Greek Gyro Meat Rotisserie Grill Or Oven Recipes

Steps:

• Place the onion in a food processor, and process until finely chopped. Scoop the onions onto the center of a towel, gather up the ends of the towel, and squeeze out the liquid from the onions. Place the onions into a mixing bowl along with the lamb and beef. Season with the garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and salt. Mix well with your hands until well combined. Cover, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place the meat mixture into the food processor, and pulse for about a minute until finely chopped and the mixture feels tacky. Pack the meat mixture into a 7x4 inch loaf pan, making sure there are no air pockets. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the loaf pan on the towel, inside the roasting pan, and place into the preheated oven. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
• Bake until the 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. Pour off any accumulated fat, and allow to cool slightly before slicing thinly and serving.

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

Steps:

• Cut excess fat from leg of lamb.
• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or baking dish large enough to accommodate the lamb and mix well. Message marinade into lamb making sure it is in everywhere. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning often.
• Remove from refrigerator to allow it to reach room temperature about 30 minutes.
• Preheat grill.
• Re-roll leg into a roast very tightly and tie.
• Place lamb on middle of the rotisserie skewer making sure it is balanced and secure.
• Reduce temperature to low. Cook for 2 hours brushing with remaining marinade every 1/2 hour.
• When the middle of the meat reaches a temperature of about 145 degrees remove from grill.
• Let a leg of lamb rest for 20 minutes before you start carving it up. This will even out the temperature, make sure it's completely done and allow the juices to flow back into the meat.
• Carve the meat, starting from the thick end and work our way down to the shank.
• Alternate cooking Method:.
• Start by grilling the leg over a medium high direct heat to sear the surface. This will give the meat a crusty surface and add texture. Turn every 5 minutes to sear the surface evenly. On the rotisserie you won't have to worry about this. Grill over this direct heat for about 15 minutes then move to indirect grilling and cut the temperature down to a medium heat. Watch for flare-ups during the direct grilling phase. The leg of lamb will need about 20 minutes per pound to cook so plan accordingly.

Steps:

• The morning before an afternoon or evening BBQ, make marinade by combining oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, herbs & pepper in a med bowl. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the marinade to mix w/the onions. Place cubed lamb in bowl w/remaining marinade & toss to coat well. Refrigerate lamb & marinade reserved for onions.
• The morning of the BBQ, place onions in small bowl & toss w/reserved marinade. Cover w/plastic wrap, refrigerate several hrs & stir to mix well several times.
• Make yoghurt sauce by lining a med bowl w/cheesecloth & spooning in the yoghurt. Tie up edges of cheesecloth w/string to form a pouch. Suspend over a bowl or place in a colander over a bowl & let stand to drain several hours. Moisture will drip from the yoghurt & give it a thick consistency. (Eliminate this step if able to get real thick Greek yoghurt.).
• Mix yoghurt w/minced garlic, herbs, lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper. Cover & chill.
• When ready to BBQ, stack pita bread in 2 piles of 6 & wrap each pile in foil (dull side out).
• Heat coals or gas grill. Remove meat from marinade & reserve marinade for basting. (Discard any large garlic pieces.) Thread lamb onto greased skewers & grill over greased grill about 4 in from hot coals. Cook (turning & basting often) about 10 min or till lamb is brown on the outside, but still pink inside.
• Warm pita rounds over barbecue.
• Before serving, lift onions from the marinade w/a slotted spoon & place in a serving bowl. Cut whole tomatoes into thin wedges & place on a serving plate w/the lettuce leaves. Set out yoghurt sauce & lots of napkins (You'll need them!).
• To serve, cut each warmed pita round in half & separate to form 2 pockets. Each person fills a warmed pita picket with some of the grilled lamb cubes, lettuce, tomatoes & onions, then tops with a spoonful of the sauce.