Gyro beef or lamb is a great base for salads, pitas, sandwiches, and other preparations.
Mechanic
This is the gyro spice-and-meat base, sized to 1 kg of ground meat so it scales cleanly for freezing or batch cooking. The technique is sausage-making applied without a grinder: mixing with cold water and a bread crumb panade until sticky emulsifies the proteins, giving a snap and shape-holding bite whether you form it into dogs, patties, or kebabs. MSG rounds out the umami without adding more salt to the mix. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.
Ingredients
- 500 g ground lamb
- 500 g ground beef
- 65 ml (¼ cup + 1 tsp) grated yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2¼ tbsp dry bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 2¼ tsp dried oregano
- 2¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ tsp MSG
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tiny pinch ground cinnamon
- 2¼ tbsp cold water
Method
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix by hand for about 2 minutes, until the mixture feels sticky and emulsified. A food processor gives a firmer, snappier texture if you want that instead.
Portion and shape as needed for the intended use: logs for dogs, patties, or skewered for kebabs.
Chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before cooking. If freezing raw, pack flat in a freezer bag, thaw in the fridge, then shape and chill as above before cooking.
Notes
- The base freezes well in flat zip-top bags. Flat bags defrost in cold water in 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
- MSG and salt work together here; ¾ tsp MSG per kg is enough to round out the umami without needing more salt.
- Cayenne stays subtle at this stage; add more heat at the cooking or glazing step if you want it.