The Dish:
Kebab, gyros, souvlaki – often terms used interchangeably in Australia for the classic Mediterranean lamb and salad wrap, but they are actually different methods.
The easiest for home cooking, and the one I’ll focus on here is the souvlaki – marinated and cooked on individual skewers and served on simple homemade flat breads with a freshly made tzatziki.
The Cooker:
Traditionally, these are cooked over charcoal, however you can still get a great result on gas, and that is what I will be cooking on today.
Aim for a medium-high, direct heat. I like to use the Weber Kabob rack for this to elevate from the grill, but cooking direct on the grate will still cook a nice meal.
The Ingredients:
- Lamb Skewers
- 1.5kg of boneless lamb shoulder, cut into roughly 3cm cubes
- 5tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Oregano
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 large red onion, sliced
Flatbreads
2 cups self raising flour (see notes)
1 ¾ cups Greek yoghurt
1 tsp salt
Tzatziki
1 ½ cups Greek yoghurt
2 Lebanese cucumbers
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dill
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of ¼ lemon
Tomato, iceberg lettuce and red onion, sliced to serve
The Method:
Grate the cucumbers, whole. Place into a cheesecloth and squeeze liquid out, dry in the fridge while the meat is marinating, squeezing out the juice occasionally for best results.
Combine the non-meat ingredients for the lamb in a large bowl. Add the meat, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Combine flatbread ingredients in a bowl, try not to overwork the dough. Roll into a sausage shape, cut into 6 even pieces and roll into individual bowls. Roll out into circles on a floured surface, and cook individually until risen and turn when coloured, repeating for the other side. Set aside the cooked flatbreads.
Combine tzatziki ingredients (including the dried cucumber) in a bowl, set aside.
Preheat BBQ for a medium-high direct heat. Skewer lamb evenly.
Cook, turning/rotating often to get a nice colour on the meat. Lamb shoulder on the skewers is traditionally served well done, somewhere north of 70°c internal. Take off to rest.
Toast the flatbreads gently on the BBQ before topping with tzatziki, lamb, tomato lettuce and onion. Enjoy!
Notes:
Greek lamb is generally served well done. If you like a rarer cut, use leg (or backstrap for a rarer, leaner cut)
When measuring flour, spoon the flour into a cup measure instead of using the cup measure to spoon out the flour. This will prevent the flour compacting and using too much.
Different yoghurts and flours combine differently so you will need to go “by feel” for the flatbreads. You should look for a consistency that just holds together but doesn’t stick to your fingers like glue.
This recipe was put together by DGR BBQ. Melbourne based and a friend of BBQs & Outdoor, be sure to follow DGR BBQ on Instagram @dgr_bbq, for more Aussie Barbecue Inspo!
