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Greek-American Lamb Gyros
Check out the science behind these Grecian delights here.
About the author: After graduating from MIT, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt spent many years as a chef, recipe developer, writer, and editor in Boston. He now lives in New York with his wife, where he runs a private chef business, KA Cuisine, and co-writes the blog GoodEater.org about sustainable food enjoyment.
Greek-American Lamb Gyros
About This Recipe
| Yield: | 4 |
| This recipe appears in: | The Food Lab: Homemade Greek-American Lamb Gyros |
| Rated: |  |
Ingredients
- For the meat:
- 1 pound ground lamb (or ground 85% lean ground beef—see note)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons picked fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1/2 onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 3 ounces slab bacon (or about 5 slices sliced bacon), cut into 1-inch pieces
- For the yogurt sauce:
- 3/4 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, minced on microplane
- 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or mint
- To serve:
- 4 pieces soft, hand-pulled-style pita (not pocket pita)
- Chopped fresh tomato
- Finely sliced onion
- Cubed peeled seeded cucumber
- Hot sauce
Procedures
-
1
Combine lamb, salt, pepper, and oregano in medium bowl. Mix with hands until homogeneous. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to over night. Meanwhile, place yogurt in fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl. Allow to drain in refrigerator for 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place cold mixture in bowl of food processor with onion, garlic, and bacon. Process until smooth puree is formed, about 1 minute total, scraping down sides with rubber spatula as necessary.
-
2
Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. With moist hands, form meat mixture into rectangle about 1 1/2 inches high, 8-inches long, and 5-inches wide. Bake until center of loaf reads 155°F on an instant read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Allow loaf to rest at room temperature for fifteen minutes (or refrigerate for up to a week—see note)
-
3
Meanwhile, make sauce. Combine strained yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
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4
Adjust broiler rack to highest position (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches from broiler element) and preheat broiler. Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8th to 1/4-inch strips (each strip should be about 5-inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide). Lay strips on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil until edges are brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Tent with aluminum foil. Warm bread by placing on rimmed baking sheet and broiling until soft and pliant, about 45 seconds per side.
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5
Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over each piece of bread. Divide meat evenly between sandwiches. Top as desired, wrap with foil, and serve.
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