Gyros in the USA

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Gyros in the USA

Postby Epicurohn » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:53 pm

Anyone know a gyros cone manufacturing equipment supply in the US? Anyone know the process for making commercial gyros cones for sale to individual vendors? Required equipment? I have some homestyle recipes, anyone has a commercial recipe?



Thanks,


David
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Postby wheels » Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:24 pm

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Postby Epicurohn » Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:52 pm

Thanks Phil.
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Postby Epicurohn » Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:02 pm

I also need the mold were to form the gyro cone.


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Postby Nutczak » Tue Sep 22, 2009 5:43 pm

The absolute best gyros meat that I have ever had did not come from a cone of formed chopped meat.

The retsaurant I am referring to used to take the lamb and beef in whole muscle form, slice it very thin while raw, pound it out to tenderize it, marinate it in the appropriate seasoning, and stack it on the spit-rod and end up in the shape of a cone. Then the would cook it on the vertical open rotisserie and shave off thin slices to build gyros. It was absolutly amazing. And this was a small sandwich shop on the noth side of Chicago. it was not some fancy restaurant.
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Postby saucisson » Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:23 pm

That is the traditional way it is supposed to be done :) I wonder how many do it that way any more :cry:

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Postby Nutczak » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:09 pm

saucisson wrote:That is the traditional way it is supposed to be done :) I wonder how many do it that way any more :cry:

Dave


That was the only place I have ever seen it done that way, and it has been the only place I have eaten gyros at since my first visit there. the quality, flavor and texture was so far above and beyond what I knew as gyros, it spoiled me and I would eat nothing less after that.

I was down in that area of Chicago 3 years back on business, and I could not wait to get there to have some more of their excellent gyros, and introduce my friends to the place, It was gone!! they were no longer in that location. the new occupants were serving hot-dogs and hamburgers. Typing about those gyros has got me hungry for them now!! Arrgh!!

The only commercial gyro suppliers in the USA, that I can remember currently are "Kronos" & "Grecian Delight" I think they are both located in Chicago Illinois, USA

Does anyone have a recipe for seasoning gyros meat (Shwarma??) I would be willing to make a small cone of the stuff at home and engorge myself in it if I knew I could get the flavors correct.

In the past few years, I have seen some various restaurants offering gyros on their menu, but I did not see the vertical rotisserie anywhere. It turns out some companies are selling pre-formed gyro-meat slices that these place toss on a griddle and place them in some stale pita bread with a nasty cucumber sauce on the side.
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Postby saucisson » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:30 pm

We call them Doner kebabs in the UK (I think we are talking about the same thing). There have been a couple of threads attempting to nail the spice mix but I don't think we ever quite got there. Give me a shout if you want me to dig them out.

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Postby Oddley » Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:11 pm

There is a recipe for donna kebabs that is spot on, here. I have never had a gyro so can't really comment on that, sorry.
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Postby Epicurohn » Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:07 pm

I discovered real gyros when I went to college in Chicago. Before that I had gyros in Miami and they were plain in every respect (meat, pita and sauce). Then I went to Italy on business and had a 1 night layover in London where I had my first Donner. I must say those are by far much better than Yankee Gyros. I´ve read and had conversations about German Donners and those are also supposed to be truly epicurean nirvanas.

This looks like a decent recipe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyros

I had seen a recipe with mostly marjoram and rosemary, but can´t seen to locate it.

http://greekfood.about.com/od/porkrecip ... rkgyro.htm
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Postby saucisson » Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:11 pm

Thanks for finding that recipe Oddley, that was the one I was thinking of.

Have a watch of this :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHvrkqMei4c
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Postby Epicurohn » Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:47 pm

I want to sell Lamb legs, loins and racks at gourmet stores. To be able to make that happen I have to be able to sell all the other meat from the lamb carcass at a decent price. There´s no real appetite for the cheaper cuts of lamb in this market (Honduras), but people do like Gyros (Miami is only 2 hrs. away). Gyros is essential to make this project go.

I need a mold for pressing the gyro cone. Any ideas?

Thanks,

David
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Postby Nutczak » Thu Oct 08, 2009 5:25 pm

Epicurohn wrote:
I need a mold for pressing the gyro cone. Any ideas?

Thanks,

David


I do not know what type of manufacturing facilities you have available to you where you are at, But I would think a 2-piece stainless steel mold with a center hole to support for the spit rod. Or mold it whole, and insert the rod later?

A hinged affair in 2 pieces may work, I would be concerned about it releasing from the form if it wasn't.
Would gelatin be used as a binding agent? or try to get the natural myosin from the meat as a binder?

I bet you could even use regular steel or aluminum and you could keep it clean and sanitary between uses, I am guessing the food regulatory agency by you is not as tight as the USA is.

I did see a televison show where they constructed a meat cone without a mold. it was packed around the spit rod and slapped into a tight cone and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap until it congealed enough.

You got me craving those Chicago gyros I spoke of again!!! Darn it!! Knock it off.
The real weird part is that I do not care for the taste of lamb or mutton, but when seasoned like gyro meat I love it. (the burps tatse a little too lamby though)
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Postby Epicurohn » Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:03 am

Thanks Nutczak. I already spoke to machinist and he´ll work on a quote for a 5# cone press.

I guess the binding is a combination of the water, the rusk, the extracted protein during the mixing, the pressing and the freezing.

We really like pork dow here, so I´ll first try a Lamb/Pork gyro.

I´ll post some pics.

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Gyros, Doner, Donair

Postby steelchef » Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:11 am

This recipe is from a commercial restaraunt in Eastern Canada. We have used it for years and had no bad reviews.

Donair Meat
(adapted from Derek's Place)

3 pounds lean hamburger (triple ground*)
3/4 cup rusk or non-fat milk powder
2 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp cayenne red pepper (depending on your taste)
1 1/2 tsp oregano
3 tsp paprika
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

*Try to get your butcher to run the meat through the grinder a few times. A food processor will do the trick also.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Knead for 20 minutes. Shape into two tightly formed loaves. Bake on broiler pan for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cool loaves and slice into thick slabs. Meat can be frozen for future use. If (like me) you are not fortunate enough to own your own rotary-stick-cooker thing like the ones in the good shops, you may find that the inner parts of the loaf are not browned enough. This can be remedied by re-heating the meat in a frying pan. This browns it nicely and gives it that slightly chewier texture.

Donair Sauce

(adapted from King of Donair, on `Pizza Corner', Halifax)

2/3 cup canned evaporated milk (some call for just a half cup)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Corn starch (optional)
Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.
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