Slow Cooked Gyro (with Pita Bread, Tzatziki and Potato Skin Fries)

This recipe for slow cooked gyro tastes almost as good as your local take away. Made with lamb mince and gently cooked in spices, the meat is carved into thin slices and served up in warm pita with zingy tzatziki, salad and potato skin fries (optional).

This recipe first appeared on my former blog, The Culinary Jumble. It was originally published on 17th June 2017. The post and images have been updated, but the originally recipe remains unchanged. 

I love a good take-away, me. It’s not only the food, but also the fact we don’t need to cook (or should I say, there is no mess to clean up). We don’t have them very often though, and they are most definitely an every-now-and-then treat.

The takeaway options are not great in Sweden, so these days, you’ll often find me making my own dishes.  Fakeaways, if you like. I find homemade versions much tastier, easier on the wallet, and overall, a little healthier. I can whip up a pizza, meatball sub, butter curry, or fish burger that rivals any quick food restaurant. Well, I think so, anyway.

What is gyro?

Gyro (plural: gyros) is a dish that achieves its name from the way it is cooked. Pork, chicken or lamb is stacked together on a vertical skewer, which is slowly rotated against a grill. As the meat cooks it becomes a little crispy on the edges. The top layer is shaved off, allowing the meat underneath to continue cooking.

Although these days the term gyro is synonymous with Greece, its history is a little ambiguous. The first mention of gyros in Greece tells of Greek and Armenian refugees fleeing Turkey in 1922. They set up small gyros shops, and their popularity quickly spread. As Greeks emigrated to other countries, they took their beloved gyros recipes with them, and they first appeared in the US and UK during the 1960s, rapidly becoming a hit. 

What’s the difference between döner kebab and gyro?

To the untrained eye, the differences between the two dishes might not be immediately apparent. Both are roasted on a turning, vertical spit, are served in bread with salad, and have a liberal helping of sauce. The terms are often used interchangeably, when in fact, there are some evident distinctions.

One difference is cultural: gyros are very much embraced by the Greeks, whereas döner (also spelt doner) kebabs are Turkish. Although pork is often used to make gyros, it is never used for döner kebabs. 

The other ingredients also vary a little. Although gyro is always served in pita bread, döner kebab is served on a larger flatbread, or on a bed of rice. The spices used in both dishes are also different. Döner kebabs pack little more of a punch with the spices used, such as cumin and pepper, and this is also highlighted by the chilli sauce often accompanying it. 

Homemade gyro

Firstly, it’s important to say that this is not an authentic recipe, but it’s not supposed to be.

Given the rather unusual way of cooking the meat vertically on special equipment, I wasn’t overly confident that I would be able to pull off something that tasted fairly authentic. Inspired by the döner kebab recipe from Netmums, my original impression was that it looked like the real deal. But would it taste like it? I could imagine that a slow cooker could ever come close to replicating the gorgeous taste of rotisserie grilled meat.

Of course it wasn’t identical, but it looked similar, and tasted just as delicious, especially when stuffed into a pita bread with salad and sauce. My kids loved it the first time I made it, and it soon became a firm favourite in our house. I use lamb mince (ground), but any kind of mince would work. There is nothing more complicated than adding some spices, forming into a log, covering with foil and allowing your slow cooker to work its magic for a few hours. When ready, the meat is very thinly sliced, and Bob’s your uncle. 

I doubled the original kebab recipe, and the measurements below made four gyros meals (we also had some meat leftover).

What to serve with homemade gyros

As gyros have spread to other countries, the dish has naturally adapted to suit the tastes of the population. Although regularly now included with a gyros, French fries are not an authentic part of the dish. I made some potato skin fries, but they are not traditional, and certainly not a requirement.

The sauce of a gyro is traditionally tzatziki. However, the cross over between döner and gyros now means that sometimes chilli and garlic sauces are served with it, instead. 

Salad is also an essential part of constructing gyros, with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onion (and in many takeaway spots, grated cabbage) added. 

One thing that does remain steadfast is stuffing it all in a pita. I make my own, as featured in my recipe for grilled chicken kebab, but you could make things easier for yourself and buy them in.

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Slow Cooked Gyro with Pita Bread and Tzatziki

Servings 4 portions

Ingredients

Gyro Meat:

• 4 tsp sea salt
• 1½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• 1kg (2.2lbs) lamb mince (see note 1)

Potato skin fries:

• The peel of several large potatoes
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• Sea salt & Pepper (to taste)

Tzatziki (see note 2)

Pita bread (see note 3)

Additional ingredients:

• Salad of your choice (we used onions, lettuce and cucumber)

Instructions

Gyro Meat:

• Mix all ingredients apart from the mince (ground lamb) in a large bowl.
• Add the mince and either using a large spoon or your hands, make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
• Form the mince into a long, chunky rectangle, patting to make the shape.
• Cover in tin foil (I use a double wrapping to keep all the juices in) and place in your slow-cooker.
• Set to either cook on low for six hours, or on high for four.
• When the kebab is ready, remove the foil (be careful because the juices inside are hot). If you like making your own stock, retain these juices.
• Allow to cool for five or so minutes, then cut into very thin slices using a sharp knife (I found a serrated edge worked better).
• When sliced, keep the kebab wrapped in the foil until ready to eat, as it does dry out quickly.

Potato skin fries:

• Use either leftover peel, or thickly peel several potatoes, retaining some of the flesh with the peel.
• Add to a bowl and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of oil (I use olive).
• Sprinkle over the chilli powder and mix to make sure everything has an even coating.
• Cook in your Airfryer on 200℃ (400℉) until brown and crispy.

Assembly:

• Cut the pita breads along the edge and open them up.
• Place the salad on the bottom half.
• Top with gyro meat, cover with a little more salad and then smother in as much tzatziki as you fancy.
• Serve with the fries and you're good to go. Enjoy!

Notes

 

Please note: I use scales to measure my ingredients but have included cups and ounces to help my readers. Because I have not used imperial measurements myself, results cannot be guaranteed if you choose to use cups and ounces. 

1. You can use any kind of mince (ground meat).
2. My tzatziki recipe.
3. My pita bread can be found in my recipe for grilled chicken kebab.