Greek-American Gyro

[FeChef]

For the longest time I have always wanted to make Gyro's like you find in mostly greek run establishments. One thing that always puzzled me was how they were able to slice what is basicly formed ground lamb/beef. Up until i learned about Transglutaminase (meat glue). What i did was used Alton Browns popular recipe as a base. I had to double his recipe since i was using 4lb of ground meat. I added 20g of meat glue to what ended up being 2000g total weight during the mixing process. I then formed the meat paste (75% beef 25% lamb ) into a 2" square slab and let set in the fridge overnight.

After the overnight set time i cooked the Slab in my water oven for 4 hours @ 145F to allow the slab to firm up before going into my showtime rottiserie basket for about an hour to develop a nice crust and reach an internal temp of 160F. Surprisingly during this entire process the slab had lost less then 1/2 cup liquid/fat. Results were fantastic, and frankly better then any gyro ive ever had. Here are the pics of the entire process. Enjoy.

[FeChef]

more...

[FeChef]

No idea why all the pics did not go in order i attached them? Anyway..

Toppings:

fresh diced cucumber

thinly sliced onions

fresh diced tomato

Sauce:

5oz greek yogurt

2oz mayo

2 TBSP fresh parsley

1 TBSP minced garlic

[sigma]

Each picture made me cringe just a little bit more than the one before it, but the last four look awesome, and that's all that really matters.

[Jason Perlow]

This is something we tried on eG.... 10 years ago. We even had an extended discussion on why it's nearly impossible to replicate the taste and the texture. Hint: MSG. Lots and lots of it.

If you really want to make good Gyro... and not try to "replicate" the stuff that is made by Kronos or Grecian Delight in Chicago commercially, check out a post I did about Plaka Gyro in Tarpon Springs, FL a bunch of years back. Very interesting stuff, and tastes NOTHING like the standard Gyro shop item.

[FeChef]

This is something we tried on eG.... 10 years ago. We even had an extended discussion on why it's nearly impossible to replicate the taste and the texture. Hint: MSG. Lots and lots of it.

If you really want to make good Gyro... and not try to "replicate" the stuff that is made by Kronos or Grecian Delight in Chicago commercially, check out a post I did about Plaka Gyro in Tarpon Springs, FL a bunch of years back. Very interesting stuff, and tastes NOTHING like the standard Gyro shop item.

I added 2 tsp of MSG along with 4 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 TBSP marjoram, 2 TBSP rosemary, 2 TBSP minced garlic, and 1 large onion into a blender before adding into the mixer with the meat. Texture was very close to what i remember when growing up in philly eating gyro's. Only problem i had was my food processor not being large enough so i had to use my 7 quart mixer. I think if i had used the food processor in batches i may have had an almost exact replication. Flavor was spot on, if not better.

[Jason Perlow]

Cool. Next time, pan fry or griddle the slices a bit after you cut them. It looks a bit like roasted meatloaf or pate'. Also, do you really think it NEEDED the transglutamase?

[FeChef]

Cool. Next time, pan fry or griddle the slices a bit after you cut them. It looks a bit like roasted meatloaf or pate'. Also, do you really think it NEEDED the transglutamase?

In my case it probably needed the TG because i think using the mixer vs the food processor didnt work as good in getting that super fine texture. I just didnt want to risk letting the TG set if i had done it in batches with the food processor. I do believe that the TG also helped in retaining moisture, so I will use TG next time aswell. But i will definitely invest in a larger food processor. As far as frying the slices, the reason i had made a 2" slab was to develop a crust around the entire slices. The rotisserie just adds a flavor you cant get any other way. After i portion and freeze the slices, I will retherm in the water oven and hit with blow torch to crisp up.

[FeChef]

Without the TG i dont think I would have been able to slice this thin and fold it like this. I could have sliced paper thin aswell but i prefer 1/8" slices.

[scubadoo97]

Very cool FeChef. Thanks for posting.

I've made Alton's recipe several times. Have two loaves in the freezer at the moment. I've found that when you create a nice sticky forcemeat that no Transglutaminase is needed to slice the loaf, even very thin. It may not be as pliable and be able to fold on it's self like in your last photo but it will slice well for serving on a plate or in a pita. Anyway looks delicious

Jason, I live very close to Tarpon Springs. You captured many of the sights and I see you went to the "original" Mamas or is that the other Mamas? Mmmmm.....??

[Jason Perlow]

Very cool FeChef. Thanks for posting.

I've made Alton's recipe several times. Have two loaves in the freezer at the moment. I've found that when you create a nice sticky forcemeat that no Transglutaminase is needed to slice the loaf, even very thin. It may not be as pliable and be able to fold on it's self like in your last photo but it will slice well for serving on a plate or in a pita. Anyway looks delicious

Jason, I live very close to Tarpon Springs. You captured many of the sights and I see you went to the "original" Mamas or is that the other Mamas? Mmmmm.....??

I agree with you on the meat glue, you don't need this, the last time we attempted the Alton recipe (10 years ago?) we just used pure leg of lamb that was finely minced, and it stuck together fine.

Regarding Mama's. That was the original, I think, but that post is a bunch of years old. I need to make another trip out there soon, now that I live in Florida, at least it's only 2 hours or so driving away to get to the west coast from where I live. Worth it for Plaka Gyro at the very least.

Plaka has an interesting method of making their gyros. Here is the photo of their sign which explains some of it

The seasoning as I said earlier is unusual. It does not taste like a commercial Gyro meat. and is heavy on cumin, giving it a more traditional shwarma flavor, and they do not use MSG, only salt along with other dried herbs.

[FeChef]

"kneaded together by hand"

Somehow I find that hard to believe unless they are talking about after they grind the meat which they probably grind into a paste. As i said, had I used a larger food processor I probably could have got a tighter texture but with a standing mixer and a paddle, no way.

I said this before, and i will say this again. I ended up with almost no moisture loss. (1/4 -1/3 cup ) which is not bad for over 4lb of ground meat (80/20). I am almost certain the TG was the main reason for such a low moisture loss.

[DTBarton]

I made gyro meat last year and it held together pretty well without the glue. I didn't try to slice it as thin as you. I did grill the slices over hot charcoal on a fish grate and that really improved the flavor.