Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce

Condiments for your Gyro: Tzatziki Sauce, crumbled Feta, cucumber, tomato and onion

We love to make homemade Gyro meat, it is fairly easy and there is nothing in any restaurant or food court that compares. I am a Gyro snob and I can attest to it! This sounds complex but in reality it is pretty easy, you can even do it in the oven, however we use the rotisserie on our barbecue. It is an Alton Brown recipe!

1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded

2 pounds ground lamb (you can use 1/2 lamb and 1/2 beef if you wish)

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried marjoram

1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary (we use a combo of fresh and dried)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

The loaf on the rotisserie

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. Let cool a bit and slice.

Serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

Tzatziki Sauce:

16 ounces plain yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

Pinch kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced (optional, I don't include this)

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.