Greek American Lamb Gyros - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the meat
1 lb ground lamb (or ground 85% lean ground beef, see note)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons picked fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 garlic clove, sliced
3 ounces thick slab bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (or about 5 slices sliced bacon)
For the yogurt sauce
3/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced on microplane
1 lemons, juice of or 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or 2 tablespoons mint
To serve
4 pieces soft hand-pulled-style pita bread (not pocket pita)
fresh tomato, chopped
onion, finely sliced
cucumber (peeled, seeded, cubed)
hot sauce

Preparation

Combine lamb, kosher salt, pepper, and oregano in medium bowl.
Mix with hands until homogeneous.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Meanwhile, place yogurt in fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl.
Allow to drain in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place cold mixture in bowl of food processor with onion, garlic, and bacon. Process until smooth puree is formed, about 1 minute total, scraping down sides with rubber spatula as necessary.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
With moist hands, form meat mixture into a rectangle about 1-1/2 inches high, 8-inches long, and 5-inches wide.
Bake until center of loaf reads 155 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer, about 30 minutes.
Allow loaf to rest at room temperature for fifteen minutes (or refrigerate for up to a week-see note).
Meanwhile, make sauce.
Combine strained yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley; stir to combine.
Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
Adjust broiler rack to highest position (about 1-1/2 to 2 inches from broiler element). Preheat broiler.
Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8th to 1/4-inch strips (each strip should be about 5-inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide).
Lay strips on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Broil until edges are brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.
Tent with aluminum foil.
Warm bread by placing on a rimmed baking sheet and broiling until soft and pliant, about 45 seconds per side.
Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over each piece of bread.
Divide meat evenly between sandwiches.
Top as desired, wrap with foil, and serve.