Ground Beef Gyros Smash Gyros

Are these the most traditional gyros you’ll ever make? Not even close. BUT, are they delicious and fun to make? Absolutely. Follow me…

Smash Beef Gyros

If you haven’t seen the viral smash big mac tacos flying around the internet, you could be living under a rock. I was going to give them a shot, but quite frankly I live next to a McDonald’s and the real thing seemed more appealing. Nevertheless, I liked the idea of smashing the meat into the tortilla. It got my brain ticking and, well, here we are!

The Beef

I highly recommend using high-fat beef (20%). It helps keep the meat juicy and flavoursome. It’s going to be spread quite thin, so the more fat, the better the chance they won’t dry out in the pan. We’re also going to season the meat with a simple concoction of store-cupboard spices.

The Bread

You’ll want to use Greek-Style Flatbreads, which you’ll find in most supermarkets. They’re fairly thick, meaning they make a nice sturdy platform for the beef to cling to. You’ll want to spread the meat right to the outside of the bread – it shrinks quite a lot in the pan!

Frying Smash Gyros

When it comes to frying the gyros, you’ll want to start off with a dash of oil for the first one, then just use the excess fat from each one to continue. I wipe out most of the fat after each one, leaving a little behind for the next. You’ll want to fry them meat-side-down until they build up a crust and are no longer pink (you can lift the bread to check). Process shots: season meat (photo 1), mix (photo 2), add to flatbread (photo 3), spread (photo 4), fry meat-side-down (photo 5), flip (photo 6).

Beef Gyros

I was about to type something along the lines of ‘the toppings may not be traditional’ but I’m literally here smashing beef into a flatbread, so traditional has firmly gone out the window. Either way, these are my favourite toppings:

Tzatziki – Store-bought or Homemade Tzatziki. Salad – Here I use lettuce, tomato and red onion. Fries – I can’t resist!! Feta – Just a small crumbling on top. Dill – A few pinches finish these gyros off beautifully!

Process shots: place gyro on chopping board (photo 1), add tzatziki (photo 2), add lettuce (photo 3), add tomato and onion (photo 4), add fries (photo 5), add feta, dill and more tzatziki (photo 6).

Serving Beef Gyros

Depending on how much filling you’ve got, you can try and roll them or just eat them like a giant taco. I usually fold them and wrap the ends in foil to keep them in shape. I don’t serve these with any sides as they’re so hearty! For another (slightly more traditional) gyro recipe check out my Chicken Gyros! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these smash gyros shall we?!