I’ve seen gyros done many ways, including whole cuts marinated and spit-roasted, minced, and cased + mince. This recipe is closer to a food cart style gyro, based on a mix of minced meats and some filler to achieve a classic fast food texture.
I like to cook sausage-like things in a sheet pan or thin steam pan, sort of like a thin meatloaf, then I cut it up to freeze. To prepare the meat for gyros or other uses, defrost, slice thinly, and reheat in a pan (to get that classic style crust). Prepping it in this way allows you to cook a bunch for future use, and to make it easy to get consistent shapes for all sorts of applications. Also, it’s easier than forming or casing sausages, or piling meat on a spit you might not have.
The recipe is based on Chef John’s and one Food Network, adjusted to my kitchen and preferences. I consider it a sort of basic sausage that could be cased, rolled, or in my case, baked in a pan.
Ingredients
- 1 batch Gyro base (about 1 kg), mixed but not shaped
- 1 tsp vinegar (optional; classic in gyros, still being tested)
Method
Make the gyro base, mixing in the vinegar if using. Fry a tablespoon of the mixture to taste for salt, seasoning, and texture, and adjust if needed.
Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment and press the mixture into a flat, even loaf. Cover with plastic wrap (or another pan) and chill for about 2 hours.
Bake at 175°C (350°F) until the centre reads 71°C (160°F), 25–35 minutes. Cool, then slice thinly, or cut into portions to freeze.
To serve, reheat the slices in a hot pan until the edges crisp.
To serve
A classic food cart gyro is served on a pita (heated in olive oil in a pan), with tzatziki, diced tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. In Northern Greece, ketchup and mustard may be added, even though this is crazy talk.
Gyro meat is also great in soups, on salads, and in other styles of sandwiches.
Notes
- Freezes well once cooked, and reheats quickly.
- I ended up bumping the heat up a bit to crisp some edges. I think the higher temperature works better overall and will try that for the entire bake time on my next pass.