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Gyro Meat

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Donair (doner or Donar), Gyros, and Schwarma are all pretty much the same thing. The Doner Kebab (probably the closest original ethnic food to the American invention, the Gyro) is originally from Turkey. The gyro is an American invention which is basically a cheap version of a traditional Greek Kebab. A traditional gyro should be made with at least 50% ground lamb, and the rest beef. The best ground to use is one with a high fat content (this is so that during the remixing it binds and keeps it shape well!).

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Gyro Meat 1 Picture

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1/2 cup very finely chopped (or shredded) onion
  • 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ground marjoram
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ground rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Mix everything together and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Blend in a food processor for about 1 minute. (When cooked, this will help give it a more traditional gyro feel on your palate. Otherwise, it just takes like cooked minced meat.)

Form into an oblong around a spit, and slow cook over a grill for around 30-45 minutes, cooking far from the coals, and rotating slowly. Alternatively, bake in the oven in a meatloaf shape for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, at 325 degrees F. It should be a bit dry.

P.S. Tzatziki is made with 500 ml. plain natural or Greek yogurt, 1 cucumber which has been peeled and descended and grated and drained of extra liquid, and 2-4 cloves of fresh minced garlic. Mix together, and let sit in fridge until ready to use. This is an extremely traditional recipe, and might be a bit sharp for the average American palate, so you might want to halve the garlic amount.

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