Homemade Gyro Meat

Name: Homemade Gyro Meat
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 5-6 Servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
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; 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

Last updated June 12, 2014 by Ronda Eagle 3 Comments

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This flavorful recipe is for traditional ground lamb gyros. Homemade Gyro Meat traditionally uses spiced ground lamb meat which is baked and stuffed into pitas with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and slathered in a tangy fresh Greek Tzatziki sauce.

Homemade Gyro Meat uses ground Lamb and spices to make a tasty Mediterranean treat. Add Tzatziki sauce and a pita and you have a delicious Gyro.

We’ve made this quite a few times, but this time, we decided to make it on the grill with our rotisserie attachment but you can do this in a counter top rotisserie such as a Ronko or alike, as well. However, after cooking this on the rotisserie, I must admit that the oven method is much easier and tidier than the rotisserie method. We also felt the oven method produced a juicier homemade gyro meat while the rotisserie was a bit drier. Both methods are good, we just preferred the oven method overall.

Looking for more Lamb Recipes? Check these out!

Homemade Gyro Meat

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours
Total Time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 5-6 Servings
Category: Dinner
Method: oven
Cuisine: Mediterranean

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Description

Homemade Gyro Meat uses ground Lamb and spices to make a tasty Mediterranean treat. Add Tzatziki sauce and a pita and you have a delicious Homemade Gyro anytime you like.

Ingredients

For the Gyro Meat:

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

For the 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

Instructions

For the Gyro Meat:
1. Process the onion in a food processor (affiliate link) 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.
2. Return the onion to the food processor (affiliate link) 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:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 ° F.
2. 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° F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack (affiliate link) 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° F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.
To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
1. 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.
2. Preheat the grill to high.
3. 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° F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 °F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
For the Tzatziki Sauce:
1. Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
2. 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.