American Gyros

3.7.18 Followed this recipe to the letter, and there was one ingredient that I had reservations about, but I added it anyway, and that was cinnamon. After the meat came out of the oven, I sliced off a small piece, and OMG could I taste that spice. I told my husband there was one thing I didn’t like about the meat but didn’t tell him what, and asked him to take a bite. He immediately said it’s the cinnamon, and I don’t like it either. We live fairly close to a large Greek community in Florida, and I’ve had many, many delicious gyros over the years, and never tasted even a hint of cinnamon. This recipe certainly measures up very well, but WITHOUT the cinnamon. This is so easy to make, can be made in advance, and I love how quickly you can get a good quality gyro on the table in the evening. The cinnamon may be a personal taste issue with me, but I’ll be making this recipe again, and will just omit the cinnamon making it a 5-star recipe for me. ••••UPDATE 5.5.18: Had some in the freezer so I used the mandolin to slice the meat which cut it thinner than possible with a knife, perfectly to be honest . Just really tasty. This recipe is better than most gyros you'll find at restaurants.

This was easy and it turned out great. I made this when my wife and I invited a couple of neighbors over for a simple dinner. Everyone loved it. The only thing I'll do differently next time is I will reserve the juices from the meat after baking it, to use instead of oil when I fry the slices. I think I may have wasted some of the flavor by not doing that.?

Finally! A recipe that's as good as people review that it is. I would have submitted a picture, but as soon as I set the platter down, hubby and two teenage son devoured it. Served with cucumbers, rice and hummus. Wonderful wonderful! Thanks Chef John!

This version of gyro meat is very tasty. It was even better left over...but in our house there was very little left after the four kids inhaled it! Hubby made the pickled onions to go with as well as the Chef John tzatziki sauce. We also had eldest DD make grilled Naan bread. Kalamatas, lettuce, tomato, and feta and these we were amazing!

Wow - were these good. The way the meat was cooked first, chilled, sliced, and fried in olive oil is what makes them so crispy and delicious and authentic. Made twice as it is a new family fave. Used Naan bread and tomatos and cucumbers from the garden. I couldn't find lamb so used 1 lb. of meatball mix and 1 lb of ground pork. Delish!

It'll make you believe in God.

I didn't bother with the parchment paper and it still did fine . everything turned out great and tasted as expected. A new family favorite for sure!

this was delicious! I'm a terrible cook and my family loved!

We made this exactly as the directions called for. It was delicious.

My family love this. It was so easy to make. Looking forward to making it again!

If this ain't perfect it's so close I can't tell the difference! Great gyro recipe!!!

Was delicious. Made as written. Didn't last a day; no leftovers for lunch the next day.

Wonderful! Finally I can make gyros at home. The tzatziki sauce is a must. Be sure to add enough lemon and salt to the sauce. Nothing worse than a bland tzatziki.

This was easy to make and full of lots of flavor from the spices. I used a mixture of ground beef, pork and lamb since that's what I had on hand. I found both the texture and flavor to be reminiscent of authentic gyros.

Just finished yet another Chef John recipe and once again, the result is so delicious. Thank you for sharing another yummy dish.

This was an amazing and simple recipe. My family was impressed. I sent some to a friend and he claimed that it was better than his regular gyro place. I have yet to try a Chef John recipe that disappoints. Awesome.

Finally!!! A gyro meat that satisfies my craving!!! :)

This was my first shot at making gyros and it was really easy! I skipped the cool down then sauté phase (just ate it right away) and it was delicious! Only changes I’d do is grate or use a food processor for the onions and garlic a bit too chunky for me.

I really enjoyed this recipe. I omitted the cinnamon but used all other ingredients. I served them in homemade pitas with some homemade tzatziki sauce (both also Chef John recipes!). My only criticism is that my meat turned out slightly dry and very thin. I quickly understood why when I watched the video... despite the recipe instructing a 9x13 pan, Chef John uses either a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan.

This is an amazing method for approximating authentic gyros from a Greek restaurant. I did not take any shortcuts and I'm glad I didn't. Browning the meat is absolutely necessary and well worth the labor. I do suggest that you start out with medium heat and incrementally increase the temperature if necessary. Medium-high heat created a smoky house and I think I could have avoided that if I had been a little more judicious with the temperature. Once the cast iron skillet reaches a targeted temperature, it takes awhile to it back it down. Take your time and increase the temperature as needed. The recipe doesn't mention it, but most gyros that I have had include tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, onion, and maybe a little lettuce. I used Chef John's Tzatziki Sauce and his pita break recipe as well. I did leave out the cinnamon. Maybe next time, Chef John. Great stuff. We loved it.

Great recipe. Followed Chef John's recipe to the letter. Also used his recipes for tzatziki sauce and pita bread. Delicious!

My family LOVED this! My husband and I are lovers of Greek food. My teenagers...not so much until I made this. I doubled the recipe and froze the left-overs so we could have some another day.

Left out the cinnamon, halved the cumin. Really enjoyed this! Tasty and different. We didn't even do the end frying part. Just sliced it and dipped in tzatziki sauce.

Fantastic recipe! Made it along with Chef John's Tzatziki and Pita Bread. Will be making it again. It doesn't taste the same as Gyros you would get at a restaurant reminds me more of Iraqi street kebabs and that is not a bad thing.

I prepared these gyros without making any changes or substitutions to the recipe and was 100% happy with how they turned out! Out of curiosity, I am going to try it with a mix of pork and chicken next.

These were really good. I used the 9 x 13 pan called for in the recipe even though the video showed a square pan. Next time I'll use the smaller 8x8 pan and cook a little longer as ours were thin strips. No matter. They tasted great. I didn't make the bread but used the same bakery as my favorite restaurant uses. The sauce is great and leftovers make a great snack with raw veggies. Keep a jar of pickled onions in the fridge. They are easy and delicious on sandwiches and salads.

I made this with one pound of ground lamb. It's so delicious and all of the spices (halved) contributed.

Great recipe. the best way to blend the flavor is to "blend" the herbs.

Much closer to a greek restaurant than I was expecting. I used ground venison and ground ram and left out the cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Otherwise, I feel the spices were awesome and had a great flavor without being overwhelming. I made a homemade tzatziki sauce from this site and store-bought pita. I look forward to the leftovers!

made it with just lamb....so good!

So easy and tasty!

Amazing as is. don't change anything. Ridiculously good. I also did as one other viewer suggested, there was a lot of juice and fat in the baking pan so I used the fat to fry the slices and saved the juice. May use it in a lentil soup.

Delicious! Don't like lamb, so I used ground pork and ground beef; everything else was exact to the recipe and it turned out great!

My whole family loves this meat! It tastes almost like the restaurant. I have made it several times and shared the recipe with a several friends.

These were really great. Great tips for making the gyros and really pretty easy (although does take some time). I made the Lebanese Mountain bread too and that REALLY impressed the family. Always watch the videos too.

I used only 1 pound of beef and halved the spices and bread crumbs. No pickled onions. My family loved it.

slightly on the salty side but it could have mostly been the tzatziki sauce. Easy and good.

This was good. The only change I made was to omit the cinnamon and bread crumbs. I don’t think these were missed. Neither belong in gyro meat in my humble opinion. Hubby liked it and thought it was meat loaf. I did grind my own lamb and run the meat onions and spices in a food processor. I don’t think you get the right texture if you don’t use a food processor. It actually killed my processor so now I need a new one. I will be making this again. Great recipe.

I used two pounds of ground beef in this recipe since ground lamb was difficult to find in my area.. It came out great!! It was seasoned perfectly!

Whole family enjoyed it. Trying to keep leftovers but have to try keeping them out of it.

I've been using this recipe for a while now, always a success! I have been making my own substitution along the way, my favorite is to use 1/2 of the leftovers of my Texas style smoked brisket (moist side) and 1/2 lean ground turkey.

My entire family agreed that this was amazing. I didn’t have parchment paper, so subbed with foil sprayed with cooking spray. It turned out perfectly. I followed the recipe and didn’t change any ingredients. Served it with sliced tomato, red onion, and store bought sauce on pita bread. Absolutely perfect. I’ll be making this again, and often!

This is a great recipe! It's not hard, but it does take some time. Please make sure you slice the pieces and fry them. Do not skip this step! We ate it with tzatziki, chopped tomatoes, and pickled onions. I think the pickled onions are so important to cut through the richness, and so don't skip those either. Definitely better than any takeout or gyros from the store, and worth the time.

good

I made this tonight and it turned out perfect. I left out the cayenne pepper (it’s not something I use) and I only did a dash of cinnamon because I was afraid of it being overpowering. Followed the rest of the recipe exactly and it tasted just like the gyros we get from our local place. I found some tzatziki ranch dressing at the store in the area with the refrigerated salad dressings to put on it. The meat, dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers were just perfect.

Delicious!

Incredible! Easy recipe to follow and it’s a crowd pleaser. Was able to make a head which makes it easy when you have guests.

I had been wanting to make this since I first saw the video on YouTube. Like others here, I omitted the cinnamon because cinnamon can overpower a recipe very easily. These were outstanding, and when I asked my wife if she had any suggestions, she said, "yes, make them again."

Great recipe and easy to make for families and kids but I found the taste to be somewhat bland. Needed more flavour not sure why since I added all ingredients correctly. The look was beautiful but lamb and beef didn’t taste so savoury

My family loved this recipe. Based on another review, I left out the cinnamon. This will be in our regular rotation.

Very good. Made it exactly as described. I didn't like his pickled onions.

Tasted just as good as any I've ever had in a restuarant.

I just made this and Oh My God!!!

This was very good! I used beef, lamb and chicken. Will make again but double all the spices and add a lot more garlic

This was super delicious! I didn’t have lamb, so I used ground turkey and ground beef for the recipe. I was also leery of the cinnamon, so I omitted it. My husband and son both really enjoyed this, and I’m still thinking about it (we had it over a month ago). I also recommended it to several friends. It really was delicious! We enjoyed it with Chef John’s tzasiki, fresh tomatoes and fresh red onions & some store bought naan.

I had tried a recipe from a food blog and was only mildly happy with it so I went in search of another one. After reading so many great reviews, I gave this one a try and was blown away by how delicious it was! My family declared that we'll never have to buy gyros again because this recipe was so perfect! Admittedly, I did leave out the cinnamon and I also used 2/3 beef and 1/3 lamb, which was just a personal preference for me. I am going to scour the rest of Chef John's recipes now because this was so amazing. Thank you!

I managed to get one serving before the two 17yo’s devoured the rest when my back was turned. Such great flavor and ability to prep ahead. I did reduce cinnamon by 1/2, but the rest was as the recipe decrees. Thanks Chef John!

It was delicious

Chef John nailed this recipe. After you get over the sticker shock at what ground lamb costs...this is fantastic. It is better than what you would get at Greek food trucks in downtown Chicago or NYC.

I have made this several times and love it! I usually only use lamb.

I have been so hungry for a good Gyro...this one filled the bill. Perfect AND I used all beef. I followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT used a 8 inch square pan and that worked out perfect as well.

I prepared these gyros without making any changes or substitutions to the recipe and was 100% happy with how they turned out! Out of curiosity, I am going to try it with a mix of pork and chicken next.

these gyros were amazing! I made it exactly as the recipe said (I even found ground lamb!) turned out amazing and with only 2 people we had tons of leftovers! I topped with cucumber dill tsaziki, feta, diced tomatoes, pepercinis, and raw red onion. I served it with rosemary roasted potatoes (since I had a ton of fresh rosemary left over) and it was a great pairing. It took awhile but I will absolutely be making this again!

Whole family loved it, including a very picky eater and my 18-month-old! I reduced the cinnamon and skipped cayenne pepper, but put in everything else as written. Also I wanted a quick meal, so only cooked it in the oven - not chilled/sauteed. That left the meat kinda soft, but so delicious!

Great flavor! I didn't have beef so just made with lamb. I molded the meat on skewers in the shape of a hot dog and grilled them. AMAZING!

Chef John has some great recipes and this is one of them. He is my go to. Make sure and pat the meat go into the dish. Cool it before slicing. I know it is in the recipe but sometimes we try and cut corners. Letting the meat and Chef Johns Cucumber Sauce set over night with blend the mixture. This makes it a planned meal. Sometimes this gets tough. Chef John, thank you for another couple of top recipes!

The mixture did not hold together well, but I used Easter leftover lamb to make this so the meat was already cooked once. I want to try again with uncooked meat as I think it will give a better result. Still very tasty.

These were great and you must make the home made bread to go with it.

Fantastic taste and very easy recipe.

Loved this recipe. I wasn’t able to slice it quite as thin as the shavings but the taste was super yummy.

Absolutely delicious as written!!!!!!