Gyros

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Yee-roh or ji-roh? No matter how you say it, it’s hard to beat the taste of a Greek gyro — and they’re easier to make than you’d think!

Chances are, you’ve savored a delicious gyro, but have you been pronouncing it correctly? It’s actually ‘yee-roh.’ (Do yourself a favor and watch this hilarious Jimmy Fallon/Luke Bryan clip about the pronunciation — it will give you a laugh). This flavorful dish gets its name from the Greek ‘gyros,’ meaning ‘turn’ — a direct reference to how the succulent slices of meat are prepared, gently rotating on a vertical spit, their flavor deepening with each turn.

In Greek restaurants in the States, you’ll find two types of gyros: Greek-American gyros, made with ground meats and spices formed into a cone and cooked on a rotisserie, and authentic Greek gyros, made with marinated, whole cuts of meat tightly stacked into a tower and slowly roasted on a spit. Both versions are incredibly delicious!

This recipe focuses on the Greek-American gyro since it’s much easier to replicate at home. To make it, simply blend ground beef and lamb with bread crumbs, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin. Next, shape this mixture into two loaves and bake them. After baking, thinly slice the loaves and quickly sear the slices in a skillet, which gives you beautifully crispy slices.

How To Serve Gyros

You can enjoy the gyro meat a few ways. Serve it atop a vibrant Greek salad for a light meal or wrap the slices in a warm pita bread with tzatziki sauce, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and crumbled feta. What’s great about this recipe is that it yields a generous two loaves, allowing you to freeze one loaf for those harried nights when you don’t have time to cook.

Note: The meat will taste a bit salty on its own but needs the extra salt for flavor when added to sandwiches and salads.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE gyros

In developing this recipe, I experimented with both fresh and dried onion and garlic. Surprisingly, the dried versions delivered the best flavor. This helps to reduce the prep time, which is always a bonus!

You might be tempted to use just one type of meat, and while it will certainly taste delicious, it may not entirely emulate that authentic gyro flavor we’re aiming for.

There are two types of pita bread — with and without pockets. If you plan to eat these as wraps, you’ll want to buy pocketless pitas. If your store has a few options, pick the softest, fluffiest ones; they will be the easiest to roll up.

Sometimes at restaurants, you’ll get a few french fries tucked into your pita alongside meat and other fixings. I haven’t included them here, but if you’ve got some frozen fries on hand, feel free to add a few in!

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Make the Gyro Meat

Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Place the beef, lamb, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Process until the mixture is well combined and paste-like, scraping down the bowl as necessary, about 1 minute.

Using moist hands, form the mixture into two free-form loaves about 1 inch high, 8 inches long, and 4 inches wide directly on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until meat is firm in the center and reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Let sit for about 10 minutes, or chill until ready to slice, up to 4 days.

Transfer the loaves to a cutting board and slice between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick.

The gyro loaves (or unbrowned slices) can be prepared up to 4 days ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before browning and serving.

To serve, working in batches, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the gyro slices in a single layer until lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds per side.

Step 2: Assemble the Gyros

Serve the gyros with pita bread, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and feta.

To wrap your gyro, get a parchment or foil piece twice the size of your pita. Place the pita slightly off the top edge, spread tzatziki, add meat and toppings in a line in the middle. Fold the gyro and parchment/foil in half over the toppings. Wrap the parchment/foil edges over the pita and tuck the outer edge under a fold to secure it.

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