Gyro Beef Grilled on a Stick

Steak Gyros start with soft, warm pita bread loaded with succulent grilled steak, packed with fresh chopped veggies and coated in an incredible lemon tzatziki sauce.

We love setting everything out for these gyros and having guests pile on whatever they'd like in their pita. Steak Gyros can really serve as a complete meal, but if you want even more in the way of side dishes, try this Panzanella salad or some grilled corn on the cob (use this Elote recipe for directions on how to grill corn).

Steak Gyros

I can never get enough Greek food — we have these chicken gyros an embarrassing number of times in a month. And the other night, when my husband suggested steak in the gyros, it was an aha moment! How have I not made and shared a recipe for steak gyros?! Remedying today!

So today we've got the olive-oil-and-oregano marinated steak (only five ingredients, but it packs a punch) that we grill and load in a warm pita. The steak is piled high with a quick veggie salad (cucumber, onion, tomatoes, and parsley), and a simple, but flavorful tzatziki sauce. There's a good amount going on, but each component is fairly simple and the prep time is spread out, so actual assembly goes pretty quick.

Steak grilling tips

A few overall steak cooking tips:

Look for thickness. Try to get a steak at least an inch thick and preferably 1 and 1/2 – 2 inches thick. The thickness helps you get a beautiful pink center.
Make sure thegrill is completely heated before you add the steak. High heat sears the surface of the meat, resulting in a juicier steak with an amazing char.
Clean and grease grill grates.I do this by rolling up a few paper towels, drenching them in oil (canola or vegetable), and rubbing the drenched paper towels with tongs along the grill grates. This will contribute to the sear, and ensure the steak doesn't stick.
Let thesteak rest before cutting into it. Once the steak is grilled, it needs a few minutes to rest, so the juices can re-distribute evenly throughout the meat. By letting the meat rest, you will have a juicier steak! I recommend tenting the steak with foil and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.
Cut the cooked steak against the grain. Here's more on that! Once it's sliced, it's ready to go.

The best way to ensure the steak in gyros is perfectly cooked is by using a meatthermometer. If you cook steak often, you can likely tell when it is done by gently pressing on the meat, but I still like knowing for sure with a thermometer.

Steak cooking temperatures

I think New York steak is best at mediumrare and can lose flavor and texture when cooked beyond medium. Of course, to each their own — cook the steak exactly howyou like it! Below are the temperatures for cooking steak to your personal preference.

Rare: 120-125 degrees F
Medium-Rare: 135 degrees F (about 4-5 minutes on one side and another 3-5 minutes on the other side)
Medium: 140 degrees F (about 5-7 minutes on one side and another 3-5 minutes on the other side)
Medium-Well: 150 degrees F (about 8-10 minutes on one side and another 3-5 minutes on the other side)
Well-Done: 160-175 degrees F.

**Time depends on the steak's thickness, your grill, and the actual temperature of your grill.**

Pull the steaks off the grill about 5 degrees below the desired temperature — the steaks will continue to cook those last 5 degrees from carryover heat as they rest. While they rest, set out all the other toppings for Steak Gyros.

QUICK TIP

Thermometers are the best way to gauge the doneness of a steak. But if you're caught without one, you can use the OK system. Put your thumb and forefinger together, just like you're making the OK sign. Feel the skin in the gap below your thumb. That's what rare feels like. Now touch your middle finger to your thumb. That's medium. And if you put your pinkie finger and your thumb together, the skin area will be how well-done feels. Try it now–feel the difference in firmness!

Tzatziki sauce

The tzatziki sauce on Steak Gyros is the best! It's also super quick and easy to whip together and uses many of the same ingredients used in the marinade. I like making it in advance because it becomes more flavorful as it sits in the fridge.

Plain Greek yogurt. We want a full-fat yogurt to avoid a watery sauce. If it's vanilla flavored, the sauce will taste off.
Red wine vinegar: This vinegar adds the perfect complementary tanginess to the dressing, while also adding some nice sweetness.
Cucumber. Cucumber has a very high water content and will water down the sauce or make it bland. Wring out excess liquid a few times with paper towels or cheesecloth before adding to the sauce. I don't recommend regular cucumbers for this sauce; stick to Persian or English cucumbers.
Real lemon: Bottled lemon juice won't quite cut it here, because the sauce relies on the zest of the lemon. When zesting, avoid the white pith of the lemon — this is very bitter. Using a microplane (like this one), zest only the very outside yellow part of the lemon.

Steak Gyro Tips

A gallon-sized, zipper-top freezer bag is the best way to marinate the steak. It not only makes clean-up easy, but it also helps to ensure all of the steak is well coated. To save on dishes, you can dump all your marinade ingredients in the bag, shake them up and knead to mix, and then add in the steak. If you remember, flip the steak over halfway in between marinating time and give the plastic bag a few squeezes to mix.
Grill pita bread: Since you've already got the grill hot for the steak, add the pita bread for the last 30 seconds or so. Giving the bread a quick grill makes it much more flavorful and helps it fold without breaking. If you don't grill the pita bread, I recommend warming it through in a toaster or charring on an open flame over the stovetop.
Enjoy Steak Gyros hot of the grill. The steak from these gyros is at its very best when it's hot off the grill; the meat doesn't reheat well and the onion overpowers the rest of the veggies.
If you don't like thebite of raw red onions, soak the sliced onions first in some cold water with a pinch of salt. Drain thoroughly and then add to the salad or directly to the steak gyros.

More easy grilled recipes

Grilled Flank Steak with an easy chimichurri sauce
Grilled Chicken Marinadereader favorite recipe
Ice cream and graham cracker-topped Grilled Peaches
Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsaand sweet corn
Flat Iron Steakwith a sun-dried tomato sauce

Steak Marinade

1 pound thick New York Strip steak
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced (~1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper

Tzatziki Sauce

1/4th of 1 large English cucumber (or 1 Persian cucumber) (1/2 cup, measured after grating)
1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt (I recommend Greek Gods)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 and 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 large lemon (1/2 teaspoon zest and 1 tablespoon juice)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Assembly

4-6 pitas breads
1/3 of 1 large red onion, thinly sliced (Note 1)
1 and 1/2 cups diced English or Persian cucumbers
1 and 1/2 cups diced cherry tomatoes
freshly parsley

MARINATE STEAK: Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and place the steaks in a large zipper bag. In a bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Once the marinade is combined, pour over the steak in the bag and seal the bag without air. Turn to coat and massage into the steak; then refrigerate for 2-3 hours and up to 8 hours (at a minimum, marinate for 20 minutes). I like to make the tzatziki sauce when marinating the steak, because it becomes more flavorful as it sits.
TZATZIKI: While the steak marinates, prepare the sauce so it can chill before serving. Grate a cucumber with the large holes of a cheese grater. Line a small bowl with a few paper towels (or a clean kitchen towel) and place the grated cucumber on top. Squeeze out as much extra moisture as you can from the cucumber to keep the sauce from being watery. Once it's drained, place the grated cucumber in a medium-sized bowl and add in the 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
GRILL: Preheat grill to medium heat (400-450 degrees F). Prepare the preheated grill by cleaning and then generously oiling the grill (I drench a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it over the grill grates). Return heat to 400 degrees. Remove the steak from the marinade and discard any remaining marinade.
GRILL CONT.: Add the steak to the grill. Cook the steak for 4-5 minutes on one side and then flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes for medium-rare (I usually grill 5 mins, flip, and then 3 mins). For medium-rare, the internal temperature should be 135 degrees F. Add 1-2 minutes to get to medium (140 degrees F) and 3-4 minutes to get to medium-well (150 degrees F). I generally grill 5 degrees below, as carryover heat will take it up 5-10 more degrees. Remove the grilled steak to a plate and tent with foil. Once everything is removed, give the grates a quick clean with the brush and grill the pita bread for 15-30 seconds per side or until toasted and warmed through.
VEGGIES: In a large bowl, toss the thinly sliced red onion, 2 cups diced cucumber, and 2 cups diced tomato. Season with salt and pepper (just a pinch) and toss to combine.
ASSEMBLY: While the steak is resting under the foil (5 minutes), set everything out: grilled/warmed pita, sauce, and veggies. Very thinly slice the steak against the grain. Set out pita bread and top with veggies and fresh parsley. Add steak on top (season with a pinch more of salt and pepper if desired), and drizzle tzatziki sauce on top. Enjoy immediately.

Note 1: If you don't like the bite of raw red onions, soak the sliced onions first in some cold water with a pinch of salt. Drain thoroughly and then add to the salad or directly to the steak gyros.

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Gyro Beef Grilled on a Stick

Steak Gyros

Steak grilling tips