Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9x5-inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on the long sides to lift the loaf out later.
- Pulse the onion and garlic in a food processor until they form a rough, wet paste.
- Turn the paste out onto a clean kitchen towel, gather the edges, and wring it firmly over the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. This step matters more than it looks — skip it and the meat mixture ends up too wet to hold together once sliced.
- Wipe out the food processor bowl and return the wrung-out onion and garlic to it. Add the ground lamb, ground beef, oregano, marjoram, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Pulse in short bursts, scraping down the sides of the bowl between pulses, until the mixture turns into a smooth, sticky, almost pâté-like paste, about 1–2 minutes total. This fine grind is what gives sliced gyro meat its dense, uniform texture instead of a loose, crumbly one.
- Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared loaf pan, working out any air pockets and smoothing the top. Mound it very slightly in the center to compensate for shrinkage as it bakes.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking another 20–25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) and the top is lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and carefully pour off any excess fat and liquid. Let the loaf rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
- For clean, thin slices, wrap the cooled loaf and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Chilling firms the loaf enough to replicate the dense, sliceable texture of meat shaved off a vertical spit.
- Once thoroughly chilled, lift the loaf out of the pan and slice it as thinly as you can manage with a sharp knife.
- Just before serving, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and pan-sear the slices in a single layer for 1–2 minutes per side, until the edges crisp and caramelize.
- Warm the pita breads in a dry skillet or wrapped in foil in the oven for a few minutes.
- Spread each warm pita with tzatziki, then pile on the seared gyro meat, tomato, red onion, feta, and fries if using. Wrap and serve immediately, with lemon wedges on the side.
Tips for Success
- Don't skip wringing out the onion and garlic — a mixture that's too wet won't hold together, and you'll end up with crumbles instead of clean slices.
- Chilling the baked loaf for at least 2 hours before slicing is the single biggest difference between gyro meat that falls apart and gyro meat that slices into neat, floppy ribbons.
- All-lamb or all-beef both work fine if you'd rather not mix; ground chicken or turkey is a common lighter substitute, but it cooks faster, so go by internal temperature (165°F/74°C) rather than the timer.
- See our tzatziki recipe for the garlicky cucumber-yogurt sauce gyro is built around — and don't be shy about tucking a few fries inside the pita with the meat, which is traditional in Greece, not just a Greek-American habit.