The Smokey Carter – Greek Gyros Shawarma

Another recipe for one of our regular supporters, The Smokey Carter.

Everyone dreams of that gyros/gyro or gyros plate they had on holiday whilst in Greece. I know I do! With The Smokey Carter’s  handmade BBQ rubs, made right here in the UK, it’s super easy to recreate that authentic taste at home. You don’t necessarily need a rotisserie attachment or BBQ for that matter. You could simply place the meat on skewers and cook over hot coals, turning regularly.

The Smokey Carter – Greek Gyros Shawarma

  • Cuisine
    • Mediterranean
  • Course
  • Cooking Method
    • In -Direct

Ingredients

For the Gyro Meat;

  • 1kg boneless, skinless chicken thigh
  • 20g Greek Gyros BBQ Rub
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Juice of half a lemon

For Building your Gyros

  • A few Greek Gyros BBQ Rub seasoned chips
  • Greek style pita bread
  • Tzatziki
  • Tomatoes
  • Sliced onion

Method

1

Cut the chicken thigh fillets in half. You will then end up with lots of chicken pieces approx 10-12cm in diameter. Perfect for skewering on the rotisserie.

2

Add the chicken into a grip seal bag (or bowl) and add in the olive oil, lemon juice, Greek Gyros BBQ Rub. Massage the seasoning around the chicken to make sure it is all coated nicely. Leave to marinate for a couple of hours or even overnight in the fridge. If you don’t have time, don’t worry, you can use it straight away.

3

Skewer the chicken and build up the layers of chicken on the rotisserie skewer.

4

Get the coals nice and hot and get the Kamado Joe upto around 180c-200c. Place the meat into the rotisserie attachment, flick on the rotisserie, put the lid down and let the Kamado Joe do it’s magic. Check on it every now and then. You can squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the meat as it cooks.

5

It should take around 50 minutes to an hour (depending on the thickness of the chicken) or until the internal chicken temperature reaches 75°C.

6

Slide the meat off the skewer onto a chopping board and slice the chicken. Alternatively, slice it straight from the skewer. Remember the outside crispy bits are the chefs privilege!

7

Serve in a warm bread with tzatziki, seasoned fries, onion, tomato or whatever you want!

For more information on The Smokey Carters BBQ Rubs and Sauces why not visit thir website.

https://thesmokeycarter.com/

Moussaka

This recipe is from our friend James Whetlor’s book Goat. He knows an awful lot about goat. He worked for Riverside Cottage for a few years before launching Cabrito Goat. A by-product of the goats cheese and milk industry is billy goats, which in the industry are often euthanised at birth. James was given a few goats which he kept for the summer and planned to eat himself. He put one on the menu at Riverside and that night the goat outsold the beef. Within a year he quit Riverside and started selling goat to London restaurants full time. This is his sisters recipe and its a really good one. If you can’t get goat it could be cooked with beef or lamb.

Moussaka

  • Prep Time1 hr 45 min
  • Cook Time45 min
  • Total Time2 hr 30 min
  • Yield4 Servings
  • Cuisine
    • Mediterranean
  • Course
  • Cooking Method
    • In-Direct

Ingredients

  • 1 large aubergine
  • 4 tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 450 gms minced goat
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • 2tsp oregano
  • salt and pepper

For the Topping

  • 250gms greek yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs cornflour
  • 120gms feta
  • 30gms parmesan
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • salt and pepper

Method

1

Preheat the bbq to 180°C  and put the deflector plates in for a ceramic or prepare for indirect cooking on a kettle bbq.

2

Cut the aubergine into rounds toss with 2 tbs oil and season with some salt

3

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 mins until softened and slightly coloured. Remove and set aside

4

Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add onion and fry for about 10 mins until softened. Add the garlic and spice and cook for 1 minute

5

Add the minced goat and cook until it is dry and starting to colour. Add the tomatoes and most of the oregano.

6

Bring to the boil, season then put on bbq for 30 mins unitl the sauce is concentrated and thick.

7

While the sauce is cooking whisk the yoghurt with the eggs and cornflour, crumble in the feta with plenty of pepper and nutmeg to taste

8

Oil the bottom of a baking dish, place a third of the aubergine on the base, to with half the meat and tomato sauce. Repeat finishing with a layer of aubergine

9

Top with the yogurt sauce and sprinkle the Parmesan and remaining oregano

10

Bake in the bbq for about 45 mins until the top is golden and its bubbling at the edges with brown patches.

11

Remove from oven and rest for 10 mins before service. Serve with garlic bread, salad or wedges

James Whetlor’s book Goat is available from all good book shops Winner of the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award for the single subject book 2019. Winner of The Guild of Food Writers Best Specialist/Single Subject Book Award 2019 Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd (5 April 2018) ISBN-10: 1787131181 ISBN-13: 978-1787131187

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Moussaka

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Souvlaki

Souvlaki

  • Prep Time5 min
  • Cook Time10 min
  • Total Time15 min
  • YieldMakes 12

Ingredients

  • 1kg Boned and Skinned Chicken Thighs or Breast
  • 4 tbsps olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp dried oregano
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1

Trim the chicken of any excess fat,

2

Mix all the ingredients apart from the chicken together in a bowl, add the chicken and allow to marinate for at least an hour in the fridge

3

Light BBQ and grill chicken until it reaches an internal temp of 165°F or 74°C

4

Make some minty greek yoghurt by mixing plain yoghurt, chopped mint and garlic

5

Toast some flat breads and fill with salad of your choice, e.g. Rocket, red onion, tomato, cucumber, olives, feta.

6

Top with sliced chicken and top with your yoghurt dressing

Recipe by Chillin n' Grillin

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Souvlaki

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