Zspider wrote:
> Lamb is the usual meat in a gyros sandwich, isn't it? I did
> a lamb shish kabob here recently that the family liked, but
> besides that I don't have any experience with lamb.
>
> How would I prepare lamb for gyros? When it finally goes on
> the sandwich it is sliced thin, cooked dark, and seasoned
> heavily. I'd like to try that!
>
> If I'm clueless and lamb isn't what is used on a gyros, what
> type of meat is and how should I prepare it?
>
> Thank you, Michael

You can use either lamb or beef, I use beef because lamb is very
expensive in my area. The best gyros, aka shwarmas, the meat is sliced
thin, stacked on a vertical spit, roasted with a gas fire while the spit
turns moderately slow. As the meat gets done it is sliced straight down
and the pieces put in pita bread, or as they did in Saudi Arabia, on a
hot dog bun (surprisingly good that way). The spices on the ones I had
in the Middle East, Greece, and Israel were mixed in with the sauce. The
sauce was a type of mayo with the appropriate spices added to it. I
couldn't eat more than 4 or 5 at time back then. <VBG>

One of the best shwarmas I ever had was at the King David shwarma shop
in Amsterdam, just down the street from the Arthur Frommer Hotel and
very near the trolley stop I used for getting around town.

I'm sure you can find many recipes on line. If you can't find a decent
"Arabic spices" recipe drop me a line and I will copy a recipe out of my
Arabic foods cookbook.

George

On 2004-11-23, George Shirley > wrote:
> Zspider wrote:

> You can use either lamb or beef, I use beef because lamb is very
> expensive in my area. The best gyros, aka shwarmas, the meat is sliced
> thin, stacked on a vertical spit, roasted with a gas fire while the spit
> turns moderately slow. As the meat gets done it is sliced straight down
> and the pieces put in pita bread.....

All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
isn't leg of lamb. I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
local taquerias. What are these?

nb

notbob > writes:
> All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> isn't leg of lamb.

Yes, it's usually the infamous Kronos Gyrokone[tm],
http://www.kronosproducts.com/pages/products_frame.htm, or one of their competitors.

However, I do know of some gyro joints that do actual cuts of meat on
the spit, but they are a rare find.

>I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
>local taquerias. What are these?

"Taco al pastor" is the classic Mexican-as-in-Mexico way of producing
the tacos. They are actually pork most of the time.

--
Richard W Kaszeta

http://www.kaszeta.org/rich

Richard Kaszeta > wrote in message >...
> notbob > writes:
> > All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> > looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> > isn't leg of lamb.
>
> Yes, it's usually the infamous Kronos Gyrokone[tm],
> http://www.kronosproducts.com/pages/products_frame.htm, or one of their competitors.
>

In my experience here in Chicago, gyros is pressed seasoned very
finely ground meat formed into a cone or cylinder and shawarma is thin
slices of seasoned meat. Both are cooked on a vertical split, or
"autodoner", and shaved off for serving. There's a place in my
neighborhood, Optimal Automatic, that sells autodoners:

<http://chicago.agrino.org/greek_restaurant_supplies.htm>

(Scroll down to #8).

> However, I do know of some gyro joints that do actual cuts of meat on
> the spit, but they are a rare find.
>
> >I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> >local taquerias. What are these?
>
> "Taco al pastor" is the classic Mexican-as-in-Mexico way of producing
> the tacos. They are actually pork most of the time.

Yes, "tacos al pastor." In my experience, slices of seasoned pork
layered on an autodoner along with fat and onions. I've never seen
this with "processed" meat. Some places serve "tacos al pastor" as
pork tacos that are not cooked on an autodoner, but in my experience
these are inferior.

-bwg

Richard Kaszeta > wrote in message >...
> notbob > writes:
> > All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> > looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> > isn't leg of lamb.
>
> Yes, it's usually the infamous Kronos Gyrokone[tm],
> http://www.kronosproducts.com/pages/products_frame.htm, or one of their competitors.
>
> However, I do know of some gyro joints that do actual cuts of meat on
> the spit, but they are a rare find.
>
> >I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> >local taquerias. What are these?
>
> "Taco al pastor" is the classic Mexican-as-in-Mexico way of producing
> the tacos. They are actually pork most of the time.

Sorry to follow up on my own follow up. but in looking at the web site
pointing to Optimal Automatic, I missed this URL:

http://www.autodoner.com/

I have no interest, financial or otherwise, in Optimal Automatic or
Autodoner...

-bwg

Richard Kaszeta > wrote in message >...
> notbob > writes:
> > All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> > looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> > isn't leg of lamb.
>
> Yes, it's usually the infamous Kronos Gyrokone[tm],
> http://www.kronosproducts.com/pages/products_frame.htm, or one of their competitors.
>

In my experience here in Chicago, gyros is pressed seasoned very
finely ground meat formed into a cone or cylinder and shawarma is thin
slices of seasoned meat. Both are cooked on a vertical split, or
"autodoner", and shaved off for serving. There's a place in my
neighborhood, Optimal Automatic, that sells autodoners:

<http://chicago.agrino.org/greek_restaurant_supplies.htm>

(Scroll down to #8).

> However, I do know of some gyro joints that do actual cuts of meat on
> the spit, but they are a rare find.
>
> >I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> >local taquerias. What are these?
>
> "Taco al pastor" is the classic Mexican-as-in-Mexico way of producing
> the tacos. They are actually pork most of the time.

Yes, "tacos al pastor." In my experience, slices of seasoned pork
layered on an autodoner along with fat and onions. I've never seen
this with "processed" meat. Some places serve "tacos al pastor" as
pork tacos that are not cooked on an autodoner, but in my experience
these are inferior.

-bwg

Richard Kaszeta > wrote in message >...
> notbob > writes:
> > All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> > looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> > isn't leg of lamb.
>
> Yes, it's usually the infamous Kronos Gyrokone[tm],
> http://www.kronosproducts.com/pages/products_frame.htm, or one of their competitors.
>
> However, I do know of some gyro joints that do actual cuts of meat on
> the spit, but they are a rare find.
>
> >I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> >local taquerias. What are these?
>
> "Taco al pastor" is the classic Mexican-as-in-Mexico way of producing
> the tacos. They are actually pork most of the time.

Sorry to follow up on my own follow up. but in looking at the web site
pointing to Optimal Automatic, I missed this URL:

http://www.autodoner.com/

I have no interest, financial or otherwise, in Optimal Automatic or
Autodoner...

-bwg

Try using ground lamb, ground beef, cumin and lots of garlic.

Becca

notbob wrote:

> On 2004-11-23, George Shirley > wrote:
>
>>Zspider wrote:
>
>
>>You can use either lamb or beef, I use beef because lamb is very
>>expensive in my area. The best gyros, aka shwarmas, the meat is sliced
>>thin, stacked on a vertical spit, roasted with a gas fire while the spit
>>turns moderately slow. As the meat gets done it is sliced straight down
>>and the pieces put in pita bread.....
>
>
> All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> isn't leg of lamb. I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> local taquerias. What are these?
>
> nb

I don't know what they're called other than a rotisserie but I've seen
them sold in restaurant supply houses. Our local Arabic restaurant has
one and it has an American Supply house name on it. The ones I saw
overseas all had whole meat on them, nothing processed. Not necessarily
just the leg of the lamb but lots of mutton and goat is eaten in the
Middle East and along the shores of the Med. Sea.

George

notbob > wrote in message news:<hpJod.557325$mD.293704@attbi_s02>...
> On 2004-11-23, George Shirley > wrote:
> > Zspider wrote:
>
> > You can use either lamb or beef, I use beef because lamb is very
> > expensive in my area. The best gyros, aka shwarmas, the meat is sliced
> > thin, stacked on a vertical spit, roasted with a gas fire while the spit
> > turns moderately slow. As the meat gets done it is sliced straight down
> > and the pieces put in pita bread.....
>
> All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> isn't leg of lamb. I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> local taquerias. What are these?
>
> nb

In Mexico, it's called a "trompo" (lit. "top"), and the meat cooked on
these is called "al pastor" (lit. "shepherd style"). The difference
between this and shwarma is just the ingredients (Mexican cooks favor
pork, pounded thin and marinated), and stories have it that it was
brought by Lebanese immigrants either direct to Mexico or by way of
Argentina.

--
Chris Green

Try using ground lamb, ground beef, cumin and lots of garlic.

Becca

notbob wrote:

> On 2004-11-23, George Shirley > wrote:
>
>>Zspider wrote:
>
>
>>You can use either lamb or beef, I use beef because lamb is very
>>expensive in my area. The best gyros, aka shwarmas, the meat is sliced
>>thin, stacked on a vertical spit, roasted with a gas fire while the spit
>>turns moderately slow. As the meat gets done it is sliced straight down
>>and the pieces put in pita bread.....
>
>
> All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> isn't leg of lamb. I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> local taquerias. What are these?
>
> nb

I don't know what they're called other than a rotisserie but I've seen
them sold in restaurant supply houses. Our local Arabic restaurant has
one and it has an American Supply house name on it. The ones I saw
overseas all had whole meat on them, nothing processed. Not necessarily
just the leg of the lamb but lots of mutton and goat is eaten in the
Middle East and along the shores of the Med. Sea.

George

notbob > wrote in message news:<hpJod.557325$mD.293704@attbi_s02>...
> On 2004-11-23, George Shirley > wrote:
> > Zspider wrote:
>
> > You can use either lamb or beef, I use beef because lamb is very
> > expensive in my area. The best gyros, aka shwarmas, the meat is sliced
> > thin, stacked on a vertical spit, roasted with a gas fire while the spit
> > turns moderately slow. As the meat gets done it is sliced straight down
> > and the pieces put in pita bread.....
>
> All the gyro/shwarma meat I ever encountered on these spits in local eateries
> looks like some kind of pre-ground processed meat product. It certainly
> isn't leg of lamb. I've noticed a similar vertspit/procmeat thingie in
> local taquerias. What are these?
>
> nb

In Mexico, it's called a "trompo" (lit. "top"), and the meat cooked on
these is called "al pastor" (lit. "shepherd style"). The difference
between this and shwarma is just the ingredients (Mexican cooks favor
pork, pounded thin and marinated), and stories have it that it was
brought by Lebanese immigrants either direct to Mexico or by way of
Argentina.

--
Chris Green