Traditional Gyro Meat

This delicious gyro meat is the closest I've come to emulating my favorite Mediterranean restaurant's recipe. The Greek/Lebanese-style meatloaf is sliced and served with pita bread, tzatziki, and tomatoes. If you prefer, substitute pork or chicken for the ground lamb and beef. The preparation time seems long, but most of it is resting time, so you can be doing other things! 

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 179 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground lamb
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground dried thyme
• ½ onion, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon ground dried rosemary

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 2

Pulse onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Scoop onions onto the center of a towel, gather up the towel ends, and squeeze to remove liquid.

Step 3

Combine onions, lamb, beef, garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until well combined. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Step 4

Place the meat mixture into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and the texture feels tacky, about 1 minute. Transfer to a 7x4-inch loaf pan, and pack down to make sure there are no air pockets.

Step 5

Line a large roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the loaf pan in the center of the towel-lined roasting pan, and transfer it into the preheated oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until gyro meat is no longer pink in the center and the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) on a meat thermometer, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 7

Pour off any accumulated fat, and allow to cool slightly before slicing thinly and serving.