Greek American Lamb Gyros
- Ready In:
- 1hr 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 17
- Yields:
-
6 gyros
- Serves:
- 4-6
ingredients
-
For the meat
- 1 lb ground lamb (or ground 85% lean ground beef, see note)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons picked fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1⁄2 onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 3 ounces thick slab bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (or about 5 slices sliced bacon)
-
For the yogurt sauce
- 3⁄4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
- 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, minced on microplane
- 1 lemons, juice of or 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or 2 tablespoons mint
-
To serve
- 4 pieces soft hand-pulled-style pita bread (not pocket pita)
- fresh tomato, chopped
- onion, finely sliced
- cucumber (peeled, seeded, cubed)
- hot sauce
directions
- 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.
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