RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
Summer Pick: Crockpot Meals

Lamb Gyro Meat with Tzatziki and Tomatoes

Spiced ground lamb slow-cooked into a gyro loaf, sliced thin and crisped, and served in lettuce with tzatziki, ripe tomatoes, and red onion.

Why you'll love Lamb Gyro Meat with Tzatziki and Tomatoes

Gyro meat is the spiced, thinly shaved meat of the Greek street stand, stacked on a vertical spit and carved off in crisp-edged slices. At home, the same flavor and texture come from a loaf of ground lamb, onion, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and warm spices, cooked low and slow and then sliced thin and seared in a hot skillet. On a summer night it goes into cool lettuce leaves with garlicky tzatziki, ripe tomatoes, and red onion, and the oven stays off all day.

The food processor is what makes it gyro meat. Processing the lamb with squeezed onion for a full minute or two turns it into a smooth, tacky paste, and that dense, fine texture is what lets you shave it into thin slices that hold together. Squeezing the juice out of the onion first keeps the loaf firm. The slow cooker then cooks it gently and evenly, so the center comes up to temperature while the outside stays moist, and the fat renders into the bottom of the insert.

The last step, a minute or two a side in a very hot skillet, gives the slices their gyro character. The edges crisp and brown in a spoonful of the rendered fat, the way they do on the spit.

Quick overview: This Lamb Gyro Meat with Tzatziki and Tomatoes takes 30 min of hands-on time and about 6 hr 15 min in all and makes 6 servings, each about 3 1/2 oz gyro meat with lettuce, tomatoes, and tzatziki. You'll need a slow cooker, a skillet, and a food processor.

Jump to recipe

Sliced lamb gyro meat with tzatziki, tomatoes and lettuce leaves
Prep 30 minCook 5 hr 45 minTotal 6 hr 15 minServes 6Serving about 3 1/2 oz gyro meat with lettuce, tomatoes, and tzatzikiYou'll need Slow cooker, Skillet, Food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
  • 2 lb ground lamb
  • 6 cloves garlic, divided
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt, divided
  • 1/2 English cucumber
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, if needed
  • 3 ripe medium tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 heads butter lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Squeeze the onion: Pulse the yellow onion in the food processor until finely chopped. Pile it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze hard over the sink until no more juice drips out. Onion juice would loosen the loaf, and the squeezed pulp keeps all the flavor.
  2. Process the meat: Return the squeezed onion to the food processor with the lamb, 4 of the garlic cloves, the oregano, rosemary, cumin, coriander, pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl once, until the mixture forms a smooth, sticky paste that pulls away from the sides. Work in two batches if your food processor is small. This long processing is what gives gyro meat its dense, sliceable texture.
  3. Shape and slow-cook: With damp hands, shape the paste into a compact loaf about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide, pressing out any air pockets. Fold a long sheet of foil into a strip and lay it across the bottom of the slow cooker, with the ends hanging over the sides as a sling, and set the loaf on it. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer in the center of the loaf reads 160°F (71°C), the safe temperature for ground lamb.
  4. Make the tzatziki: While the lamb cooks, grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater, toss it with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Squeeze it hard in a towel, then stir it into the yogurt with the remaining 2 garlic cloves, minced, the dill, and the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate. The salt draws water out of the cucumber, and squeezing it away keeps the sauce thick.
  5. Rest and slice: Lift the loaf out with the foil sling and let it rest on a board for 10 minutes, so the juices settle and the meat firms enough to slice cleanly. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat from the slow cooker into a small bowl and discard the rest. Slice the loaf as thin as you can, about 1/8 inch, with a sharp knife.
  6. Crisp the slices: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with the reserved fat, adding the olive oil if the skillet looks dry. Lay in the slices in a single layer, working in batches, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes a side, until browned and crisp at the edges. A hot, uncrowded skillet browns the slices fast while their centers stay tender.
  7. Serve: Pile the crisp slices onto a platter with the lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, red onion, parsley, tzatziki, and lemon wedges. Tuck a few slices of lamb into a lettuce leaf with tomato, onion, and a spoonful of tzatziki, and eat it like a wrap.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate the gyro meat, whole or sliced, in a sealed container for up to 4 days, and crisp the slices in a hot skillet just before eating. The tzatziki keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator. Slice the tomatoes fresh.

To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf, whole or sliced, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and crisp the slices straight from cold.

Variations

  • Lamb and beef: Use 1 lb of ground lamb and 1 lb of ground beef chuck for a milder gyro, cooked to the same 160°F (71°C).
  • Gyro salad: Pile the crisp slices over chopped romaine, cucumber, tomato, and red onion with a few Kalamata olives and crumbled feta, and use the tzatziki as the dressing.
  • More heat: Add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne or a teaspoon of Aleppo pepper to the meat in the food processor.
  • Mint tzatziki: Use chopped fresh mint in place of half the dill.

Notes and tips

  • Process longer than seems right: The meat should look smooth and pasty, almost like a pâté. Coarse meat gives you meatloaf texture, and fine paste gives you gyro slices.
  • Use a thermometer: Check the center of the loaf, since slow cookers vary. Ground lamb is safe at 160°F (71°C).
  • Chill for the thinnest slices: Cold meat slices thinner and more cleanly. Make the loaf a day ahead, refrigerate it, and slice and crisp it straight from the refrigerator.
  • Choose ripe tomatoes: Summer tomatoes at their peak are heavy for their size and smell sweet at the stem. Keep them on the counter, since cold dulls their flavor.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Lamb is rich in protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, and much of its fat renders into the slow cooker and stays there.
  • Whole-milk Greek yogurt in the tzatziki brings more protein, real fat, and live cultures.
  • Ripe tomatoes carry vitamin C and lycopene, and eating them with fat, here the lamb and the yogurt, helps your body take in more of the lycopene.
  • Lettuce, cucumber, onion, and herbs make the plate mostly vegetables, with crunch and water to balance the rich meat.
  • As you eat, notice the crisp, spiced edges of the lamb against the cool tzatziki and the juicy tomato, and check in later: a plate like this should keep you comfortably full for at least 3 to 4 hours, with steady energy through the evening.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Lamb Gyro Meat with Tzatziki and Tomatoes? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

How is this like the gyro meat at a restaurant?

Restaurant gyro meat is made the same way: ground, seasoned meat processed fine, packed onto a vertical spit, and shaved off as it cooks. The loaf gives the same fine texture, and searing the slices gives the crisp edges.

Can I cook it in the oven?

Yes. Bake the loaf on a rimmed baking tray at 350°F (175°C) for 60 to 75 minutes, until the center reads 160°F (71°C), then rest, slice, and crisp it the same way.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes. Cook and chill the loaf up to 4 days ahead. Cold, it slices even thinner, and the slices crisp in the skillet in a few minutes.

What can I serve with it?

A chopped salad of cucumber, tomato, and red onion with olive oil and lemon, grilled zucchini, or a few Kalamata olives and some feta on the side.

You might also like

Tags: Summer Pick, Crockpot Meals, Greek