Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce

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We've made this recipe at least a dozen times. The last three times we had to resort to the oven b/c the rotisserie broke. Some tricks for the oven: we found that the spices didn't carry the "pow" that the charred loaf did from the rotisserie. I took all the spices up by 25% and that did the trick. Also, 75% through the roasting time, I carefully drained the grease from the loaf pan and this allowed the hot air to penetrate the sides, creating a bit of the "charred" flavor that was missing (the loaf had shrunk from the sides creating the gap.

The tzatziki sauce is outstanding. Make it ahead of time to soften the garlic. 3 hours was enough for us.

In all, a fantastic recipe.

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I have been looking for a recipe to recreate the most delicious Gyro I have ever tasted from a Greek deli in New York near Central Park. I never thought of making the Gyro lamb meat myself. This recipe along with the details of my preparation made it an equal match, if not better than what I remember from NY.

I had tried the oven "meat-loaf" technique of this recipe about a year ago and found it not to be as good as I had expected. I just tried the recipe again using the rotisserie method with my gas grill and found the results to be outstanding! Perhaps the rotisserie method is superior or my cooking and prep techniques have improved.

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I live in a town with no Greek restaurants, and this recipe definitely satisfies my husband's and my cravings for gyros. SO good! The leftover tzatziki sauce even makes a wonderful salad dressing!

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The texture is right on but I can't get the flavor right. I used kosher salt and I feel its too salty, also flavor just not there. I could not find ground rosemary, could that be my problem. I'm from Chicago and Gyros and Italian beef are what we grew up on. I was so excited when I read the reviews. Any suggestions on where I went wrong.

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The result is 'the truth'. I found the spices and method for meatloaf style to be 'right on the money.' I find I needed to do the initial mix by hand and then do smaller batches in the food processor to get the best mix and not burn or slow the motor. Made a batch of all lamb, but might try a mixture with beef next time. It took exactly 1 hour to reach 170 degrees in a convection oven so I assume it would take a bit longer in a regular oven.

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Made this today as written to a T, (all lamb freshly ground, everything. It was good, but we felt it could use even more spice. I did the water bath baking method, but wish I had done it on my rotisserie because I rolled the meat tightly up in plastic wrap and it sat in the fridge for at least 6 hours and it felt firm enough to stand up to the test. Next time I will add spices listed plus 1/2 to 1 T. oregano and more garlic and a tad more salt and rotisserie it. I served with tzatziki and homemade pita bread and garnishes. This recipe has much more potential if played with but I wanted to make it as written the first time. Thanks for the recipe. On a good note, the meat texture was spot on! :

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I feel guilty admitting this now, but I was skeptical that the texture of this meat would turn out right. Of course it DID. I never should have doubted Alton...He is, after all, responsible for the best Thanksgiving Turkey ever, my favorite chocolate chip cookies, the pomegranate molasses recipe I use regularly, and countless other recipes I rely on. These gyros were delicious! I was buying leg of lamb for a Vindaloo recipe so I had my butcher grind up two pounds of it to save for the gyros. I felt like it was much less fatty than the gyros you get at Greek restaurants. A friend, who is half Greek wants this recipe from me! I used the oven baking method as I do not have a rotisserie. Lamb is pricey so we won't be eating this all the time but I will absolutely make this again for a special treat!

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Anyone who gives this less than 5 stars doesn't know what they are talking about. This is a super easy recipe that is amazing. The meat comes out just like a Greek restaurant or Gyro stand in NYC. DELICIOUS!! Alton? You da bomb.

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Alton never disappoints. I used a meatloaf pan to make the meat. Mine has two nesting pans with holes in the top one to allow fat to drain. It worked perfectly for this recipe. When the meat was done cooking I just put the bottom pan on top and weighted it with some bottled water. It worked like a charm, no need to find a brick. Like many others here I seared the meat in a cast iron skillet. It tasted just like the gyros at the state fair. I used greek yogurt for the tzatziki. YUM! --UPDATE-- I tried it again, made 3 loaves. I ground together 3lbs lamb shoulder, 2 lbs pork shoulder and 1 lb beef chuck. I used the meatloaf pan again, otherwise I followed Alton's recipe precisely. Absolute perfection.

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I was craving gyros recently and found this recipe online, made it and was thrilled at the outcome. I used 1lb lamb and 1/2lb beef. Searing in a little olive oil to give textural crunch and flavor is a must in my opinion!