Gyro Salad
This is phenomenal. Whole30 compliant. It was hard for me to make the salad because the meat tastes so good by itself. You can put this on pita bread or 4 ingredient whole wheat tortillas, but if you're trying to cut back on grains, the salad is the way to go. You can use the dressing in the recipe (which I recommend!), or you could sub in Paleo tzatziki. The meat takes a while, but it makes great leftovers, or you can freeze it for a quick meal when you need it.
This is phenomenal. Whole30 compliant. It was hard for me to make the salad because the meat tastes so good by itself. You can put this on pita bread or 4 ingredient whole wheat tortillas, but if you're trying to cut back on grains, the salad is the way to go. You can use the dressing in the recipe (which I recommend!), or you could sub in Paleo tzatziki. The meat takes a while, but it makes great leftovers, or you can freeze it for a quick meal when you need it.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- red onion
- dressing:
- salad:
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- lettuce shredded
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- lamb “gyroâ€:
- 4 pounds lamb shoulder roast
- 2 tablespoons mint
- 2 tablespoons cumin ground
- 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes or aleppo pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder coarse (granulated)
- tomatoes diced
- cucumber
- fresh mint minced
- 1/2 teaspoon mint
- 1/4 cup paleo mayo
- 2 tablespoons parsley minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon za'atar (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or aleppo pepper
- 1/2 clove garlic minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
- Carbohydrate 11.3799429298197 g
- Cholesterol 197.669775 mg
- Fat 24.3410361760416 g
- Fiber 3.23931413642998 g
- Protein 60.4179625850702 g
- Saturated Fat 8.6638178976683 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (407g)
- Sodium 303.055570431174 mg
- Sugar 8.14062879338972 g
- Trans Fat 4.7840484551701 g
- Calories 511 calories
Step-by-step
- With a sharp knife, cut the lamb shoulder into 3- to 4-inch chunks. You don't want them bite-sized. Place the lamb pieces in a large ziplock bag.
- In a small bowl, rub the mint and oregano leaves between your palms to crush them. Add the cumin, Aleppo pepper, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper; mix with a fork until blended. Add the spice blend to the bag, zip it closed, and shake assertively until all the lamb pieces are coated with the spices.
- Place the lamb in a large, deep pot. Pour the lemon juice into the bottom of the pot, then add water to just cover the meat.
- Place the pot on high heat and bring the water to a rip-roaring boil. When it's rolling, reduce the heat to keep a steady, strong simmer with the pan uncovered. The liquid should bubble a fair amount, but should not be a vigorous boil. While it's cooking, it will look like uninspired soup. Do not be discouraged! As the water evaporates, the acidic qualities of the lemon juice tenderize and flavor the meat.
- At about the 2-hour mark, check the pot. The water should be much lower and maybe even almost gone. Allow all the water to cook out of the pan and watch as the meat magically fries and caramelizes in the fat and fruit juice.
- Carefully turn the hunks of meat — without shredding them — to brown all sides, then remove the hunks to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes before eating.
- While the meat rests, make the dressing. In a small bowl, crush the dried mint with your fingers, then add mayo, parsley, za’atar, Aleppo pepper, and garlic. Blend well with a fork. Drizzle in the lemon juice, mixing with the fork, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the raw vegetables on the plate, add the lamb, drizzle with the dressing, and sprinkle with minced, fresh herbs.
When preparing large cuts of lamb shoulder for extended cooking, managing moisture is the primary operational hurdle. Four pounds of meat requires a deep cooking vessel to accommodate initial liquid levels that submerge the chunks completely without risking boil-overs on high heat settings. Maintaining an uncovered, steady simmer for roughly two hours allows water to reduce while organic acids break down tough collagen networks. As the liquid evaporates entirely, the rendering fat transitions the process from a braise into a direct fry, caramelizing the exterior surfaces of the lamb chunks without requiring oil addition.
Batch cooking this protein yields exceptional storage flexibility for future meal assembly. The cooked meat can be held in airtight refrigerator containers for up to four days or transferred to standard freezer-safe packaging for longer preservation. Reheating frozen portions works best in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, which restores the crisp exterior texture lost during cold storage. Fresh herb dressings separate if held too long, so mix the paleo mayonnaise base, lemon juice, and aromatics just before serving over shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and crisp cucumbers.
Swapping the homemade dressing for commercial tzatziki provides a straightforward alternative when fresh herbs are unavailable. Combining crushed dried mint, parsley, and za'atar replicates traditional Mediterranean profiles efficiently.
