Name: Lamb and Beef Gyro with Tzatziki
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb ground lamb; 1 lb ground beef; 1 small onion, quartered; 4 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp dried oregano; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1½ tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; ½ cucumber, grated and squeezed dry; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 4 pitas, warmed; 1 tomato, thinly sliced; ½ red onion, thinly sliced; To finish chopped dill

Lamb and Beef Gyro with Tzatziki

Ground lamb and beef processed to a fine paste, baked as a loaf, then sliced thin and crisped in a skillet the way a spit would — no vertical rotisserie required.

Serves

Prep

25 min

Cook

1 hr 15 min

Written

August 12, 2026

Ingredients

1 lb ground lamb

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, quartered

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

1½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

½ cucumber, grated and squeezed dry

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 pitas, warmed

1 tomato, thinly sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

To finish chopped dill

Method

Pulse the onion and 4 cloves garlic in a food processor until they break down to a coarse paste.

Add the lamb, beef, oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper, and pulse in short bursts until the mixture turns pale, tacky, and holds together when pinched — this is what lets it slice instead of crumble.

Pack the mixture tightly into a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap, pressing out any air pockets, then set the loaf pan inside a larger roasting pan and add hot water halfway up its sides.

Bake at 325°F until the center reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.

Let the loaf rest 15 minutes, then unmold and slice as thin as you can manage.

Whisk the yogurt, grated cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice with a pinch of salt for the tzatziki, and chill until needed.

Crisp the sliced meat in a hot, lightly oiled skillet in batches until the edges catch and char, a minute or two per side.

Pile the crisped meat into warm pitas with tomato, red onion, dill, and a generous spoonful of tzatziki.

Notes

The food processor step is the whole trick — home versions that skip it and just pan-fry crumbled ground meat end up with taco filling, not gyro. Pulsing the meat into a bonded paste before it bakes is what lets it hold a slice thin enough to crisp at the edges. The water bath keeps a lean lamb-beef mix from drying out over the hour it takes to cook through; don’t skip it even though the loaf itself never touches the water.

Make the loaf up to two days ahead and only slice and crisp what you need — cold leftover loaf slices just as cleanly and crisps just as well straight from the fridge.