I have been looking for the perfect gyro recipe for the longest time, but most of them taste bland, which is why I decided to improvise and be creative. For this recipe, I decided to use yogurt as the base of the marinade. If you want it to be more authentic, you may replace the yogurt with 1/4 cup of olive oil. I also chose tzatziki, but feel free to use garlic sauce if desired.  If you are inclined to use lamb instead of beef, make sure to add twice as much lemon juice. Chicken is also a good alternative to dark meat.

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sirloin steak

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon tahini

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped

2 red onions, sliced into thin rings

24 leaves romaine lettuce, washed and dried

12 pieces pita bread

3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and sliced into thin strips

2 cups Greek yogurt or unflavored yogurt

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup tzatziki for serving

 

Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, garlic, thyme and oregano in a medium sized bowl. Mix it well and season it with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/4 of the marinade to a small bowl.

Place the sirloin in the yogurt and herb mixture. Make sure that the meat is coated with the yogurt mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it overnight.

Combine the onions and the leftover marinade. Cover it and place it in the refrigerator along with the meat.

A few hours before grilling, add the onion and yogurt mixture to the marinated beef. Stir the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 2-4 hours.

Grill the sirloin for 6-10 minutes, depending on the thickness, until it is tender. Turn at least once. Do not overcook. Use the marinade to baste the meat so that it doesn’t become dry.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the sliced onions from the marinade to a large serving plate. Put the tomatoes and lettuce leaves on the plate as well.

Heat the pita bread on the grill for 2-3 minutes. If you want grill marks, let it stay on the grill longer.  Place the heated pita bread on a platter or serving plate.

While heating the bread, slice the meat into thin strips and transfer it to a plate.

To assemble the gyro, put some meat on a piece of pita bread. Add some lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Top it with a tablespoon of tzatziki. Roll the pita bread or fold it to enclose the filling. Place it on a platter or individual plates. You can also serve the ingredients as is, so that you have the option to make your own gyro. Serve immediately with tzatziki.

 

Photo Courtesy Of: jeffreyw