[/caption]Let's see...phonetically, it would be "yeero, " not "jiro." I'm talking delicious Mediterranean food here, not the toy with the string. One difference: while lamb is usually the meat of choice for gyros, there are people in my house who are anti-lamb (well, really, pro-lamb, if you want to look at it that way), so I make them with pork (why do lambs get sympathy and not pigs? I don't know--not my issue). So ANYWAY, if you can't make it to the Athenian Grill in Suisun City for their gyros, these are pretty darn good. Yes, they are a bit fiddly to grill, but they are certainly not difficult at all.
I have some notes (of course): I used to use pork loin for these, but have found that pork shoulder makes for much better, much more flavorful meat. Loin is too lean and thus too dry. Slice the shoulder thinly by freezing (or thawing) it to the point where it is still stiff, but soft enough to get the knife through, and you'll be able to slice it thinly so it grills quickly. You don't get the same effect by marinating and grilling the meat whole, which is why all the bitty work. The red onion in the tzatziki (the Greek yogurt sauce) can be pretty powerful, so after you chop it, put it in a sieve and rinse it quickly under cold water to lessen the bite a little.
[caption id="attachment_395" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Marinating"]
[/caption]Pork Gyros
serves 8
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, sliced thinly into pieces about 2" x 5"
Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tbl. Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl. dried oregano
Tzatziki:
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, seeded, peeled, and chopped
1 tomato, deglopped and chopped (that's how Ann Hodgman describes seeding and cleaning a tomato--perfect!)
4 Tbl. minced red onion (see note above)
[caption id="attachment_398" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Tzatziki on deck"]
[/caption]1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. salt
8 - 12 pita breads
Place strips of pork in a large Ziploc bag. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over pork. Marinate for 2 to 8 hours. Preheat the grill. While grill preheats, stir together all tzatziki ingredients (not the pitas, obviously) and set aside. Using tongs, remove all those pieces of pork from the marinade, and place them carefully (to avoid incinerated casualties) on the grill over medium heat. Close lid and let cook for about 7 minutes. Raise lid and turn pieces of pork over (sorry--fiddly, I know). Now you have to babysit the meat for about 5 minutes, moving cooked pieces off the flame, moving thicker pieces to the hotter areas, etc.
[caption id="attachment_403" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A million little pieces"]
[/caption]You'll know it's done when you see the juices running, bubbly and clear.
[caption id="attachment_402" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Done!"]
[/caption]Let the meat rest on a serving platter, covered with foil, for 10 or 15 minutes, in a warm place. In the meantime, warm the pita bread, either in the microwave (if it's just family and you're eating right away), or in the oven (wrapped well in foil). Place a serving of meat on a whole pita (see photo, top) and drape with some of the tzatziki. Gyros are delicious and remarkably flavorful. And now here are some of my geraniums, sure to rival any in Greece (well, I assume they grow geraniums in Greece, since they grow so well here in our Mediterranean-like climate, and what with Greece having an actual Mediterranean climate...).
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