This is a recipe I have made many times for tailgates that I hosted over at UT Federal Credit Union. we had a pretty good group back in the 90s and 00s. So the Red Beans and rice recipe got me to thinking about some of the best tailgates and this dish was always well received
Southern Gyros BBQ Smoker Style
Marinade
1 medium onion cut into chunks
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Ground Mustard Powder
½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger or 1 piece of Crystallized Ginger
1 ½ Teaspoons of Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
½ Cup Soy Sauce or Teriyaki Sauce
¼ Cup Water
¼ Cup White Wine (Dry not sweet)
Meats
3-4 lbs leg of lamb
3-4 lbs beef (sirloin tip)
NOTE: I prefer to use Sirloin Beef or whole legs of lamb (deboned) with this dish.
Tzatziki Sauce
1 Medium Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
4 Garlic Cloves
½ Teaspoon of Salt
¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Fresh Dill
Marinade Directions
Place the chopped onions, garlic, sugar, mustard, ginger, black pepper, cayenne pepper into a food processor or blender and pulse until the onion and garlic are at a very fine consistency. Add the Soy or Teriyaki Sauce and water and pulse for another 10-20 seconds. Place the Beef or Lamb (or both) into a container and cover with the marinade and leave in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours.
Tzatziki Sauce Directions
Cut up the cucumber and place the chunks into a towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. Alternately you can grate the cucumber and squeeze out as much of the cucumber water as possible. (Reserve the cucumber water to make a dynamite Cucumber Martini) Put the drained cucumber, garlic cloves, salt, and vinegar into a food processor and pulse till the ingredients are combined. Add in the EVOO, Sour Cream, Yogurt and Dill and pulse to combine. Place this in your refrigerator till service.
Smoking Directions
Get your smoker set up with your choice of smoking wood (for this dish I prefer a mixture of Apple and Hickory ) and preheat smoker to 225 to 250 F degrees. Place the meat that has been in your marinade into the chamber and smoke for 6-10 hours depending on which meats you are using. Remove the meat from the smoker and slice into very thin (1/4 inch or less) slices. Serve with warm pitas. Garnish with Tzatziki sauce and some fresh Cilantro.
NOTE: the meat should not be like a pulled pork consistency it should be sliceable.
Southern Gyros BBQ Smoker Style
Marinade
1 medium onion cut into chunks
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Ground Mustard Powder
½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger or 1 piece of Crystallized Ginger
1 ½ Teaspoons of Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
½ Cup Soy Sauce or Teriyaki Sauce
¼ Cup Water
¼ Cup White Wine (Dry not sweet)
Meats
3-4 lbs leg of lamb
3-4 lbs beef (sirloin tip)
NOTE: I prefer to use Sirloin Beef or whole legs of lamb (deboned) with this dish.
Tzatziki Sauce
1 Medium Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
4 Garlic Cloves
½ Teaspoon of Salt
¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Fresh Dill
Marinade Directions
Place the chopped onions, garlic, sugar, mustard, ginger, black pepper, cayenne pepper into a food processor or blender and pulse until the onion and garlic are at a very fine consistency. Add the Soy or Teriyaki Sauce and water and pulse for another 10-20 seconds. Place the Beef or Lamb (or both) into a container and cover with the marinade and leave in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours.
Tzatziki Sauce Directions
Cut up the cucumber and place the chunks into a towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. Alternately you can grate the cucumber and squeeze out as much of the cucumber water as possible. (Reserve the cucumber water to make a dynamite Cucumber Martini) Put the drained cucumber, garlic cloves, salt, and vinegar into a food processor and pulse till the ingredients are combined. Add in the EVOO, Sour Cream, Yogurt and Dill and pulse to combine. Place this in your refrigerator till service.
Smoking Directions
Get your smoker set up with your choice of smoking wood (for this dish I prefer a mixture of Apple and Hickory ) and preheat smoker to 225 to 250 F degrees. Place the meat that has been in your marinade into the chamber and smoke for 6-10 hours depending on which meats you are using. Remove the meat from the smoker and slice into very thin (1/4 inch or less) slices. Serve with warm pitas. Garnish with Tzatziki sauce and some fresh Cilantro.
NOTE: the meat should not be like a pulled pork consistency it should be sliceable.
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