NYC Gyro Sandwich

Written By Alex Washesky

Description

The gyro sandwich has been a staple of the New York City street food scene since the early 1970's, when it first appeared in Greek-American restaurants. The gyro is undoubtedly influenced by a sandwich of the same name from Greece, as well as the Turkish döner kebab. Since the 70’s, gyros have somewhat fused into the broader “halal street food” category, with gyro-style meat featuring prominently in famous halal street food dishes, such as lamb over rice. What distinguishes the American gyro from its Greek counterpart is that it is made of ground beef or lamb, as opposed to the authentic Greek version that is made with thin slices of either lamb or pork. Like Turkish döner or middle eastern shawarma, gyro meat is slow roasted on a rotating spit, with the cooked pieces being shaved off to put in the sandwich. Given that most home cooks don’t have a rotating spit at home, including myself, this recipe was developed to replicate the cooking technique with common kitchen equipment.

(Source: What’s Cooking America)

Ingredients

(Makes 4 sandwiches)

  • ½ lb ground beef (80/20 lean to fat, 226 g)

  • ½ lb ground lamb (226 g)

  • ¼ medium onion

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 2 tbsp Greek yogurt (30 g)

  • ½ tsp cumin (3 g)

  • ½ tsp coriander (3 g)

  • ½ tsp dried oregano (2 g)

  • ½ tsp fresh thyme (2 g)

  • ½ tsp black pepper (3 g)

  • ½ tsp smoked paprika (3 g)

  • 1 ½ tsp salt (9 g)

  • ½ tsp baking soda (3 g)

White Sauce

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt (60 g)

  • ½ cup mayonnaise (30 g)

  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley (6 g)

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (30 ml)

  • 1 tsp white vinegar (6 ml)

  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder (3 g)

Pita Bread

  • 2 ½ cups bread flour (300 g)

  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp water (210 ml)

  • 2 tsp olive oil (9 g)

  • 1 tsp sugar (6 g)

  • 1 tsp salt (6 g)

  • ½ tsp dry yeast (3 g)

To serve

  • Tomato slices

  • Chopped lettuce

  • Sliced onion

Preparation

In a food processor, add the onion and garlic and pulse until broken down. Add the yogurt, cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, thyme, black pepper, salt & baking soda, and pulse again until finely processed. Lastly, add the lamb & beef and pulse until it forms a paste. Remove and transfer to a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Shape the meat into a rectangle that is 1” high and no more than 4” wide - the length can be as long as necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least an hour, up to 3 days. Preheat the oven to 325 and then bake the meat for 15 minutes, or until the meat is just barely cooked through. Allow the meat loaf to cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

To make the pita bread, mix the flour, sugar, salt & yeast in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the water and olive oil. Mix the water into the dry mixture and mix until it forms a ball and no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Using wet hands, stretch and fold the dough over itself and shape into a ball. Repeat 1-2 more times until the dough is completely smooth and elastic. At this point, cover and rest dough at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1-2 hours. Divide into 4 equal sized balls. For best results, place the dough balls in airtight containers and refrigerate for 12-48 hours. If you skip this step, use double the amount of yeast in the dough recipe (2 tsp). Allow the dough balls to come to room temp (if using from the fridge), then allow them to proof for 1 hour at room temperature.

Heat a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium heat. Using a rolling pin, roll the pita to approximately the width of the pan. Transfer the rolled pita to the hot pan, and using the tips of your fingers, carefully press the dough into the pan, stretching in slightly if necessary and creating dimples in the bread. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, cover with a kitchen towel, and repeat with the remaining dough balls.

To make the yogurt sauce, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Add some water if the consistency is too thick.

Using a sharp knife, cut the chilled meat loaf into thin slices. Heat a nonstick of cast iron pan over high heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Lay the slices of meat in the pan and cook until browned on one side, about 1-2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining meat slices.

To serve, place a warm pita on a sheet of tin foil. Spread a spoonful of the yogurt sauce down the middle of the pita, then top with a handful of the sliced meat, lettuce and a few slices of tomato. Roll the pita into a taco shape and wrap up teh sandwich with the aluminum foil.

Notes

  • You can use 100% beef or lamb for this recipe if you prefer, just make sure it has around an 80/20 lean to fat ratio.

  • Do not exclude the baking soda from the meat recipe - this is very important for giving the meat a soft texture.

Alex Washesky
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