Gyros (video)
Gyro = pita + tzatziki + veggies + meat
I made my tzatziki with my own yogurt, so the whole process started 2 days before the meal.
It sounds a lot more intimidating than it should, because this meal is super easy to make.
The meat needs to marinade overnight, the tzatiki needs to do its thing overnight, so here’s the full instructions:
It all starts with home-made Greek Yogurt I suppose you could just buy some Greek yogurt at the store, but where’s the fun in that?
To make the yogurt, you’ll need:
- Slow cooker, or a large pot.
- 2 litres (1/2 gallon) whole milk (or homogenized – something with more than 2% fat)
- 1/2 cup Greek/Balkan yogurt w/active cultures (or some live cultures from your local health food store)
*yogurt must contain live bacteria l. bulgaricus and s. thermophilus. - Colander
- Cheesecloth
Bring the milk to 190F in a big pot on the stove, or in your slow cooker,
Let cool to 115F, stirring every 15-30 minutes
Whisk together 1 cup of the milk + the yogurt (or cultures)
Add the mixture to the milk, gently stir it all together, put it warm area for 8-24 hours
I take the inside of the slow cooker and leave it in my oven with the light on.
The longer you leave the yogurt to rest, the more tart it becomes.
I like 14 hours
Line a colander with cheesecloth.
Slowly transfer the yogurt mix from the slow cooker/ pot to the colander, and let it drain for 2 hours.
That’s it.
Save 1/2 cup of the yogurt for your next batch, and use it all within 4 weeks. If you the yogurt gets any mold, or smells bad, don’t use it. I’ve never had a problem with leaving the yogurt in a completely filled 1/2 cup mason jar in my fridge.
Then we need to make the tzatziki and let the meat soak in the marinade.
- 1 1/2 cups plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 large minced garlic
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 1 tbsp minced fresh dill
Grate the cucumber, drain through a fine mesh sieve or squeeze in a tea towel, and put in the fridge.
Combine the yogurt, garlic, oil, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl.
Cover and chill overnight.
Stir in the grated cucumber, and fresh dill to the yogurt mixture.
That’s it.
- 3 tbsp yogurt
- 1.5 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon (1 medium lemon)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Mix well, put in big freezer bag with meat (2 lbs of whatever – deboned chicken thigh, pieces of pork 2-3″ across, 1/2″ thick, etc.)
Let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400F
Line a baking sheet with parchment
Cut a large onion in half, and run a skewer through the bottom – this will be the stand for the gyro meat
Layer on the meat, and brush the rest of the marinade on the top of the skewer and let it run down.
Cook for 1.5-2 hours, internal temperature needs to hit at least 165F to be safe.
Let it rest 10-15min, slice off the meat, and enjoy!
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tsp active yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil +1 tsp for proofing + 1 tbsp for frying later
In a large bowl, whisk the yeast and water together. Let sit 10-15 minutes, or until the top is foamy with yeasty goodness.
Slowly mix in the rest of the ingredients, knead together until the dough cleanly pulls away from the bowl. You might need to add 1 tsp warm water if the dough is *very* dry, or 1 tbsp flour if the dough is *very* wet. Before adding anything, knead it for another 1-2 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball, coat with 1tsp oil, cover with cling wrap or a lint-free towel, and let it sit in a warm place (80-95F) for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Punch down the dough, cut into 8 pieces of the same size.
Roll these into balls, and pull dough from the sides and tuck into the bottom.
Cover the balls with lightly oiled cling wrap, and let rise for 20-30 minutes.
On a floured board, roll out the dough into circular pieces approximately 1/4″ thick.
After you have your second one made, it’s time to start cooking the pitas!
Put some oil on a non-stick pan and medium-high heat.
Cook for 2 1/2 – 3 minutes – the bottom should look firm, have brown spots, and the top should be puffing up (gently squish these down with a spatula). Flip and let cook for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. If you want to make stuffed pitas, flip one more time for 30 seconds, and this is where the rest of the inflating will happen if it’s not puffed up enough already. I don’t like stuffing pitas for gyros.
Wipe down the pan, add a few drops of oil, roll out the next pita, and cook the one that’s been resting.
Repeat 6 more times.
Traditional veggies – all to taste
diced tomato
diced cucumber
diced onion
chopped parsley
salt&pepper
Assembly – slap a thick layer of tzatziki on half of the pita. Stack the meat & veggie toppings on top of the tzatziki. Fold or roll the gyro and serve.