Greek Gyro with Homemade Gyro Meat
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
35 mins
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Servings
8
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Calories
718 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Greek
Greek Gyro with Homemade Gyro Meat
Description
The Greek Gyro with Homemade Gyro Meat combines equal parts ground beef and lamb, enriched with bacon grease or butter to counterbalance the leanness of lamb. Eggs, milk, and panko crumbs bind the mixture, which is seasoned heavily with garlic, onion, kosher salt, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cumin, and optionally marjoram. The seasoned mixture is shaped and baked at 350°F until cooked through.
This meat blend creates a flavorful and moist gyro filling with the depth of lamb and the hearty texture of beef. The use of multiple herbs and spices brings complex savory notes while the lemon juice adds brightness. Assembly with fresh, thinly sliced vegetables and creamy tzatziki enhances contrast in texture and temperature.
The recipe suggests preparing the tzatziki sauce first to allow marinating, and offers tips for prepping components in advance. Meat can be sliced before freezing for easy portioning. The combination of fresh vegetables, cool sauce, and warm seasoned meat wrapped in pita rounds out a classic gyro experience suitable for serving as a casual meal or snack.
Storage guidelines include keeping prepared veggies refrigerated for a few days, sauce up to two weeks, and freezing gyro meat for several months. Reheating instructions ensure the meat remains moist and tender after storage.
Ingredients
For the gyro meat
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound lamb ground
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease OR butter*
- 2 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic smashed and finely minced
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt yes, 4 teaspoons**
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons oregano dried
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary dried
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- 2 teaspoons cumin dried
- 1 teaspoon marjoram optional, dried
To assemble
- 1 batch tzatziki sauce
- 1 large red onion sliced thin
- 2-4 tomato sliced
- 1-2 cucumber sliced
- 8-10 pita bread rounds
- dill to garnish, optional, fresh
Instructions
- Start by making the Tzatziki Sauce. It needs time to marinate, so get it done first so it can sit in the fridge while you make the rest.
- Make the gyro meat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Or line with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
- If you have a food processor, use it to finely chop the onion and garlic. If not, use a knife to chop finely.
- In a large bowl, add all gyro meat ingredients: 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground lamb, 2 tablespoons butter OR bacon grease,* 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 cup Panko crumbs, chopped onion, minced garlic, 4 teaspoons kosher salt (see note), 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon marjoram. (It's ok if you don't have the marjoram.)
- Combine the meat using your hands. I like to wear disposable gloves when I do this. Using your hands feels a little weird, but it mixes the meat so much faster and more evenly than using a spoon, resulting in nice tender meat (as opposed to being overworked.)
- Shape the meat into about 10 oval patties. See photos. Line them up on the pan making sure they are not touching each other.
- Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, prepare the gyro toppings: Thinly slice a red onion. Slice the tomatoes. Slice the cucumbers. Warm the pita bread either in the microwave or in the still-warm oven. Chop extra fresh dill, if you want.
- How to construct your gyro: Add a layer of Tzatziki Sauce to a warm pita. Slice a gyro patty in half lengthwise for easier eating, and place on top of Tzatziki. Garnish with red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh dill. Devour!
- Gyros are traditionally served with french fries, or you could try it with these 3 ingredient Roasted Potatoes. It would also be great served with this Greek Salad!
Notes
- Using bacon grease or butter helps keep the lamb-beef meat mixture moist during baking, especially if using lean beef.
- Adjust salt amounts if using table salt versus kosher salt for accurate seasoning balance.
- Assemble and serve gyros promptly for best texture, but components like sliced veggies and tzatziki sauce can be prepared ahead and refrigerated.
- Gyro meat freezes well; slice before freezing to allow thawing and reheating only what’s needed.
- Pita bread can be stored at room temperature or frozen, reheated gently in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 718 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1gyro | |
| Calories | 718kcal | 36% |
| Carbohydrates | 52g | 17% |
| Protein | 32g | 64% |
| Fat | 43g | 66% |
| Saturated Fat | 15g | 75% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 13g | 65% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 148mg | 49% |
| Potassium | 602mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 693IU | 14% |
| Vitamin C | 10mg | 11% |
| Calcium | 265mg | 27% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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