# Elk Gyro's



## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

Can't wait till supper!

I smoked up an Elk Backstrap today.

It's sitting it the fridge foiled right now sucking up its own juices. I'll slice it thin, pan sear it quick, and serve it with a homemade Gyro Salsa & Greek Tzatisiki Sauce.

Another way I have yet to try is make grind the elk meat and make a smoked meatloaf w/ onions, garlic, etc. Cool it, slice it and pan sear it before assembling the Gyro.

*RECIPE:*

Note: sorry if I don't have exact measurements because I usually just eyeball recipes as I make them. Adjust to your own flavor & taste.

*Greek Salsa:*

Dice & combine the following:

Cucumber (I used English cucumbers because they have no seeds - If you use regular just scrape out the seeds) skin on.

Red Onion

1 clove of garlic

Cherry tomatoes (sliced in half or quarters)

Kalamatta Olive (pitted) - I like to go heavy on these!

Salt & pepper to taste

Oregano

*Tzatisiki Sauce:*

Greek Yogurt   3 cups (it goes fast!)

Dill (fresh or dry)  2 TB dry or 3 TB fresh

Granulated garlic   1 TB

Granulated Onion  1/2 TB

Marjoram  2 tsp

Oregano  2 tsp

Salt & Pepper

EVOO      1 1/2 TB

Fresh squeezed lemon juice of one whole lemon

A Splash of white vinegar (optional)

Let sit in fridge for a few hours, if you can wait...

*Meat Dry Rub:*

Rosemary

Marjoram

Oregano

Salt & Pepper

Granulated Garlic

EVOO

Rub with EVOO and sprinkle meat with spices (I mix them together first before rubbing)

You can grill the meat or smoke it. I've done both with not much difference in taste. There are so many strong flavors in this that the smoke can get lost so grilling is sometimes easier and definitely quicker.

*GRILL:*   Medium / high heat. Cook each side 8-10 minutes or until medium rare. Foil and place in fridge. Flip foiled meat over once after 40 min to allow juices to run down and be soaked up. I like to add the leftover juices to my Tzatisiki sauce :)

*SMOKE:* preheat 235-240° and smoke until IT is around 145° - 150° Then foil and place in fridge as noted above.

Either way you cook them you want them rare, maybe medium rare, because you will quickly pan sear them before serving.

*SLICE:*

Remove from foil and slice as thin as possible against the grain of the meat. Re-foil in it's own juices until ready to pan fry.

*SERVE:*

Heat a pan on medium high / High. Add a little olive oil or butter, make sure it's nice and hot, and sear each side for a 40 seconds or so and remove from heat immediately.

Microwave your pita bread for 20 seconds to get it warm and bendy. Load up, add some lettuce and chow down!













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## bobank03 (Jul 23, 2013)

That sure looks good! How about ground and make some fatties? Keep the qview coming!


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

bobank03 said:


> That sure looks good! How about ground and make some fatties? Keep the qview coming!


Gyro fatties would be great!


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

Had to take a look inside.. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.35.49 PM.jpg



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__ Jul 23, 2013


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## smoking b (Jul 23, 2013)

thoseguys26 said:


> Had to take a look inside..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

It gets better.... :)













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__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


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## smoking b (Jul 23, 2013)

Wish you were a little closer


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## smokinut (Jul 23, 2013)

Oh man that looks good. Tzatziki sauce goes so well with smoked meats. 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jul 24, 2013)

Looks Fantastic!!! Hmmm has me honking though about a traditional Gyro rotating inside the smoker.


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## moikel (Jul 24, 2013)

Cooked to perfection. Do elk taste much different from other deer?


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## smokinhusker (Jul 24, 2013)

The elk looks fantastic!!!! I ground up elk and made fatties and burgers in the smoker. They were awesome. I added beef fat to the "burger" meat and pork fat or bacon to the "sausage" meat. We've got 4 elk tags this year, so I can't wait.


Moikel said:


> Cooked to perfection. Do elk taste much different from other deer? In comparison and this is just my opinion, elk is much better than deer and moose is much better than elk and deer! All are very good, if processed correctly, however and as natural as you can get.


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## smoking b (Jul 24, 2013)

SmokinHusker said:


> The elk looks fantastic!!!! _*I ground up elk and made fatties and burgers in the smoker*_. They were awesome. I added beef fat to the "burger" meat and pork fat or bacon to the "sausage" meat. We've got 4 elk tags this year, so I can't wait.


Elk fatties - that sounds delicious!


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 24, 2013)

Tzatziki sauce sure does go great with smoked meats AND it's super healthy so you can drown your meat as much as you want!

I haven't had moose but I've heard it's better then elk, which would be insane because elk is incredible.. We've been lucky enough to harvest a young cow each year.


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 24, 2013)

They were delicious!!!  I can't wait to eat another one today. I thought about grinding the meat up, mixing onions, garlice, etc to make a smoked meatloaf but why waste my time when this just melts in your mouth.

We got a new keeper recipe.

Here's some Qview for you!













Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.41.29 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 24, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.41.42 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 24, 2013


















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__ Jul 24, 2013


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## smoking b (Jul 24, 2013)

Man you're killing me!!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





    
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





     That looks awesome!  Now where did I put that elk call.........


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jul 24, 2013)

thoseguys26 said:


> They were delicious!!!  I can't wait to eat another one today. I thought about grinding the meat up, mixing onions, garlice, etc to make a smoked meatloaf but why waste my time when this just melts in your mouth.
> 
> We got a new keeper recipe.
> 
> ...


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 24, 2013)

Thanks!!  I'll post a recipe a little later.


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## smoking b (Jul 25, 2013)

thoseguys26 said:


> Thanks!!  I'll post a recipe a little later.


Is it later yet?


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 27, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Looks Fantastic!!! Hmmm has me honking though about a traditional Gyro rotating inside the smoker.


That would be a site to see!!


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 27, 2013)

Smoking B said:


> Is it later yet?


I updated the original post with the recipe! It's a keeper and a nice change up from the usual AND it's healthy...if you're into that sort of thing :)


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

Can't wait till supper!

I smoked up an Elk Backstrap today.

It's sitting it the fridge foiled right now sucking up its own juices. I'll slice it thin, pan sear it quick, and serve it with a homemade Gyro Salsa & Greek Tzatisiki Sauce.

Another way I have yet to try is make grind the elk meat and make a smoked meatloaf w/ onions, garlic, etc. Cool it, slice it and pan sear it before assembling the Gyro.

*RECIPE:*

Note: sorry if I don't have exact measurements because I usually just eyeball recipes as I make them. Adjust to your own flavor & taste.

*Greek Salsa:*

Dice & combine the following:

Cucumber (I used English cucumbers because they have no seeds - If you use regular just scrape out the seeds) skin on.

Red Onion

1 clove of garlic

Cherry tomatoes (sliced in half or quarters)

Kalamatta Olive (pitted) - I like to go heavy on these!

Salt & pepper to taste

Oregano

*Tzatisiki Sauce:*

Greek Yogurt   3 cups (it goes fast!)

Dill (fresh or dry)  2 TB dry or 3 TB fresh

Granulated garlic   1 TB

Granulated Onion  1/2 TB

Marjoram  2 tsp

Oregano  2 tsp

Salt & Pepper

EVOO      1 1/2 TB

Fresh squeezed lemon juice of one whole lemon

A Splash of white vinegar (optional)

Let sit in fridge for a few hours, if you can wait...

*Meat Dry Rub:*

Rosemary

Marjoram

Oregano

Salt & Pepper

Granulated Garlic

EVOO

Rub with EVOO and sprinkle meat with spices (I mix them together first before rubbing)

You can grill the meat or smoke it. I've done both with not much difference in taste. There are so many strong flavors in this that the smoke can get lost so grilling is sometimes easier and definitely quicker.

*GRILL:*   Medium / high heat. Cook each side 8-10 minutes or until medium rare. Foil and place in fridge. Flip foiled meat over once after 40 min to allow juices to run down and be soaked up. I like to add the leftover juices to my Tzatisiki sauce :)

*SMOKE:* preheat 235-240° and smoke until IT is around 145° - 150° Then foil and place in fridge as noted above.

Either way you cook them you want them rare, maybe medium rare, because you will quickly pan sear them before serving.

*SLICE:*

Remove from foil and slice as thin as possible against the grain of the meat. Re-foil in it's own juices until ready to pan fry.

*SERVE:*

Heat a pan on medium high / High. Add a little olive oil or butter, make sure it's nice and hot, and sear each side for a 40 seconds or so and remove from heat immediately.

Microwave your pita bread for 20 seconds to get it warm and bendy. Load up, add some lettuce and chow down!













Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 4.34.18 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 4.34.27 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 4.34.36 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 4.34.50 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 4.35.02 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 4.35.09 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


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## bobank03 (Jul 23, 2013)

That sure looks good! How about ground and make some fatties? Keep the qview coming!


----------



## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

bobank03 said:


> That sure looks good! How about ground and make some fatties? Keep the qview coming!


Gyro fatties would be great!


----------



## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

Had to take a look inside.. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.35.49 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


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## smoking b (Jul 23, 2013)

thoseguys26 said:


> Had to take a look inside..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 23, 2013)

It gets better.... :)













Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.41.12 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 23, 2013


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## smoking b (Jul 23, 2013)

Wish you were a little closer


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## smokinut (Jul 23, 2013)

Oh man that looks good. Tzatziki sauce goes so well with smoked meats. 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jul 24, 2013)

Looks Fantastic!!! Hmmm has me honking though about a traditional Gyro rotating inside the smoker.


----------



## moikel (Jul 24, 2013)

Cooked to perfection. Do elk taste much different from other deer?


----------



## smokinhusker (Jul 24, 2013)

The elk looks fantastic!!!! I ground up elk and made fatties and burgers in the smoker. They were awesome. I added beef fat to the "burger" meat and pork fat or bacon to the "sausage" meat. We've got 4 elk tags this year, so I can't wait.


Moikel said:


> Cooked to perfection. Do elk taste much different from other deer? In comparison and this is just my opinion, elk is much better than deer and moose is much better than elk and deer! All are very good, if processed correctly, however and as natural as you can get.


----------



## smoking b (Jul 24, 2013)

SmokinHusker said:


> The elk looks fantastic!!!! _*I ground up elk and made fatties and burgers in the smoker*_. They were awesome. I added beef fat to the "burger" meat and pork fat or bacon to the "sausage" meat. We've got 4 elk tags this year, so I can't wait.


Elk fatties - that sounds delicious!


----------



## thoseguys26 (Jul 24, 2013)

Tzatziki sauce sure does go great with smoked meats AND it's super healthy so you can drown your meat as much as you want!

I haven't had moose but I've heard it's better then elk, which would be insane because elk is incredible.. We've been lucky enough to harvest a young cow each year.


----------



## thoseguys26 (Jul 24, 2013)

They were delicious!!!  I can't wait to eat another one today. I thought about grinding the meat up, mixing onions, garlice, etc to make a smoked meatloaf but why waste my time when this just melts in your mouth.

We got a new keeper recipe.

Here's some Qview for you!













Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.41.29 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 24, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.41.42 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 24, 2013


















Screen Shot 2013-07-23 at 7.41.52 PM.jpg



__ thoseguys26
__ Jul 24, 2013


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## smoking b (Jul 24, 2013)

Man you're killing me!!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





    
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





     That looks awesome!  Now where did I put that elk call.........


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jul 24, 2013)

thoseguys26 said:


> They were delicious!!!  I can't wait to eat another one today. I thought about grinding the meat up, mixing onions, garlice, etc to make a smoked meatloaf but why waste my time when this just melts in your mouth.
> 
> We got a new keeper recipe.
> 
> ...


----------



## thoseguys26 (Jul 24, 2013)

Thanks!!  I'll post a recipe a little later.


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## smoking b (Jul 25, 2013)

thoseguys26 said:


> Thanks!!  I'll post a recipe a little later.


Is it later yet?


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## thoseguys26 (Jul 27, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Looks Fantastic!!! Hmmm has me honking though about a traditional Gyro rotating inside the smoker.


That would be a site to see!!


----------



## thoseguys26 (Jul 27, 2013)

Smoking B said:


> Is it later yet?


I updated the original post with the recipe! It's a keeper and a nice change up from the usual AND it's healthy...if you're into that sort of thing :)


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