We like gyros. My husband loves to eat them at Greek restaurants. I make a version at home that is definitely not authentic but we think it is very good. I usually grill the meat for them and serve them with yogurt sauce on pitas or tortillas.
I saw a recipe a while ago on Crockpot 365 that caught my attention. It was a crockpot version of gyros. I liked the idea but thought I could change the seasoning a little bit to make it more like we like them. You can see her version here. I used beef and ground pork because that is what I have a lot of. I also used Greek seasoning in it.
I think her way of layering the onions on the bottom of the crock pot and then laying the meat on top works well. My meat was very lean. I think you would have to be careful if your meat was not lean. If the meat had a lot of fat it would end up sitting in a pile of grease but it did work well for me. We really liked this. It was a great crockpot meal.
Crock Pot Style Gyros
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork or turkey
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning
Ingredients
Place onion and garlic in the crock pot. Mix together meat and Greek seasoning. Form into two small loaves and place on top of onions and garlic, like this.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until done
Sauce:
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 8 ounces of plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon of Greek seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix together and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Slice the meat and serve on pita or tortillas with shredded lettuce and yogurt sauce.
Crockpot Style Gyros
Easy and delicious way to make gyros. Not quite authentic but still very good.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork or turkey
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning
Sauce
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 8 ounces of plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon of Greek seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Place onion and garlic in the crock pot. Mix together meat and Greek seasoning. Form into two small loaves and place on top of onions and garlic, like this.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until done.
Mix together sauce ingredients and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Slice the meat and serve on pita or tortillas with shredded lettuce and yogurt sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 738mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 36g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
Mmmm! Sounds and looks great! Thanks for sharing. I saw your paperback swap logo – I love that site; we’ve gotten so many great books from there.Have a great week.
Renee’
https://rmboys.wordpress.com/
Thanks for sharing. These look really good. They will go great when we study Greece.
Oh boy, I’ll need to try this one…
OH OH I love Gyros, I’m definitely trying this one.
Do you ever use lamb? I think lamb is my favorite of all meats. Also, I think tzatziki sauce is easy to make. Not that I’ve ever made it, I just know that’s what the Greeks put on it.
Catherine, my husband likes lamb a lot and I know that is what is authentic but it is really expensive here in the stores. I feel bad buying it when I have a freezer full of other meat. Do greeks ever use other meats in gyros? And what is in the real tzatziki? Or does it vary by family and region?
The typical Turkish Gyro is made with lamb. They also have a wonderful chicken version. Your recipie reminds me a lot of Turkish meatballs…we use no pork. The ground chicken would be good and we would add sumac to the spices. Dill in both the meat and sauce. For summer we also like to add fresh mint to the cucumber sauce. Another hint if using regular yogurt, pour the yogurt in a cheesecloth, tie with to a wooden spoon set the spoon over a bowl and leave in fridge overnight to thicken..yummy!
You know, I heard that the gyro is actually more so one of those ethnic New York things…when the Greeks came over to the US. I think the same is true for many Jewish foods; people think they originated in Israel but they really originated from Jews in NY city in the old days.
Though I have never been to the motherland LOL (Greece), apparently the gyros made in Greece use pork or chicken most of the time, roasted and sliced. But then the Greeks that come to the US use lamb and beef. Don’t know why. I know that the most authentic way is to roast and slice the meat.
I think in Greece they use goat’s milk yogurt for the tzatziki but I’m sure it would be fine with regular yogurt. There seems to be decent recipes online : )
Nope, you are wrong. I was married to a Greek, and I lived in Greece, and they sell Gyros both in restaurants/Tavernas, and out on the street corners-from carts- by street vendors; (similar to the Hot dog carts in many U.S. Cities.) Most of the Gyros in Greece are a combo of ground lamb and it is mixed with other ground meat- beef, or pork. The recipe for the yogurt sauce on here is pretty close to the mark, I prefer to peel and shred my cucumber, and there should be dill weed added to the recipe. Even though the Greek seasoning is in the sauce, to get the true flavor , additional dry dill weed should be added. Using Greek yogurt (now that it is regular grocery stores) will give a richer, creamier taste to the sauce, and boost the protein at the same time.
What herbs would I combine to make the Greek seasoning?
Thanks Catherine. I thought you would know more than me on the subject of Gyros!
This looks great! Thanks for sharing!
MJ
Sounds wonderful. And delicious! And even better yet, EASY!
Confessions of an Apron Queen
When I saw gyros on Mr. Linky, I had to come over. I love ’em!!! This sounds so fabulous…I’ll have to try it.
Thanks!!
~melody~
Hi Lynn, I’m so glad these worked out for you! they were really fun for me to make, and then even more fun to eat.
xoxo
steph
Phil will be very happy that I have this recipe. We are huge Gyro fans.
These look great…love me some gyros!
🙂
Where do you buy this Greek seasoning?
I buy the greek seasoning at my grocery store. They have it in the spice section. I have also seen recipes for homemade greek seasoning, but by the time you buy all the spices to go in the seasoning I figure the buying it premade is cheaper and easier.
It looks like this sauce IS tzatiki.
I am wondering what the consistency of the meat is once it is cooked? Is it like “real” gyro meat?
thanks!
Since it is cooked in the crock pot it is not quite the same texture, but we still like it..
Do you add any liquid in the crockpot with the garlic, onion, and meat? Seems like it would dry out or burn without any liquid?! I’ve got everything together to make these and am unsure about that part!
No you did need extra liquid. Cooking it in the crockpot should produce enough liquid that I have never had a problem.
Tried this tonight and loved it! I made a few changes/additions. I made it with the beef and turkey combo, but I plan to use pork the next time. My husband, who is crock-pot ambivalent at best, said that this recipe is a repeater! Thanks so much for posting it! I pan fried the strips of meat for a few seconds per side after shaving them off of the loaves, and it really made the texture a bit more authentic. And even yummier!
I am so glad you enjoyed them!
I live in a reserved rural area. I don’t know what “Greek Seasoning” is. What spices are in the blend? Thank you.
I have a dairy allergy, so I find your recipes easy to substitute dairy free products. Keep up the good eats!
This recipe is awesome! I used Beef and turkey, but I did have a decent amount of oil at the bottom of my pot by the end. Maybe I need to use leaner beef? Anyways it was great regardless! I couldn’t find greek seasoning in the store, so I looked up what ingredients to make the greek seasoning and it worked very well! I used a suggestion from above with pan frying the slices of meat before serving so that it looked and felt more authentic haha. Good stuff!
im confused. You said you used ground pork and ground beef? But then you said you sliced the meat before serving. Isn’t ground meat the consistency of taco meat? I don’t understand.
You form the meat into little loaves/patties so once they are cooked you slice them. I hope that helps.
What is Greek seasoning
It is a spice blend that can usually be found on the spice/baking aisle at the store.
Hi, I just found this recipe through https://www.stacymakescents.com/100-days-of-no-processed-meals-crock-pot-style and would love to make your gyros, some time this next month. But what sides do you suggest to serve with them to make a meal?
I like something like salad with a cucumber dressing or just cut up veggies like carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes with them. I hope you enjoy them! And I am glad you found the recipe through Stacy Makes Scents. That is a great list she put together!
Greek Seasoning : Mix salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, rosemary, dill, marjoram, cornstarch, thyme, and nutmeg in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. Alternately, blend spices in a spice grinder for a finer texture.
Greek Seasoning Blend Recipe – Allrecipes.com
I don’t have the amounts but I’d just make a pinch of the above ones that you like & add those.
Sounds good but I would add chopped cucumber to sauce and feta cheese and tomatos on the top.
How many servings does this make? I hope I didn’t miss it somewhere in the article.
I would say about 6 servings.
Thanks!
I am making this today—Can’t wait to try it—Will let you know how my family likes it….
where do you get greek seasoning
I can usually find it with the other spices.