Heat a skillet with a little oil and quickly fry both sides so they get slightly crispy.*This takes about 5 minutes per panful, so it can take up to 15 minutes.
- Place in the oven to keep warm.
Notes:
Make Ahead: There are a couple of options for making this ahead.
You can prepare the meat in advance and not cook it at all, or you can prepare it and bake it. Then put it in the fridge (or freezer) and quickly pan-fry it just before serving time.
Serving Size: 2 lb meat (1lb lamb & 1lb beef) serves 4 1/2 people perfectly.
Diet: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free
This is a really good recipe, but the seasonings need to be 1 1/2x at least.