Authentic Greek Souvlaki Recipes

SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• In a large glass bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, oregano, and garlic; add pork, onions, and green peppers, and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread pork, peppers, and onions onto skewers.
• Lightly oil grate. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or to desired doneness, turning skewers frequently for even cooking.

HOMEMADE GREEK PORK GYROS SOUVLAKI RECIPE

Steps:

• To prepare this souvlaki recipe start by preparing the pork gyros. Mix into a large bowl the tenderloin (cut into strips), the garlic, the red onion, 3-4 tbsp of olive oil, 1-2 tbsp of red wine vinegar, some thyme, some rosemary, and mix with your hands. Squeeze the ingredients together, so that all the flavours blend and add 1/2 tbsp of honey. Wrap the bowl and put it into the fridge. Leave the marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours, before using it (ideally leave it over night).
• In a (very hot) large non-sticking pan, add the tenderloin along with the ingredients of the marinade, and sauté for 1 minute on each side, without stirring, until the meat is nicely coloured, crispy and tender inside.
• To prepare the tzatziki sauce for the pork gyros, pour in a food processor the olive oil and garlic and blend until the garlic is diluted (don't leave any large pieces of garlic). Into a large bowl, grate the cucumber, season with salt and pepper and leave it aside for 10 minutes. Wrap the grated cucumber into a towel and squeeze, in order to get rid of most of the water. Into a bowl, add the cucumber, the blended garlic and oil, the yogurt, 1-2 of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and mix. (This recipe is for 5-6 servings. Store in the fridge and always serve cold.)
• Use a cooking brush to oil the pita breads on both sides and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Place a large pan (upside down) at the bottom of the oven, place the pita breads on top, and bake in preheated oven at 250C for about 1 minute.
• Pork gyros is usually served wrapped, like a sandwich. To serve, spread some tzatziki sauce on the pita breads and top with the pork gyros, some slices of red onion, some sliced tomato and wrap.
• For an easier version, you can substitute the tzatziki sauce with some fresh yogurt or some mustard and mayonnaise sauce.

CHICKEN SOUVLAKI RECIPE (WITH BEST GREEK YOGURT CHICKEN MARINADE)!

Steps:

• Add all of the ingredients for the marinade in a blender and blend until smooth paste forms.
• Cut the chicken to bite-sized 1,5-inch (3 cm) pieces. Add in a food container.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add the marinade and mix well to spread all over the chicken. Put the lid on and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 2 hours before cooking.
• Soak the wooden skewers in water for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the stem and seeds of the bell pepper and cut into 1,5-inch (3cm) pieces.
• Remove stem and inside of the tomato, leaving only the skin. Cut the tomato and the onion in 1,5-inch (3cm) pieces as well.
• Start threading the skewers by adding one piece of pepper, 1-2 pieces of meat, one piece of onion, 1-2 pieces of meat, one piece of tomato and 1-2 pieces of meat until you reach the end of the skewer.
• Heat your grill, griddle, or grill pan over high heat. Grease well with oil. Drop heat to medium-high and add the Souvlakis. Cook for about 12-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reads 80°C / 176°F on an instant-read thermometer.Turn every 3 minutes to cook evenly all around.
• Make the Ladolemono Dressing. Add 2/3 olive oil to the 2 juiced lemons. Whisk for a minute or two until it thickens. Or you can use a squeeze bottle and shake until combined.
• Pour Ladolemono over the meat right as it comes out of the grill. Sprinkle with dried oregano and you're ready to serve!

AUTHENTIC GREEK SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• In a bowl mix fresh herbs, onion slices, olive oil, vinegar, honey, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Place meat in a large pan and add the marinade. I like to massage the meat a little with the marinade mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and let it marinate from 3-4 hours to overnight in the fridge.
• Take it out of the refrigerator 1/2 hour ahead of cooking so it can get to room temperature.
• Cut the tomatoes into thin slices, add them to a medium bowl. Add the sliced onion, and the crumbled feta cheese. Season with sea salt to taste. Sprinkle some dried oregano. Drizzle olive oil and a tsp or so of red wine vinegar.
• Mix well but gently and let it sit for at least half an hour ahead of the souvlaki assembly.
• Add 2-3 tbs of olive oil to a cast-iron grilling pan or the pan of your choice. Let it heat up almost to the point of smoke. add the meat 2-3 slices at a time. You don't want to add more because the temperature will go down and the meat will boil instead of the grill.
• Cook meat for 2-3 minutes for each side. I always do a test drive; cooking time changes depending on how thin my meat slices are.
• On the same pan, you cooked your meat, clean it lightly with a paper towel, drizzle a little olive oil and grill the pitas to warm them up. This will allow them to get some of that charred, smoked flavor.
• Take a pita bread, add two-three slices of meat, 2-3 full tablespoons of tomato & onion filling, and 2 tbs of tzatziki. Wrap it up in parchment paper just like they do in Greece and enjoy!

GREEK SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, mint and black pepper in a bowl& mix well.
• Add meat, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate; marinate for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight for best results.
• If using wooden skewers soak them in water overnight or for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the grill to medium high.
• Thread meat evenly onto 4 skewers& season with salt and pepper.
• Grill skewers 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium or cook a few minutes longer if you prefer well done (6 to 7 minutes).
• Serve with tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

AUTHENTIC PORK SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for at least 1 hour.
• In a bowl, toss together pork cubes, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, thyme, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
• Place 5 pieces of meat on each skewer.
• Lay on a hot grill and grill slowly (no flame) continuing to brush on marinade, until meat is done.
• Serve immediately in a pita, topped with shredded salad.
• For the shredded salad, toss the green leaf lettuce, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste in a large bowl, taste and adjust seasonings.

SOUVLAKI

Steps:

• Cut off any excess fat or membranes from the meat, then cut it into equal sized cubes.
• Toss the meat in a large bowl together with all the marinade ingredients, then refrigerate for a minimum of five hours (best overnight). Also, place the wooden skewers in a shallow container filled with water overnight.
• The next day, take the meat out of the refrigerator and first wait until it comes to room temperature and then skewer it.
• Grill the souvlaki over medium-high heat, about 3-4 minutes per side. Keep warm until ready to serve. Sprinkle the grilled souvlaki with lemon juice, salt, and Greek oregano.
• Serve just with bread, or inside a pita with tzatziki sauce and toppings of your choice.