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Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce

Alton Brown

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Show: Good EatsEpisode: My Big Fat Greek Sandwich

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (258)

  • Cook Time:

    1 hr 15 min

  • Level:

    Intermediate

  • Yield:

    6 to 8 servings

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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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Read more Comments & Reviews (258)

Comments & Reviews

  • recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
    Eileen Waretown, NJ 10-29-2009

    Flag

    Turned out pretty dry...

    Rated: 3 stars out of 5
    Made this according to directions, but used 1 1/2 lb lamb, and 1/2 lb pork due to other's comments about dryness. I baked... this instead of using the rotisseree. While flavorful, it was rather dry, even though it cooked for the exact amount of time, and came up to the exact temp. It just seemed that weighting it down pressed all of the juices out of it... I will try frying the leftovers in olive oil to see if this can help save this batch, as others have suggested. Also, I would recommend using only three cloves garlic in the tzatziki. I had instant heartburn, and I normally love spicy foods and garlic. Read more
  • recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
    Ann Marie Estero, FL 10-29-2009

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    ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I know Alton used the brick to get a more "gyro" meat texture, but honestly, I've made this recipe many times and I've just... baked it like a meatloaf, draining the fat twice during cooking, and alway get a wonderful end product without it taking an hour and a half. Try it, you'll like it!Read more
  • recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
    Sal Kendall Park, NJ 10-29-2009

    Flag

    Mix it first

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    Unless you have a huge food processor that can easily accomodate 2 pounds of meat, I found it easier and more consistent to... first mix al the ingredients together in a large bowl, then process it in batches. I'll be making it for the third time tonight. We all love it.Read more
  • recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
    DEBRA Spring Valley, CA 10-27-2009

    Flag

    Yummm....

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I followed the directions almost exactly, I substituted 1 lb of beef for lamb and used an alternate cooking method. After... reading the reviews and realizing one of the common complaints being dryness, I decided to utilize my crock pot. One of the reviews mentioned finding a way to cook low and slow to prevent dryness and I thought the crock pot would be the perfect way to do that. So, I used a loaf pan that fit into my crock pot and poured hot water into it halfway up the sides of my pan and used a piece of aluminum foil to cover the top of the gyros so that condensation wouldn't drip into it. I cooked on high for a few hours until my meat thermometer reached desired temp (actually had gone over a few degrees), took it out of the crock pot and let it rest with a couple of heavy cans on top of the aluminum foil for the compression as I do not have a brick. I pretty much let it cool completely and sliced it into strips. The taste was not quite right and I did as some of the other reviewers mentioned and fried in a little olive oil. With all of the components of the sandwich, using the middle eastern flatbread from Trader Joe's, it was amazingly close to my local greek restaurant and much, much, cheaper! Next time I will double the recipe and save the cut strips in the freezer for a quick dinner another night. I would encourage anyone who loves gyros to try this recipe at home.Read more
  • recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
    steve worthington, OH 10-24-2009

    Flag

    Use very hot water for Gyro meat water bath

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    Used water bath, and a wireless meat thermometer. Cooked until it reached 170 degrees. It took just over an hour. Let it sit... as directed, brick and all. Awesome!!Read more
  • recipe Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce
    Diana Nashville, TN 10-20-2009

    Flag

    Bout to pull my hair out

    Rated: 1 stars out of 5
    Okay, I did the water bath, found a brick, and still can't get it up to temp. Finally just took it out and sliced it into... slices, put it all back in the loaf pan and stuck it back in the oven on 350... I'm sure it will be completely dried out by the time it's safe to eat it, but at this moment, that is the least of my concerns... next time I'll go out and find a restaurant that makes them and get them there... probably a heck of a lot cheaper and not nearly as irritating.Read more
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