Are you looking for a delicious, homemade meal that is easy to make and cooked in 20 minutes? Look no further than Greek beef gyro with the most flavourful marinade!
This classic Greek dish combines thin slices of marinated beef with an array of flavorful toppings to create a tantalizing combination of textures and flavors!
So grab your ingredients and get ready to make the best pan fried beef gyro just like served in your favorite Greek taverns!
What is Beef Gyro?
Beef gyros is a delicious Greek street food that is easy to prepare and perfect for any time of the day! Ok except maybe breakfast.. 😉
Slices of beef are marinated in a combination of spices and grilled to perfection. The juicy meat is then stuffed inside a warm pita bread with a variety of toppings such as tomatoes, onions, fries, lettuce and tzatziki sauce.
The resulting combination of flavors and textures is nothing short of mouthwatering. Whether you are a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, this pan fried Greek beef gyro is a fantastic way to impress your guests and satisfy your cravings for delicious, homemade food!
Easy to make: This is a really simple recipe that doesn’t require any special equipment
Cooks in 20 minutes: There’s a bit of preparation needed, but cooking time is only 20 minutes
What you’ll need to make Beef Gyro souvlaki the traditional way
If you want to make authentic Greek Beef Gyro, you’ll need some key ingredients to get that traditional flavors. Sweet and smoked paprika and dried oregano are essential seasonings for achieving that savory and fragrant taste.
The best way to serve beef gyros is nothing other than wrapped in a delicious traditional Greek pita. Finding the original Greek pita can be quite challenging as most supermarkets stock only the arabian style ones but you can most likely find them at your local Greek deli or amazon (here and here)!
Of course authentic Greek tzatziki is the preferred sauce to garnish with. Most Greeks enjoy their traditional Greek souvlaki with some potato fries stuffed in the pita so feel free to try adding some as well.
With these ingredients on hand, you’ll be well on your way to creating a delicious and authentic Greek meal.
Beef Gyro Key Ingredients
Marinated beef: You’ll need 500g of beef steak along with juice and zest of a lemon, garlic, dried oregano, salt, runny honey, hot and sweet paprika and some black pepper.
Potato fries (optional): Choose a waxy potato and use oil for cooking them in.
Beef Gyros wrap (souvlaki): To make the beef gyro wrap (souvlaki) you’ll need some pita bread (use our Homemade Pita Bread to make your own), Authentic Greek Tzatziki, red onion, tomatoes and shredded lettuce (optional).
Key Preparation Tips
There are three main steps involved with this Beef gyro recipe:
Marinate the beef steak
Cook the steak and make the gyros
Make the potato fries and assemble the beef gyro wrap (souvlaki)
Beef gyro marinade
To prepare the beef gyro, marinate the beef one day in advance to let the flavours to mingle. In a dish that can fit the steaks in one layer, mix together the lemon juice and zest, crushed garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, salt, honey, paprika, and a generous amount of black pepper.
Rub the marinade into all sides of the beef using your hands. After that, put the beef covered in the fridge and let marinate overnight.
Cook the beef gyro
Heat a non-stick frying pan or seasoned skillet over high heat for a few minutes on each side to cook the beef. If the pan is in danger of burning, reduce the heat slightly. It is important to ensure a caramelized crust.
After removing the pan from the heat, trim off any excess fat and thinly slice the steaks. Before serving, return the slices to the pan and coat them well with the pan juices.
Make the potato fries
To make the potato fries, start by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into strips. Then, toss them in a sieve with a generous amount of salt and let them drain for 20 minutes.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat and add enough olive oil to cover the potatoes by a couple of inches. Make sure to leave at least 1/3 of the pan empty to allow the oil to bubble up while cooking.
After the oil starts shimmering, drop a potato strip into the oil to test its temperature. The potato strip should immediately start bubbling and frying if the oil is hot enough to cook.
To cook the potatoes until they turn golden, add the remaining potatoes to the pan and fry them until golden and crispy.
After cooking the fries, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Then season with salt.
Serve the beef gyro wrapped in pita bread with fries, Tzatziki, red onion, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce.
What’s the best beef to use for beef gyro?
When it comes to making delicious beef gyros, the quality of the meat is important, but you don’t have to break the bank to achieve a great result!
Rather than splurging on expensive cuts, opt for a more affordable option that is still suitable for pan searing and has a good amount of marbled fat. This will ensure that your meat is tender, juicy and flavorful once you marinate it with your favorite spices and herbs.
How do you stop onions from being so sharp?
We’ve all been there – you’re prepping for dinner and slicing an onion when suddenly, the sharp smell overwhelms your senses. It’s no secret that raw onions can pack a punch, but fear not, there’s an easy solution.
Try this trick the next time you cook with onions and taste the difference! Simply soak the slices in a bowl of cold water for at least 20 minutes before draining and patting dry. This will not only remove some of the harshness but also leave the onion crispier and more enjoyable to eat.
Variations
Pan-fried Greek beef gyros is a delicious and flavorful dish that can be enjoyed in many different ways. Here are some variations you can try:
Classic Greek beef Gyro Pita wrap: Layer thinly sliced beef in a pita with tzatziki sauce, onion, tomato and fries.
Beef Gyro Salad: Place sliced beef on a bed of lettuce and add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese. Dress with tzatziki sauce or Greek vinaigrette.
Beef Gyro Pizza: Spread pizza dough with tzatziki sauce and top with beef, tomato, onion, and feta cheese.
Beef Gyro Sliders: Serve small beef gyros on slider buns with onion, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.
Beef Gyro Nachos: Spread pita chips with tzatziki sauce and top with beef, feta cheese, and diced tomatoes.
Beef Gyro Omelette: Add sliced beef, feta cheese, and serve your omellete with tzatziki sauce for a Mediterranean twist.
Gyro fries: Place the fries on a platter, then top with the beef gyro, some tzatziki sauce on top and diced tomatoes and onions.
Tip: To make a lighter version of the the dish replace the potato fries with my homemade version of baked potato fries.
Making ahead of time and storing
To store leftover beef gyro it is best to store every component separately. Wrap the beef separately from the pita and toppings to prevent any sogginess.
Place the beef in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Place the pita and any toppings in separate airtight containers or bags then store the containers or bags in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
When you’re ready to eat the leftovers, reheat the beef in a pan over medium heat until warm. Assemble the gyros by placing the warm beef in the pita, topping with your desired toppings, and adding tzatziki sauce, if desired.
Note that tzatziki sauce should be stored separately from the gyros components and can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
By storing your gyros components separately and in airtight containers, you can keep them fresh and ready for a delicious and convenient meal later on.
Serving suggestions
In addition to pita bread and tzatziki sauce, there are many delicious sides and accompaniments that you can serve with beef gyros. Here are a few options:
Greek Salad: A classic side dish with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, and feta cheese topped with a Greek vinaigrette.
Lemon Potatoes: Roasted potatoes tossed with lemon juice, garlic, and oregano for a flavorful side dish.
Grilled Vegetables: In-season vegetables such as bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant can be grilled or roasted and served with the gyros.
Pilaf Rice: A fragrant, flavorful side dish made with rice, herbs, and chicken or vegetable broth.
Greek Fries: French fries coated with lemon juice, feta, and oregano for a Mediterranean twist on a classic side dish.
Greek potato salad: a simple and delicious combination of potatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh parsley, red onion, garlic, dill and feta cheese.
Dolmades: Grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, served cold as an appetizer or side dish.
Greek Yogurt: A creamy and tangy side dish, perfect to balance the flavors in the gyros.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Experiment with different sides and accompaniments to find your favorite combination!
Make your own traditional Greek souvlaki with beef gyro with this easy to follow recipe and discover what makes this dish the most popular Greek street food!
Marinate the steak a day ahead. In a dish just big enough to sit the steaks in a single layer whisk together the juice and zest of the lemon, the garlic cloves, crushed, olive oil, dried oregano, salt, honey, paprika and a good amount of black pepper. Add the steaks and using your hands rub the marinade into all of the exposed meat. Cover and transfer to the fridge to marinate overnight.
For the potato fries
If you’re making the fries, peel the potatoes, and cut into strips. Toss in a sieve with a generous amount of salt and set aside to drain for 20 minutes.
Heat a couple of inches of oil in the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over a high heat, enough to generously cover the potatoes but allowing at least 1/3 of empty space in the pan to allow the oil to bubble up during cooking.
Once the oil is shimmering, check the oil is hot enough to cook by adding a chip; it should start bubbling and frying instantly. Add the rest to the pan and cook for roughly 10 minutes, until the potatoes are lovely and golden. To make sure they cook evenly, stir occasionally with a long handled slotted spoon, but don’t touch them for the first 5 minutes of cooking time or else they’ll stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the pan with the slotted spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper, and season again with salt.
For the Beef Gyro pita wrap (souvlaki)
Heat a non-stick frying pan or a seasoned skillet over a high heat and cook the steaks to your liking, a few minutes on each side. Make sure you have a nice caramelised crust, but reduce the heat a little if you’re in danger of getting burnt pieces in the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat, and thinly slice the steaks, trimming off any excess fat. Return the slices to the pan and make sure they’re all coated in the pan juices before serving
Wrap the beef gyro with the olive oil chips, pita bread, Tzatziki, red onion, tomatoes and shredded lettuce.
To serve, spread some tzatziki sauce on the pita breads and top with the beef gyros, some slices of red onion, some sliced tomato, fries and lettuce and wrap.
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