Homemade pork souvlaki and homemade pita bread makeup for my inability to pronounce gyro.
Skewers: https://amzn.to/3aHgknG
Pizza Peel: https://amzn.to/3ATWQa8
Pizza Stone: https://amzn.to/3AXTSSc
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 8 - (150g each)
Pita:
14g instant yeast
18g sugar
487g water
750g bread flour
15g fine salt
Meat:
3lbs Boneless Pork Boston Butt
1 tablespoon (3g) dried oregano
1 tablespoon (9g) paprika
2 teaspoons (6g) cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon (9g) kosher salt
1 tablespoon (3g) chopped fresh rosemary
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons (30g) of vegetable oil
10 - 12” skewers
1 green apple or 1 sweet onion (optionally)
Assembly:
2 cups greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, grated
1/4 cup (15g) finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
3 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tablespoon (18g) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
2 russet potatoes, cut into french fry-sized matchsticks
2-quarts vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pita:
Place baking steel or an inverted baking sheet in the middle of the oven and pre-heat to 475F. It needs to be heated for at least 30 minutes.
Whisk yeast, sugar, and water and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Separately, in a large bowl, mix flour and salt until combined; Pour yeast mixture into the flour, and mix by hand until you form a rough dough. Then knead for 2 - 3 minutes or until smooth.
Place your dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can proof your dough overnight in the fridge.
Punch your dough down and divide it into 8 even pieces (150g each). Roll each piece into a light ball, cover with a damp towel or greased plastic wrap and let them rest for 15 minutes.
Place one of the balls onto a lightly floured work surface and with a rolling pin, roll each ball into a disc, around 8” wide and ¼ inch thick. Then, one at a time, slide a disc using a pizza peel or a cutting board onto the preheated baking steel or inverted baking sheet in the oven. Close the oven door and bake for 1 - 2 minutes or until it begins to puff; flip the disc and close the door again to cook for another 1 - 2 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cover with a towel to keep your pita bread warm. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Meat:
Pre-heat oven to 400F.
Place your pork in the freezer for about 1 hour, remove and slice with a sharp knife, about ½ ” thick.
Spice mix: In a small bowl, mix oregano, paprika, black pepper, salt, and rosemary, then mix in garlic and vegetable oil.
Rub your meat slices with your seasoning paste until it is fully coated. Using 3 skewers stab and stack one slice of meat at a time until you use all the meat and essentially have a tower of meat, optionally you can stab one end of each skewer into a half apple or half onion to stabilize while stacking. If used, stab the other half apple or onion on top, place it on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet fitted with a wire rack, and roast in the oven, rotating often for 45 minutes or until cooked to an internal temperature of 155 - 160F, brown, and lightly charred.
Rest your pork for 10 minutes. Slice your roasted pork thinly directly off the skewers while fresh and keep warm.
Assembly:
Tzatziki Sauce: Season cucumbers with salt, then squeeze and drain excess water until the cucumbers no long secrete water. In a medium-size bowl, add greek yogurt, cucumbers, parsley, garlic, and olive oil; mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Potatoes: Place potatoes in a bowl, generously season with salt, cover with water, and let them soak for 15 minutes. Drain the water, place the potatoes on a sheet tray lined with paper towels and dry out the potatoes.
Fill a heavy bottom pot halfway, at least 2” deep, with vegetable oil and heat to 325F. Fry your potatoes in batches for 1 -2 minutes or until just barely cooked and pale. Remove potatoes with a spider and drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet or a paper towel-lined plate. Increase the oil temperature to 375F, and fry once more in batches, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil and drain again, then immediately season with salt while hot.
Assembly: Season your sliced tomatoes with salt. Then on each pita, add a generous amount of your roasted pork, followed by your desired amount of tzatziki, fries, tomato slices, and red onion to finish. Optimally garnish with fresh parsley leaves.
