Greek Souvlaki & Chicken Gyros
For the Flatbreads
500g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 sachet yeast
pinch of sugar
285ml tepid water
Cook Notes
BBQ Used: Kamado Joe Classic II
Cooking Method: Direct
Fuel Used: Kamado Joe Big Block Charcoal
Cooking Temperature: 200+ C
Accessories Used
Ingredients
For the Gyros Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp corriander seeds
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
For the Souvlaki Marinade
1/4 cups olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
4 garlics cloves
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp paprika
For the Tzatziki
300g Greek yoghurt
1/2 cucumber
1tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
olive oil, to drizzle
Method
This recipe is 90% prep work and 10% cooking but trust me, the prep is well worth it.
Chicken Gyros
I used approx 1kg of boneless chicken thighs and 1kg of boneless chicken breast. Cut the thighs and breast into chunks and place them in a bowl. To make the marinade, add the garlic cloves and corriander seeds to a pestle & mortar and pound them to a paste. Add the smoked paprika, chilli flakes, fresh thyme oil and lemon juice and give it a mix.
Add the marinade to the chicken chunks and give it a thorough mix. Place the chicken in the fridge over night to marinade.
When you are ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and add the chunks to skewers. Grill the skewers directly over the coals until they reach an internal temperature of 72c.
Pork Souvlaki
For the pork souvlaki, I used a pork fillet sliced into thin medallions. You can also use a pork loin or tougher cuts like pork belly or pork neck. create the marinade by crushing the garlic cloves in a pestle & mortar before adding the oil, lemon juice, oregano, rosemary and paprika. Mix the marinade into the pork and leave it in the fridge for at least 2 hours but ideally it would have 3-4 hours.
When you are ready to cook, remove the pork from the fridge and add it to skewers, alternating the meat with some sliced pepper and red onion. Grill the skewers over the coals until the vegetables are tender and the meat has reached an internal temp of 72c.
Tzatziki
Tzatziki is a really refreshing sauce to eat with your grill, Greek meats. The Greek yoghurt gives a rich creaminess while the cucumber is nice and fresh. start by grating the cucumber and adding it to a jug with the salt and vinegar to draw out the moisture. Grate a clove of garlic into the Greek yoghurt then squeeze the grated cucumber to remove the excess moisture and add the pulp to the yoghurt. Give the sauce a mix to combine the cucumber then season the sauce with fresh ground pepper to your taste. Finally, drizzle the sauce with a little olive oil and it is ready to serve.
Flatbreads
These flatbreads are really simple to make and the results are great. Start by adding your sachet of yeast to the tepid water. Aim to have your water temperature at 42-45c for the best results. Add a pinch of sugar to the yeast mixture then set it to the side to activate.
In a large bowl, add the flour and salt. When the yeast mixture has started to bubble, add it slowly to the flour and bring it together to form a rough dough. Tip the rough dough out onto a cutting board or floured surface and begin to knead it for approx 10 minutes. When the dough has a smooth surface, place it in an oiled bowl and allow it to rise for a few hours until it has doubled in size.
To cooked the flatbreads, remove the dough from the bowl and portion it into 6 balls. Roll the balls out as thin as possible and then cook them directly on the cooking grates over the coals. When the top of the flatbreads start to form large bubbles, check the bottom and give them a flip. the flatbreads should be nicely browned with minimal charring.
