Chicken gyros have long been one of my favorite meals to make at home – not to mention one of my most popular posts here on the site. Last summer, at a friend’s cookout, our good friend Pete (who happens to be Greek) make some delicious soulvaki kabobs to throw on the grill and share with everyone. I was completely blown away with the flavor, and couldn’t wait to try them out for myself in place of the chicken in my gyro recipe.
I used a boneless pork butt that I trimmed and cut down into bite-sized pieces, but a tenderloin would be fine as well – if you wanted a little less prep work. It’s a very basic marinade of lemon juice, red wine vinegar, plenty of garlic and oregano, and olive oil. It requires a longer soak time than the chicken, but the tenderness of the meat and flavor you get in the end product are well worth it in the long run!
It’s skewered then thrown on the grill. Once the meat was cooked we piled it into warm homemade pita bread, topped with a cool and creamy tzatziki sauce, and topped with lots of fresh veggies. We all agreed that we liked it as much, if not more, than the chicken version. It’s something fun and different for cookouts this summer, and one that I know we’ll be making again and again. Opa!
Souvlaki Gyros
3 lb boneless pork shoulder or butt
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 batch tzatziki sauce
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
sliced cucumbers
lettuce
Pocketless pita bread (whole wheat version found here)
Trim the pork of most of the visible fat, and cut down into 1-inch chunks. Place in a gallon-sized reasealable plastic bag.
Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the pork. Seal up and squeeze the bag to distribute the marinade and coat the pork. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinade at least 6 hours, or up to overnight.
Preheat the grill (or pan, or broiler) to medium-high heat. Place pork onto skewers (metal or wooden skewers that have been soaked) and place on hot grill. Cook for about about 10 minutes per side, until nicely charred on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from grill to a serving platter, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm your pita bread on the grill or in the oven. Top the pita with the pork, tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and lettuce.
