Gyro Meat:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
1 small onion; peeled, cut in chunks
1 tbsp garlic; minced
1 tsp oregano; dried
1 tsp cumin; ground
1 tsp marjoram; ground
1 tsp rosemary; dried
1 tsp thyme; dried
1 1/2 tsp black pepper; ground
1 tsp sea salt

Gyros:
2 tbsp olive oil; or ghee
gyro meat; cooled
pita bread; round or flat-bread
tzatziki; see Tzatiki
feta cheese; crumbled
mixed salad greens; lightly chopped
cherry tomatoes; halved
white onions; thinly sliced
cucumbers; diced

Gyro Meat:
1. Pulse onion in a food processor until very finely chopped. Scoop onions onto the center of a clean tea towel, gather up the towel ends, and squeeze to remove liquid.

2. In a bowl, combine onions, lamb, beef, garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, pepper, and salt. Mix with your hands until well combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but up to overnight to allow the flavors to blend.

3. Preheat the oven to 325F and bring a pot of water to a boil.

4. Place the meat mixture into a food processor and pulse for a minute until finely chopped and the texture is a tacky, thick paste. Press it a little at a time into a 7 x 4 inch loaf pan, taking care to eliminate any air pockets. Press down firmly on the surface of the meat to even it out.

5. Place a wet kitchen towel on the bottom of a large roasting pan and position the loaf pan on top of it. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. It should be between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way up the outsides of the loaf pan. Carefully transfer the roasting pan into the oven.

6. Bake gyro meat until is no longer pink in the center and the internal temperature registers 165F on a meat thermometer, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

7. Carefully remove the loaf pan from the roasting pan and pour off any fat that accumulated. Put the loaf pan on a heat-proof surface and place a foil wrapped brick (or other similarly shaped heavy object) directly on the surface of the meat. You can also use another 7 x 4 inch loaf pan and weigh it down. Let the meat rest like this for 20 minutes.

8. Once rested, remove the brick, run a knife around the edge of the loaf, then gently turn the loaf out. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and chill for several hours to allow it to firm for easier slicing.

9. Unwrap the gyro loaf and use a sharp knife to cut long strips no thicker than 1/4 inch. Any unused strips can be frozen.

Gyros:
1. Pour at least 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Lay the strips into the olive oil and fry for about 1 minute on each side or until they are crisped and browned to your liking.

2. Gently transfer them to a plate to cool briefly.

You can serve by loading the gyro meat and ingredients on a gently warmed flat-bread pita, Fold in half and wrap in foil to help hold it together.

Another way to serve is to carefully split open a warmed round pita in half and then carefully fill it with the gyro ingredients.