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When I set out to create a Gyro Meat recipe, I assumed it would be a complicated process. At first, it was. It involved smushing a pulverized meat mixture into a loaf pan, then baking in a water bath before draining and weighing it down with a brick. A good deal of effort that led to a mediocre result. I was beginning to wonder if making gyro meat at home was worth it. But as you’ve already guessed: it is.
With just a handful of ingredients and a clever method, it’s easy to make delectable, homemade gyro meat (pronounced YEE-roh). No fancy equipment or culinary degree required – just a few simple steps that transform everyday ingredients into that unmistakable, crave-worthy gyro flavor. (See my recipe video below – with more than 211,000 views on YouTube – to see the exact process.)
“I’m Greek and I approve! I moved to the country in upstate NY, and it’s difficult to continue finding authentic Greek food. So I tried this lamb gyro recipe, and its excellent! With or without the bacon, you will not be disappointed.”
angela
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need to Make Gyro Meat
- Ground Lamb: The star of authentic gyros. Look for meat with a good balance of lean and fat. If lamb isn’t your thing, 85% lean ground beef makes a great substitute, or use a mixtyre of the two.
- Dried Oregano: Greek oregano is ideal here. It has a more pungent, earthy flavor than the Mexican variety. Either will work though.
- Ground Cumin: This warm, earthy spice adds depth to the meat. Make sure your cumin is fresh – old spices lose their potency.
- Onion: I prefer white or yellow onions for their sharp flavor. Choose one that’s firm with no soft spots. The papery skin should be intact and free of blemishes.
- Fresh Garlic Clove: Look for firm, plump cloves with tight, unbroken skin. Avoid any that are starting to sprout or feel soft.
- Bacon: This is a key ingredient for the best flavor and texture. Choose a good quality bacon – it makes a difference. The fat content helps keep the gyro meat moist and adds a subtle smoky flavor.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper: As always, I recommend adjusting seasoning to your own taste. Some readers have found the version I like best a bit too salty – so if you’re concerned, start with less. You can always add more, but can’t take it away!The kosher salt’s larger grains distribute more evenly, and freshly ground pepper has a much better flavor than pre-ground.
Recipe Testing Notes
I came across this recipe from Serious Eats’, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who had tried and been disappointed with the same complicated recipe I followed on my first try. Applying the scientific approach he’s famous for, he simplified the process while improving the outcome. He found that: adding some fat (in the form of bacon), along with salting and chilling the meat mixture ahead of pureeing and baking, produced a reliably superior gyro meat, both in texture and flavor.
I admit my skepticism about free forming the meat puree into a rectangle on a baking sheet instead of pressing it into a loaf pan, imagining it disintegrating into a bubbly mess. But it holds together beautifully. He also added the clever step of broiling thin slices of the baked loaf to warm and crisp the edges. Not only does this add to the flavor and texture of the gyro meat, it transforms any leftovers into a 5 minute meal in the refrigerator just waiting for assembly.
Tips for the Best Texture and Flavor
Though I stuck with Kenji’s basic technique, I did make a few changes. I finely chopped the garlic and onion in the food processor before adding the meat mixture and bacon to avoid any chunks of onion in the finished meat. I also increased the amount of oregano and added a little cumin for flavor depth. And, because I love Tzatziki sauce on my gyros, I slathered it on instead of the yogurt and mayonnaise based sauce he suggests.
In my recipe testing, the gyro meat consistently took 35 minutes to reach 155˚F with an instant read thermometer (instead of the 30 minutes directed in the original recipe), but that could be a difference in ovens, so I’ve offered a range.
How to Make a Gyro
To make the perfect Gyro: start with soft, warmed pita bread spread with a thick layer of Tzatziki sauce. Pile on several broiled gyro meat slices and top with thinly sliced red onion (or pickled red onions) and chopped tomato. Or make this Gyro Bowl recipe instead!
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How to Make Gyro Meat
Combine ground lamb with salt and spices in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Mince onion and garlic in food processor. Add cold meat mixture and bacon pieces; process until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.
Preheat oven to 300˚F. With moist hands, shape meat mixture into a 8-inch long by 5-inch wide rectangle on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes until center registers 155˚F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
Preheat broiler with oven rack adjusted to highest level. Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices and arrange in a single layer on foil lined baking sheet. Broil 2 minutes until edges are crispy. Remove from oven and tent with foil.
Assemble gyros: Spread a thick layer of tzatiki sauce onto warm pita bread. Pile with gyro meat slices and top with thinly sliced onion and chopped tomato. Serve.
Gyro Meat Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb or 85% lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt see recipe note #1
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 onion cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 clove garlic sliced
- 3 ounces bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- To a medium bowl add lamb, salt, pepper, oregano and cumin. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 300˚F.
- Add onion and garlic to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to mince; scrape down sides with a rubber spatula. Add lamb mixture and bacon pieces; process to a smooth puree, scraping down sides as necessary.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Transfer meat mixture to center. Wet hands and form meat into a rectangle, approximately 8-inches long, 5-inches wide and 1 1/2-inches high.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 155˚F. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.
- Adjust oven rack to highest position and preheat broiler. Line baking sheet with foil.
- Transfer loaf to a cutting board and carefully slice crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet, leaving a little room between each one. Broil 2 minutes, until slices are hot and edges are crispy. Remove from oven and tent with foil.
- Serving Suggestion: Warm pita bread and spread with a thick layer of tzatziki sauce, pile on gyro meat slices and top with thinly sliced onion and chopped tomato.
Notes
- Some readers have found this recipe too salty (others think it’s just right). If you tend to like less salty foods, I recommend making this recipe the first time with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt instead of 2. You can always add more seasoning before serving.
- Note that nutrition information does not include pita or toppings.
- An easy way to warm pita bread is to broil on a baking sheet for 30 to 45 seconds per side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can’t believe I can actually make Gryo meat now! Thank you for sharing. I used ground lamb and ground bison. I did heed the salt warning and used half. It was perfect so I will probably keep to that. So very good!
My pleasure, Cristina! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe and really appreciate you coming back to let me know.
All I can say is, WOW. This turned out so good. Thank you for such a simple process and recipe. I just kept thinking as I was putting this together, there is no way this should come out right. But sure enough, it turned out great. I have always avoided making gyro meat, due to the 472 step process of most of the recipes. But this was so simple. Again, thank you for what will now be a regular part of my meal rotation. And my wife loved it as well.
I love to hear this, Chad! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe and appreciate you coming back to let me know.
Made these for dinner last night and they were great! They taste similar to the gyros we buy though the bacon flavor was different (but not bad!). I used the lower amount of salt, and with the bacon they were definitely salty enough. My broiler isn’t working so I crisped the slices in the air fryer which worked perfectly. Thank you for a delicious and fun recipe idea!
My pleasure, Rose! Thanks so much for your kind comment and cooking notes!
This is my 3rd time making this recipe, my family loves it! I make a big batch with 2 lbs of lamb and 2 lbs of beef and just rotate the meat and other ingredients trough the food processor and make three large loaves. I slice them after they’ve cooled and put the slices in freezer bags and pull out to defrost and the broil for an easy weeknight meal. So delicious! (And no water bath or brick needed!)
This is wonderful to hear, Meredith! I’m so glad that this is a hit with you and your family. Thank you for coming back to let me know!
This came out great. I will definitely make again. Served on low carb tortilla …it fits my keto diet beautifully.
So glad you enjoyed it, Jackie! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Incredibly delicious recipe! We no longer feel the need to go out for Gyros, one of our favorite meals….it was THAT good! I ended up frying the slices in a pan, turned out great and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. One of my new favorite recipes. Thank you so much for sharing!
I love to hear this, Lisa!! I’m so happy that you and your family are enjoying the recipe!
Doubled the recipe and used half lamb half 85/15 ground beef. Used double the garlic called for, and half the salt. Good call, because it is plenty salty with the bacon. It was okay once crisped up a bit, but it didn’t want to crisp much. Was more a dry crumble! I may have over cooked slighty initially. Not bad, but somehow expected a different flavor and texture. Was more like a meatloaf to me. But, it was good enough to enjoy. I think this is about as good as it gets for recipes because the gyros we all know and love are highly processed and full of fun things. Things we cannot recreate at home no matter how hard we try!
Hi, Hollie. Thank you for your detailed cooking notes, but I’m sorry this wasn’t quite what you were looking for. I haven’t had an issue with the meat being crumbly, so I’m guessing that doubling the recipe may have been more than your food processor could mix properly or maybe the meat mixture wasn’t processed long enough to get the right consistency?
Should I leave out the bacon or use less bacon if I’m using 80/20 ground beef (which is what I have on hand)? Any other changes that I should make? Thanks.
Hi Mike! Honestly, I think the recipe would be fine as is with 80/20 beef, but you could reduce the bacon to 2 ounces just to be sure it won’t be overly fatty. I wouldn’t omit the bacon altogether because it’s an important flavor aspect. I hope that helps!
Appreciate the quick response. I made it with all 3 ounces of bacon and it came out great.
That’s wonderful to hear, Mike! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Would make again with half the salt. Thank you for a good recipe. I tend to use less salt in most things.
Thank you for your cooking notes, Tee. I’m glad you’ll be able to adjust the seasonings for your taste next time.
I have been wanting to make this homemade gyro for a while now! I even have some ground lamb in the freezer. I love that idea of broiling to mimic the open flame that you traditionally see with gyro meat. Well done!
Thanks, David! I’m so excited for you to taste this!
Hello quick question. I can’t wait to try this. Do you think I can do half lamb and half ground beef?
Yes, absolutely!
This sounds great! Where I live, the only time I can get a gyro is at our state fair. Every year that is the first spot we go to….the gyro booth. I am going to make this, but I am quite new to cooking, so I hope this isn’t a ridiculous question…could I prepare this up to the point of shaping it, then taking it to my parents house and bake it there? And how many days will the meat be good after fixing it? Thank you so much!
Hi Josie! Your questions aren’t ridiculous at all. You can make the meat mixture up to 2 days in advance. Once you shape and cook it, you can store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
So good! This was my second time making this and halved the salt this time. Next time I’m doubling the recipe because my family loved it so much and couldn’t stop snacking on the pieces! Also, I love your tzatziki recipe! Thank you
This is wonderful to hear, KT! So glad you’re enjoying this and that you made it your own!
Hi, just wanted to let you know that bacon is not a normal add in. Greeks depending where inGreece, use a combo of beef and lamb or pork and lamb.
Bacon IS pork. 😉 and it worked wonderfully!
First time I tried this was great! Any suggestions for cooking this on the grill? Would you still recommend shipping it into a loaf and putting it on the grill?
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Kate! I haven’t tested this gyro meat on the grill, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. I’m guess it will add a nice smoky layer of flavor.