Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Show: Good EatsEpisode: My Big Fat Greek Sandwich

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (268)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(268)

Cook Time:
1 hr 15 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: 2 hr 0 min
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Total:: 3 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
2 pounds ground lamb
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.

Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.

To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:

Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.

Preheat the grill to high.

Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Tzatziki Sauce:

16 ounces plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

Pinch kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
martin deltona, FL 01-29-2010
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AWESOME GYROS!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

AWESOME stuff! Used half beef and half ground pork. Made it for a party of 12 people for a friend's wife... her birthday... party request - I made 6 pounds of this stuff. It was a MAJOR HIT! Used a Cusinart VERTICAL rotissire to run in 2 batches! Ran out of 16oz Tzatziki sauce after the first batch. Should have made 32oz, remember for next time! Pan heated the pita bread and used lots of feta cheese, tomatoes and raw onions. I think people who complain about their gyros falling apart... it is because they didn't squeeze all the juice out from the chopped onions mixed in with the meat. Same with the Tzatziki sauce.. squeeze all juice out from cucumbers, then it will be nice and chunky like thick salsa! Remember... as you cook the Gyros the oils will come out to self baste and fry the meat from the heating elements. As it bastes the meat it will drain at the bottom of the catch pan, therefore it will NOT be in the meat as a result it will taste dry. If you guys want a bit more moist meat... next time try to add about a quarter to a half cup of regular of fine bread crumbs to the meat mixture. The bread crumbs will two major things: First it will absorb some moisture and more importantly... the fat, less healthy that way but more moist product ! Secondly it is neutral in taste and it helps hold the meat together. If you go the Kronos Foods page... they add bread crumbs as part of their receipe. Hope that helps! Also I added 2 oscar myer bacon strips per pound for more fat and flavor, that's my secret! BACON always helps! Oh yeah... one more tip... if you put the meat in the food processor for too long, you will beat air into the meat..not good unless you like fluffy meat, kinda like whipped creamed meat. then that will collapse. :) Remember: ALL receipes are tasty accidents that were written down!! ENJOY! :DRead more
recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
diane middleburg, FL 01-25-2010
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Please correct quantities on rosemary and marjoram
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

Just tried this dish and the quantity of rosemary and marjoram are over powering. I believe it is a misprint 1 tablespoon... should be 1 teaspoon for both ingredients. I will try this recipe again.Read more
recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
Bill Evansville, WI 01-17-2010
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Pretty close to Gyro shop
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I thought this would not be close to what you get at the local gyro shop. My wife and I were suprised how good it was. The... middle was a little pink when we cut it, so we cut it into thin strips and put it under the broiler to crisp it up. Top notch Alton. Read more
recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
Angela Kansas City, MO 01-16-2010
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delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is the recipe I always use when making gyros and tzatziki and everyone LOVES it! This is so so so good!
recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
Alyssa Draper, UT 01-16-2010
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The sauce is fantastic
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Best yogurt sauce I've ever made to go with gyros. Even when I make other gyro recipes, I still use this sauce recipe.
recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
km havre, MT 01-08-2010
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lazy man gyro
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I take the spiced meat, turn it out on a cellophane wrapped cookie sheet, cover with more cellophane, and use rolling pin to... flatten meat. can partially freeze to handle better, then use pizza cutter to make strips that grill up nice 'n charred in the cast iron skillet. The rolling pin helps compress the meat, and ya get uniform thickness as well. give it a whirl. Peace, love, tranquility!Read more