Greek Gyro Meat Loaf Or Burger Recipes

FAVORITE MEAT LOAF GYROS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the egg, garlic, oregano, kosher salt and pepper. Crumble lamb and beef over mixture; mix well. , Pat into an ungreased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until no pink remains and a thermometer reads 160°. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours., For sauce, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until serving. , Brush pita breads with 1 tablespoon oil; heat on a lightly greased griddle for 1 minute on each side. Keep warm. Cut meat loaf into very thin slices. In a large skillet, fry meat loaf in remaining oil in batches until crisp. , On each pita bread, layer the tomato, onion and meat loaf slices; top with some tzatziki sauce. Carefully fold pitas in half. Serve with remaining sauce.

TRADITIONAL GYRO MEAT

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.

MEAT LOAF GYROS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. , Press into an ungreased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until no pink remains and a thermometer reads 160° drain. , Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices. Place the meat loaf, onion and tomato into pita halves; drizzle with yogurt.

GREEK GYRO MEAT LOAF OR BURGER

Steps:

• Put everything in a food processor and pulse until the meat is diced to a fine consistency and spices are well mixed. (Add egg and breadcrumbs for more moisture if you wish.) Let rest in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. Shape spiced meat into two patties, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick, and flatten on one side, like a slice of bread. Rub a little olive oil evenly on bottom and arrange meat patties in pan. Cook without lid at 325 deg. F. for 18 minutes, then flip patties and put back in oven for 18 minutes (without lid). (Check internal temp. to make sure meat is safe to eat before removing from oven.) Remove meat from pan, use carving knife and place on flattened side, then slice the browned outside surface off both sides. Slice interior thinly. Keep all slices thin! (If you like your gyro meat seared, you can store the sliced meat in air tight container and use this to re-heat and brown it in a non-stick pan over medium heat over a couple of days.) PUTTING THE GYRO TOGETHER Lightly grill a pita to soften and warm it in a pan and place on top of a piece of aluminum foil (to use to seal the gyro up if you're taking a few with you somewhere). Spread tzatziki dip on center of pita where meat will go. Put sliced meat on top of tzatziki. Add a few slices of onion and some chopped tomatoes on top of meat. Pour more tzatziki cucumber dip over gyro if you wish, and enjoy. (Goes well with a mound of "chips" that has a pool of ketchup nearby.) You can make "Greek" hamburgers with this mixture by simply grilling meat and topping with mayonnaise, dill pickles, tomatoes, and onion, or slice grilled patties and put in a "roll-up" made with flat bread instead of hamburger buns.

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

GREEK GYRO MEATLOAF WITH CUCUMBER YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• For Loaf:.
• Combine meat and gyro mix in a bowl, mix together well with hands (if using tofu, let rest 10 minutes after mixing before next step).
• Form into a loaf shape and place in a loaf or baking pan.
• Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until meat is cooked.
• For Sauce:.
• Mix all ingredients together.
• Serve loaf with sauce.
• For Vegetarian use only the Tofu.

GYRO LOAF WITH TSATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix loaf ingredients together and shape into a freeform loaf in a baking pan.
• Bake at 375°F for about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Once loaf has cooled to room temperature or has chilled in the refrigerator, slice it as thin as possible (maximum of 1/4 inch).
• Serve it warm or at room temperature.
• Can be served in pitas, flatbreads or tortillas with lettuce, tomato, black olives, feta cheese and Tsatziki Sauce or as a main course with a Greek salad, pasta salad or potato salad.

GYRO BURGERS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, mint, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small container. Cover and refrigerate.
• Combine beef, oregano, feta cheese, onion powder, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Form into 4 patties.
• Grill patties on each side until desired doneness is reached.
• Grill pitas for a minute or two on each side to warm.
• Assemble sandwiches - open pitas, add burger, a dollop of sauce, and any of the sliced vegetables listed above for garnish. Enjoy!

GYRO BURGERS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine lamb, beef, bread crumbs, minced onion, garlic, allspice, coriander, cumin.
• Add just 1 tsp of the salt and 1/8 tsp of the pepper and mix well.
• Form into 4 patties, cover and chill 2 hours.
• In another bowl, whisk together vinegar, oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.
• Gradually whisk in the oil until blended well.
• Add tomatoes, sliced onions, and cucumbers and stir to coat.
• Cover and let marinate at least 2 hours (no more than 8 hours).
• When you are ready to cook your burgers, oil& preheat your grill and grill as you would any hamburger (10-15 minutes or so- or until no pink remains but burger is still moist).
• When burgers are fully cooked, slit pita pockets open on the sides to form open pockets (you can warm the pita up by setting on the side of grill briefly) and place a burger inside.
• Have bowls of the tomato topping, the shredded lettuce, and some tzatziki(a Middle Eastern style yogurt sauce) on the table for guests to add as desired.
• The yogurt sauce is available in the dairy case near dips or at the deli counter or some markets or you can prepare a homemade version.