Bake your own pork “gyros” for maximum flavour and a healthy, flavorful meal.
I use Cypriot pork, shoulder and bacon, which is my favourite combination for perfect balance of taste.
Homemade pork gyro
Bake your own pork “gyros” for maximum flavour and a healthy, flavorful meal. I use Cypriot pork, shoulder and bacon, which is my favourite combination for perfect balance of taste.
Ingredients
- 1 kg boneless pork shoulder
- 1 kg boneless bacon
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 heaped Tbsp strained yogurt
- 1 lemon juiced
- 4-5 large onions
- 3-4 tomatoes
- Tzatziki and pita bread to serve
Instructions
- Cut the pork in 1 cm slices. Cover with plastic wrap and pound until thin.
- Mix all the spices together in a bowl. Add yogurt and olive oil. Mix well and add the lemon juice.
- Take a large bowl and spread about 2 tablespoons of the spice paste on the bottom. Lay 3 pieces of pork on top. Keep layering, alternating between the pork slices and the spice paste. Use your hands to mix everything together. Marinade pork over night for best results.
- When ready to cook, take the meat out of the fridge. Take 4 large onions and lay them on the work top in the shape of a square. Stick through wooden skewers to keep them stuck together. Place on a baking tray. If there is a large gap/hole in the middle of your onion square, place another one to close the gap.
- Layer the marinaded pork slices on top of the onions, stacking them one on top of the other to cover the whole area of the onions. When finished, stick wooden skewers all the way through the meat and through the onions, to keep everything in one place while cooking. Top the meat with tomato halves.
- Cut any protruding skewers with shears and wrap the pork “tower” with baking paper. Then wrap again with foil. Bake covered at 180˚ C fan for two hours. Remove the paper and foil, increase temperature to 200˚ and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes until pork starts to get a nice colour all around.
- To serve, use a sharp knife to cut slices of the pork. Mix with the pan juices and remove on a plate. You can either continue slicing all the meat, or you can return the pork to the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, to get a nice colour on the sliced part of the gyros.
- Serve mixed with the pan juices on pitta with tzatziki and onion salad. YUM!
