Gyros Turkey Recipes

GYRO MEAT RECIPE

Steps:

• Place onions, garlic into a large food processor and process until finely chopped but not liquefied.
• Add meat and all the seasonings and grind for another 3-5 minutes. Do not skip this step. If you do, it will be like ground beef with some weird seasonings in it. Grind it until it's a big, huge, sticky mess that you wonder how you will ever clean up.
• Since writing this recipe I've discovered a faster way to do this, which is to use your stand mixer with the paddle. Paddle the living daylights out of the meat with the spices until it's a sticky mess. This is a lot easier to clean up than a blender, and the end result is the same. So use whatever you have that works for you.
• Put into a foil pan, and smooth out the top, and bake at 350 for 60 mins, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 175-180
• Take it out of the oven and drain all the fat.
• Cover it with foil and then place something heavy on it to compress it. I put a cast iron skillet on top and then carefully placed 3 cans of beans on top of the skillet to compress it.
• Let it rest for 30 mins and then slice into thin slices.
• Gyros!

GYROS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Process red onion in a food processor until finely minced. Scoop onion into a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze as much moisture from the onion as possible. Return onion to food processor; add garlic and process until the garlic is well integrated. Blend marjoram, rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper into the onion mixture.
• Gradually blend ground beef and ground lamb with the onion and seasoning mixture by alternately adding small amounts of each meat to the mixture and processing until well incorporated before adding the next batch.
• Firmly pack the meat mixture into a loaf pan, assuring no air pockets are trapped in the meat.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 75 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Drain grease and slice thinly to serve.

GYRO MEAT WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• 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.
• 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

GUILT-FREE GROUND TURKEY GYROS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Put all of the ingredients in a bowl, and spend a few minutes kneading the resulting mixture with your hands so everything is combined well.
• Pour the mixture onto a lightly oiled 9x13 pan. Smash it down with your hands a bit until it looks like a very large hamburger patty.
• Bake it for 35 minutes.
• Remove, then cut the meat into thin slices and serve. If you want a crispier, more authentic gyros texture, lay the sliced meat down on the pan and place in the broiler for 5 more minutes.

GREEK TURKEY MEATBALL GYRO WITH TZATZIKI

Steps:

• To a large bowl add, ground turkey, diced red onion, minced garlic, oregano, fresh spinach, salt, and pepper. Using your hands mix all the ingredients together until meat forms a ball and sticks together.
• Then using your hands, form the meat mixture into 1″ balls. (about 12 meatballs).
• Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add avocado oil to the pan, and then add the meatballs. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes until they are browned on all sides and the internal temperature has reached 165°F. Remove from the pan and let rest.
• To a small bowl add greek yogurt, grated cucumber, lemon juice, dill, garlic powder, and salt to taste. Mix together until everything is combined.
• To a flatbread (I like to warm mine up so they are more pliable) add 3 meatballs, sliced red onion, tomato, and cucumber. Then top with Tzatziki sauce.

TURKEY MEATBALL GYROS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, egg and seasonings. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into 16 balls., Place meatballs on a rack coated with cooking spray in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, onion and lemon juice. Line pitas with lettuce and tomatoes; add meatballs and drizzle with yogurt sauce.

TURKEY GYROS

Steps:

• Finely chop a third of the cucumber. For sauce, mix sour cream, onion, dill, lemon juice and chopped cucumber. Thinly slice remaining cucumber., In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute turkey until no longer pink, 4-6 minutes. Stir in Greek seasoning. Serve turkey, lettuce, tomato and sliced cucumber on pitas; top with sauce and cheese.

HOMEMADE GREEK CHICKEN GYRO RECIPE

Steps:

• To prepare this chicken gyro recipe, start by preparing the marinade for the gyro. In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients and stir well.
• On a cutting board, place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken thighs and pound until about 1 1/2 cm thick with a meat mallet or heavy pan.
• In another large bowl combine chicken thighs and marinade, stirring well to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to one day.
• Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
• Skewer the chicken thighs individually on a spit (make sure to skewer them pretty tight). In between the chicken pieces skewer the onion and peppers.
• Bake for about 1- 1 and 1/2 hour, until internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C)
• Let it rest for about 8 minutes and then carve slices with a sharp knife.
• In the meantime prepare the tzatziki sauce for the chicken gyro. Pour in a blender the olive oil and grated garlic and blend until combined.
• Remove the skin and seeds of the cucumber and grate it into a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and leave aside for 10 minutes. Wrap the grated cucumber in a towel and squeeze, in order to get rid of the excess water.
• In a bowl, add the cucumber, the blended garlic and oil, the yogurt, 1-2 tbsps of red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and blend, until the ingredients are combined.
• Store the tzatziki sauce in the fridge and always serve cold.
• Prepare the pita breads. Preheat the oven to 250C. Use a cooking brush to oil the pita breads on both sides and season with salt and oregano. Place a large oven tray (upside down) at the bottom of the oven and place the pita breads on top of the tray. Bake for 2-3 minutes.
• Chicken gyro is usually served wrapped, like a sandwich. Spread some tzatziki sauce on the pita breads and top it with the chicken gyro, some slices of red onion, some sliced tomato and fried potatoes and wrap.
• For an easier version of this traditional Greek souvlaki with chicken gyro recipe you can serve with Greek yogurt or some mustard and mayonnaise sauce. Enjoy!

GROUND TURKEY GYROS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, red onion and cucumber.
• In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, black pepper and kosher salt together.
• Pour this mixture over the tomato cucumber salsa and toss to combine. Set aside.
• Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the onions, saute for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic, saute 1 minute, then add the ground turkey.
• Cook the turkey through, drain any grease, then add the oregano, black pepper, kosher salt and the sun dried tomatoes.
• Simmer on low for 5 minutes.
• Warm the pita bread in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30-60 seconds on each side.
• Add the cooked ground turkey to the pita bread, top with the cucumber tomato salsa, feta cheese, fresh mint and tzatziki sauce.
• Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over the tacos.

TURKEY GYRO

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the first 5 ingredients.
• Refrigerate.
• In separate bowl, combine seasonings.
• Add turkey and knead until well mixed.
• Shape into 1 inch thick, 3 inch long pieces.
• Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat.
• Place turkey slices into skillet.
• Cook until the center is no longer pink (8-10 minutes).
• Add lettuce, tomato and onion as desired.
• Serve with tzatziki sauce.

GERMAN GYROS (OR DöNER KEBAB)

Steps:

• Slice the meat into very thin slices, about 4-5 cm/ 1.5-2 inches long, and place them in a large, non-reactive bowl.
• Marinate: Add all the spices. Grate the garlic cloves and slice the onion into thin half-rings. Add them to the meat together with the lemon juice and olive oil. Do not add any salt at this stage, salt the meat after cooking it. Mix well and place the bowl in the fridge. Leave the meat to marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably for several hours.
• Roughly grate the cucumber (large side of the box grater). Place in a colander, sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt and leave to drain for about 30 minutes. Place in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze as much water out of it as you can.Mix the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, grated garlic cloves and finely chopped dill in a bowl. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cook meat: Heat a large cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan and cook the meat on high heat until browned and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes, but check. Salt the meat to taste. Don't overcrowd the pan, if it is too small, it is preferable to fry the meat in two batches.
• Heat bread: In the meantime, place the flatbread in the hot oven and heat for about 2-3 minutes until heated through and lightly crisp on top. Take it out and quarter it. Cut each piece horizontally (don't cut through) to obtain a pocket.
• Cabbage: Finely slice the red cabbage and place it in a bowl. Add some salt and knead the cabbage for a minute or so to soften it. Add the olive oil, some pepper, and more salt, if necessary. Mix well.
• Slice the onions and tomatoes.Smear the inside of the bread with some tzatziki, add some onion and tomato slices, some shredded red cabbage, and the meat. Serve with more tzatziki and vegetables on the side.