Pork Gyro’s
Gyro’s – an Ancient Greek street food made with pork, were fashioned after Turkish Donair’s, cooked on a vertical spit or a Persian sword over a fire. True Gyro’s are thinly sliced meat sliced straight from the cone.
Middle Eastern Shawarma’s, again very similar, are usually made from chicken and seasoned with sumac and a’tar. Constant is seasoned meat wrapped in bread.
The most common garnishes are with tomatoes and onions topped with Tzatziki, while traditional Greeks add in some French Fries.
Tzatziki takes a minimum of 3.5 hours to make, so prepare earlier in the day is marinating the meat for only a short time.
Pork Gyro’s
We do not have a vertical spit so adapted this recipe from the New York Times and cook on a sheet pan. During warmer months, use the baking sheet on a barbeque if desired. This makes enough to entertain a crowd. A 4 lb. bone in should roast trimmed of most outside fat came in at just about exactly 2 lb. of meat for the Gyro’s.
Ingredients
- 2 lb. pork shoulder meat, after trimmed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- ½ lemon, (2 TBSP) fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. garlic, minced
- ½ TBSP paprika
- ½ TBSP cumin
- ½ TBSP oregano, dried
- ½ TBSP thyme, dried
- ½ TBSP parsley, dried
- ½ TBSP rosemary, dried
- 1 TSP. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ¾ cup red onion, sliced
Instructions
- The most difficult step in this recipe is trimming the pork. Place in the freezer for 30 – 40 minutes to firm up prior to trimming.
- Cut pork into ½ inch slices by 2 – 3 inches long.
- Slice red onion and toss with the pork in a large dish or Zip Lock bag.
- Next mix olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and spices in a small dish. Add to pork and onions.
- Let marinate on the counter for up to 1 hour or in the refrigerator up to overnight.
- Pre heat oven or grill to 400.
- Spread pork onto a large baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes.
- If using the oven, turn on to broil and raise rack to second from the broiler. Broil for 5 minutes. Pork should be cooked. Leave any juices/oil on the sheet.
- If using a grill cook for 20 minutes total and serve piled high with garnishes wrapped in a pita.
Notes
We loved a red blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon from the U.S. with this dish. The wine was medium to full bodied, so either would work.
We’ve paired:
- Beringer Paso Robles “The Waymaker” 2014 ($35.00)