Gyros

Greek Pork Gyros with Tzatziki

A faithful home version of Greece's favourite street food: stacked, marinated pork slow-cooked until crisp-edged, served in warm pita with tomato, onion, chips and garlicky tzatziki.

Prep

60 min

Cook

90 min

Total

150 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.2 kg (2 lb 12 oz) pork shoulder, sliced 3 mm / ⅛ in thick; ask butcher to do this
• •200 g (7 oz) pork back fat, or use extra fatty shoulder if unavailable
• •2 tbsp (1 fl oz) olive oil, extra virgin Greek if possible
• •2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• •4 g dried oregano, Greek rigani preferred
• •2 tsp sweet paprika
• •1 tsp ground cumin
• •1 tsp garlic powder
• •1 tsp salt
• •0.5 tsp black pepper
• •200 g (7 oz) Greek yoghurt, full-fat, strained; do not substitute low-fat
• •0.5 cucumber cucumber, grated and well-drained
• •2 cloves garlic, crushed
• •1 tbsp white wine vinegar, or lemon juice
• •1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (for tzatziki)
• •6 pita breads pita breads, soft Greek-style, not pocket-style
• •2 tomatoes tomatoes, ripe, sliced or chopped
• •1 red onion red onion, thinly sliced
• •300 g (10½ oz) potatoes, for chips/fries, peeled
• •1 L (4 cups) vegetable oil for frying, sunflower or light olive oil

Steps

1. 1 In a large bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the sliced pork and pork fat, toss well, cover and marinate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
2. 2 To build a home 'spit': thread the marinated meat tightly onto a long metal skewer or rolling pin, alternating pork and fat slices to mimic the layered cone of a vertical rotisserie. Press firmly so the stack is compact.
3. 3 If using an oven: place the skewered meat across a rack set over a tray to catch drips, and roast at 200 °C / 400 °F for 75–90 minutes, basting occasionally with the tray juices, until the outside is well-browned and crusty. The internal temperature should reach 75 °C / 165 °F.
4. 4 If using a tabletop rotisserie or vertically mounted spit, cook per manufacturer instructions, usually 60–80 minutes, until the exterior is deeply browned and the pork reads 75 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer.
5. 5 Rest the cooked meat stack 10 minutes, then shave off thin slices with a sharp knife, cutting down toward the skewer to keep the crusted edges intact.
6. 6 Make the tzatziki while the meat cooks: grate the cucumber, salt it lightly, leave 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Mix with the yoghurt, crushed garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and chill until serving.
7. 7 Cut potatoes into chip-sized batons, soak in cold water 20 minutes, pat very dry, then fry in 175 °C / 350 °F oil for 4–5 minutes until pale and soft. Drain, rest 10 minutes, then fry again at 190 °C / 375 °F for 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp. Salt while hot.
8. 8 Warm the pita breads briefly on a dry pan or over a flame for 20–30 seconds per side so they are pliable but not crisp.
9. 9 Assemble each gyros: lay a warm pita on paper, smear generously with tzatziki, then pile on shaved pork, sliced tomato, sliced onion and a handful of the hot chips.
10. 10 Wrap tightly in greaseproof or parchment paper, twist the ends closed, and serve immediately while the meat and chips are still hot.