# Gyro Meat



## jake

Has anyone made meat for Gyros on the their smoker?  I have made it in the oven once and it wasn't bad, thinking about trying the smoker this weekend.


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## bbq engineer

Jake,

You have to check out Fired Up's springtime fattie throwdown entry...it was flat awesome.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=75941


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## dacfan

Jake would you mind posting your Gyro recipe? Ive always wanted to make them but have never found a recipe that looked good other than Elton Browns off of Good Eats.


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## ncdodave

i made this variation in my smoker one time and it was fantastic! made an excellent appetizer too!

Gyro Meat Balls and Tzatziki Sauce
Based on Alton Brown's Gyro recipe from foodnetwork

1 medium onion, finely shredded
2 lbs. ground lamb
1 Tbs. fresh garlic, finely minced
1 Tbs. minced marjoram
1 Tbs. ground rosemary
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Place the shredded onion in the center of a tea towel and gather the ends then twist the onion to squeeze out as much of the juice you can. If making in the home kitchen: combine all ingredients, including drained onion  in a food processor and process 1 minute, scraping down sides as needed or until mixture looks like a fine paste.
If making in the camp kitchen. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and run through the finest attachment on your meat grinder 2 or 3 times to make a fine paste.
Form the mixture into small meatballs using a 1 oz. food portioner, form into tight little balls with your hands. Place the meat balls into a 14” Dutch oven, cover and bake slowly at 300° to 325° for 45 to 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165° to 170°.

Tzatziki Sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt (or use Greek yogurt)
I medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
Pinch of kosher salt
4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced or crushed
1 Tbs. EVOO
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
5 to 5 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the plain yogurt into a tea towel, gather the corners and fasten the corners. Place in a colander in a bowl and let set in the refrigerator or ice chest for 2 hours to drain. Meanwhile, place the cucumber into another tea towel, gather the ends and twist the towel to squeeze extra liquid from the cucumber. In a medium bowl combine drained yogurt, drained  cucumber, and remaining ingredients, stir well to combine. Serve as a dip for meat balls or cut pita bread into quarters and serve as a gyro appetizer bu placing 1 meat ball between the pita layers with a thin slice of red onion, thin slice of tomato and a little feta cheese. 
Serves 16 to 32


I just put them in a large cast iron skillet and put them into the smoker at 250 for about 90 minutes and they turned out great!


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## mballi3011

Thanks dave for the recipe I've been wanting to make gyro and tzatziki for a while. There you go jake yet another reason to call this the BEST smoking web site and forum.


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## ncdodave

I dont remember where i found the meatball recipe but i looked up Alton Browns recipe and the ingredients are the same but methods are different so i guess i need to state that the meatball recipe is based on Alton Browns recipe.  here is AB's recipe also if you want to try it.

Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Prep Time:
    30 min
Inactive Prep Time:
    2 hr 0 min
Cook Time:
    1 hr 15 min

Level:
    Intermediate

Serves:
    6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

    * 1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
    * 2 pounds ground lamb
    * 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
    * 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
    * 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
    * 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.

Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.

To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:

Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.

Preheat the grill to high.

Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
Tzatziki Sauce:

16 ounces plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

Pinch kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups


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## scubadoo97

I've used Alton Brown method but did it in the oven in a loaf pan.  I used 50/50 beef chuck and leg of lamb.  I bumped up the salt a little bit from his recipe and also used a little MSG.  This made it very similar to the gyros I get in Tarpon Srpings, Fl.   It's not too difficult and the results are excellent.  I have not smoked one yet but may have to try that for a twist on the traditional.


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## tasunkawitko

i9 used alton brown's recipe with lamb to make a gyro fatty this spring - it was very, very good.

link with pix:

http://www.baitshopboyz.com/forum/fo....asp?TID=16770

note the awesome rolling job on that fatty - it turned out really well and i will probably never be able to duplicate that again!

i improvised a little and the additions were good except the mint - i do not recommend it with this recipe as it takes a little getting used to, but if you like mint, it might be worth a try.


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## scubadoo97

That was a nicely rolled fatty.  

I have no problem with the mint.  Dried mint is used in a lot of Middle Eastern dishes.  Feta, I love but it has to be good feta.  The stuff in the grocery stores is pretty awful, bitter and a poor excuse for feta.  My favorite feta is French, followed by Bulgarian, then Greek then domestic.  I'm not a fan, but can deal with it, of any of  them cooked but fresh is wonderful


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