Homemade Gyro Meat

Juicy, flavorful homemade gyro meat made with seasoned ground lamb and beef, blended until smooth for authentic texture and baked until perfectly sliceable. This easy oven method delivers Greek restaurant–style gyro meat at home, perfect for pita wraps, gyro bowls, salads, and meal prep. Better than takeout and freezer-friendly.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings Servings

Calories 335

Author Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming

Ingredients

For the Gyro Meat:

1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground bison , or extra lean ground beef or more lamb [See Note 1]
1 medium onion , quartered
1 tablespoon garlic , minced - about 4-5 cloves
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
2 teaspoons fine kosher salt or fine table salt or fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper , more or less to taste

For the Tzatziki Sauce:

16 ounces Greek yogurt , plain, fat free [See Note 2]
1 medium cucumber , peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (we use English cucumbers also called hothouse cucumbers)
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic , finely minced
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or distilled white, white vine, or tarragon vinegar. For GF, be sure to choose a GF variety.
5 to 6 spearmint leaves , finely minced

Optional Garnishes:

Sliced Red onions
Shredded Lettuce
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced Tomatoes
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Kalamata Olives
Pepperoncini Peppers
Hot Pepper Sauce

Serving Suggestions. Serve with:

Minted Rice (stir minced mint leaves into steamed, buttered rice.)
Roasted Greek Potatoes
Hummus , your favorite brand and flavor
French Fries
Pita Bread

Instructions

For the Gyro Meat:

Place the quartered onion in the food processor and chop fine.
Add the lamb, bison, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 30 seconds to about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to incorporate all the seasonings. [See Note 3]

For the Tzatziki Sauce:

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Greek yogurt will not let out much excess liquid, but if using regular yogurt, this step will be more necessary than with Greek yogurt.
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, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows: [See Note 3]

Preheat the oven to 350 ° F.
Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until the mixture reaches 170° F.
Remove from the oven and drain off the collected fat. Set aside to rest until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 175° F.
Slice the meat lengthwise to form long thin strips and serve.
OPTIONAL STEP: Heat a castiron skillet, and cook the strips for about 1 minute on each side to get the nice crispy edges typical of a gyro cooked on a rotisserie skewer. [See Note 5]

To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows: [See Note 4]

Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and on plastic wrap or foil. Roll the mixture tightly, removing any air pockets. Twist the ends of the wrap until the wrap is tight. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight), to allow the mixture to firm up enough to cook on the spit.
Alternatively, you could cook wrapped in the foil long enough for the mixture to tighten up, but this method is not ideal.
Preheat the grill to high.
Once chilled and firm, unwrap the meat and place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. The lamb lets off a lot of oil so you will want to place a foil pan or tray directly under the meat to catch the drippings and prevent flare-ups on the grill.
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.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve warm on fresh pita bread with sliced onion, tomatoes, cucumbers. kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers, tzatziki sauce, and crumbled feta cheese.
For gluten-free, enjoy the meat over a salad as a gyro bowl or as a gyro platter with a salad and french fries. There are varieties of GF pita as well.

Notes

Process the meat mixture until completely smooth and paste like. This step is essential for achieving the authentic gyro texture.
Press the mixture firmly into the loaf pan to remove air pockets and ensure clean slices after baking.
Bake just until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Overbaking can cause dry or crumbly gyro meat.
Allow the loaf to rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to help retain juices and improve texture.
For crispy edges similar to restaurant style gyro meat, pan sear slices in a hot skillet for 1 to 2 minutes per side before serving.
For easier thin slicing, chill the cooked loaf briefly in the refrigerator before cutting.

Nutrition