American Greek Gyro

The Best Greek Gyro is Here!

A Greek Gyro is great way to celebrate a food. Not only are they great tacos, they’re 3 times the size of a street taco and, considered by some, much more like a sandwich. The basic shell is a flat bread called, Pita and the meat and filling can vary but traditionally the vegetables are consistently the same; lettuce, tomato and red onion. The one thing that is absolutely irreplaceable, however, is the Tzatziki Sauce and it is the secret sauce added to every gyro.

Greek Gyro Meat

Believe it or not, an authentic Greek Gyro isn’t made with Beef and Lamb or even Veil, for that matter. Recipes that have those mixed meats originated outside of Greece. The Greeks use a an intensified marinated pork that cooks rotisserie style. This enables the cook to trim a just little bit off the outside at a time for each Taco as the rest of the meat continues to cook towards the middle. The meat is sliced thin to begin with, so the trimmings from the outside tend to be very tender. And, thanks to the Marinade, very tasty.

In this recipe, I use a 1/2 pound steak cut from a Beef Chuck and 2 quarter pound Lamb Chops cut from a shoulder and I run the cuts through a meat grinder, using a large die. This gives me 1 lbs of ground meat to marinate.

Greek Gyro Marinade

Though the mixture of Ground Beef and Lamb can be very tasty, it isn’t enough flavor to stand alone in a Greek Gyro. A marinade must be added. The marinade I used in my Pork Gyro recipe works great in this one is well. The only real difference is that I cut the ingredients down because there’s less meat to season. Also, marinating the meat itself for a time isn’t necessary. You can cook it as soon as everything is mixed in and incorporated.

Greek Gyro Ingredients:

1/2 lbs Beef Chuck Steak, ground
1/2 lbs Lamb Chops, ground

Marinade
1/4 Red Onion, grated
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp cup Olive Oil
2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Rosemary
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Toppings
Tzatziki Sauce, Click Here for Recipe
Baby Spinach or Lettuce
Tomato, diced
Red Onion, diced

Depending on your filling, you Should be able to get 6-8 Gyros from this recipe.

Dirty Rice – Cajun Style Pork Fried Rice

The Best Dirty Rice, Ever!

I just can’t say enough about this Dirty Rice recipe. I’m telling you, truly, it’s the best version I’ve ever had and I’m not just saying that because it’s my recipe. My wife and I just kept going back for seconds, thirds and fourths. Okay, there was nothing left when we got done eating and my kids loved it too. Now that’s saying something because this recipe has liver in it. It’s true, I designed this recipe to be more family friendly and than the traditional spicy recipes but don’t let that steer you away from trying it. Some chopped peppers and a dash of Cayenne will quickly put you back in business, if you like it hot, and I guarantee this recipe will be at the top of your list of rice recipes, from here on out.

Traditional Dirty Rice

Most Dirty Rice recipes have a kick to them. This means peppers and spice. I avoid both in this version for several reasons. First, because it makes it more family friendly and, second, because it can easily be added to this recipe, with out changing a thing, if you prefer it. And, third, this version is absolutely amazing.

I mentioned before that I don’t use peppers in this recipe. I add sweet peas instead and as an alternative to using Old Bay or something even spicier, like “Slap Ya Mama”, I use Knorr Beef Bouillon. Now that’s not to say that any beef bouillon will work, because I’m not sure that it will. I just know that Knorr is uniquely seasoned and balanced to make this Dirty Rice perfect. In my opinion, it’s a lot like Ramen Noodle season packs or the seasoning pack found in a box of Rice-A-Roni. So know that I’m not advertising for Knorr, I just know that it just works wonders in this dish.

Also, be sure to check out my Cajun Stuffed Peppers, my Jambalaya and both my How to make Boudin and my Boudin Balls recipes.

Dirty Rice Ingredients:

2 cups Rice, uncooked
4 cups Water
8 oz Ground Pork
4 oz Chicken Liver
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
2 Green Onions, chopped
1/2 cup Fresh Parsely, chopped
1 Celery Stick, chopped
1 Cup Peas
2 tbsp Knorr Beef Bouilion
1 Stick Butter

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial for this Dirty Rice recipe and I’ll show you exactly how to make it.

Frankfurters – Vienna hot Dogs

The Best Hot Dogs are Frankfurters

I recently shared a little discussion, about Frankfurters, in my “Brag & Bitch about Cooking food group.” One of my favorite members asked if anyone knew what kind of sausage or hot dog was in a Chicago Dog. As it turns out, they are Vienna’s or what are more commonly known as Frankfurters. So I thought it would be fun to put together a tutorial about making Frankfurter Vienna Sausage Hot Dogs at home or, at least, the way I like to make them anyway.

Preparing Frankfurters

First you’ve got to decide how you want your Frankfurters cooked. Do want them grilled or baked in the oven? How about steamed or boiled in water? Or, my personal favorite, skewed and roasted over an open pit fire. Any and all of these are regularly excepted. And, as much as I hate to admit it, some folks like to nuke them in the Microwave(eh-hem, my wife). Now, what kind of bun are you going to use? In this video tutorial, I show you a real cool way, to make a hot dog bun, that I recently adopted my self. It’s the Dog Haus method and I like it because they’ve combined the idea of a grilled sandwich by buttering up and grilling soft and tender Dinner Rolls for buns. Have I got you curious yet? Now all you have to do is figure out what you want to top your dog with.

Toppings for Frankfurters

There isn’t, exactly, a rule book on Toppings for Frankfurters or any Vienna Hot dog, for that matter. There are, however, some Classics that you just don’t mess with, like a traditional Chili and Cheese Dog or, as I mentioned before, a Chicago Dog. But one thing is certain, once the dog is made, toppings are free rein. Onions, Peppers, tomatoes, avocado, Pickles and whatever Condiments you like to add, in addition to the recipe, are all examples of the possibilities. And believe me, they are endless. But one thing is clear, everyone and I do mean every one likes them different. How do you like your Frankfurters?