Gyros is typical Greek street food, very similar to kebab, filled with veal, pork, or lamb meat that is cooked on long skewers and cut into thin slices. Aromatic meat wrapped in pita and seasoned with fresh veggies and creamy tzatziki sauce is a real culinary triumph.
Greece is about history, passion, mythology, art, and gastronomy – it is everything in one place. Once you step into the Greek realm, it is inevitable that you will fall in love with everything it represents. In other words, Greece is love at first sight. From a gastronomic point of view, the Mediterranean country has impressed and will continue to impress everyone with the variety of dishes and the multitude of unforgettable flavors and tastes. If you have never been to Greece, then this gyros recipe will introduce you to Greek cuisine as it is the most representative dish along with the tzatziki sauce.
Ingredients for gyros
Gyros is a versatile dish and can be accustomed according to one’s tastes and preferences. In this Greek homemade gyros recipe, you will find how I like to prepare my gyros; the gyros that is popular in my kitchen. I mix minced beef and pork, season it with oregano, salt pepper, and paprika, then add minced onion and garlic. The meat infuses with the aromas of the spices while the juices from the onion make it tender. That is all it takes to prepare the meat.
To assemble the Greek homemade gyros you will need the following ingredients: pita, tzatziki, and some of your preferred veggies. I used tomatoes, onion, and cucumbers.
How to make tzatziki
The tzatziki sauce is refreshing and absolutely delicious. The simple and tasty recipe for Tzatziki sauce is a classic of Greek cuisine. It is prepared extremely quickly and is the perfect companion to any food.
As summer begins, this tzatziki sauce, refreshing and absolutely delicious, is established in absolute domination over our family meals. For the tzatziki, you will need yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, garlic, and dill. Don’t miss some lemon to squeeze out the juice. Just grate the cucumber and garlic, chop the dill and mix everything with greek yogurt. Season with salt and drizzle some olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice. Check the full tzatziki recipe for a more detailed description.
How to cook the meat fi gyros
Ground meat, be it chicken, pork, lamb, or beef, is seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano. Additional ingredients such as paprika and garlic can be added, although this depends on the chef’s preferences. Pulse some onion and garlic till it becomes more like a puree and add it to the meat. Mix well and allow the meat a few minutes for it to get well flavored. Traditionally, the meat is then sprinkled with wine vinegar and left to marinate for a few hours. I, however, skipped this step because I did not have the time nor the patience.
Make some beautiful patties and lay them on a baking tray. Further on, bake the patties in the oven or in a hot cast iron pan. If baked, just like in this recipe, it usually takes about 20 minutes at 350F for the meat to be juicy and perfect for serving. In the end, the patties are cut in halves, placed on the pita, and garnished with tomato slices, chopped onion, and tzatziki.
How to eat gyros
Greek homemade gyros are staple street food. It is usually served wrapped in paper or aluminium foil and is eaten with both hands. But be careful, because no matter how well your pita is wrapped, you are always at risk of turning everything into a little culinary chaos. Make sure you have a napkin or paper towel when eating pita gyros.
Tips
- Use any ground meat you like most. Or combine equal parts of different kinds of meat to balance the taste. You can also add cucumber and some spicy sauce, paprika, or mayonnaise to vegetables, maybe instead of tzatziki sauce.
- If you don’t eat the gyros immediately, heat it in the oven for a few minutes just before serving.
- If you want the gyros more consistent, add some fries to it.
Easy Homemade Gyros Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup minced pork
- 1 cup minced beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
For serving
- 4 pitas
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce
- 1 tomato sliced
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
Instructions
- Mix the ground meat with the spices
- Pulse onion and garlic cloves
- Mix with meat
- Make medium-sized patties and lay them on a baking tray
- Preheat the oven to 360F
- Bake the gyros patties for 20-25 minutes
- Take out of the oven and slice them into halves
- Slice the onion, cucumber, and tomato
- Take one pita and add in the tzatziki sauce, slices of meat, cucumber, onion, and tomatoes
- Wrap carefully
- Serve with pleasure
