Mini Grilled Gyro Burgers With Tzatziki and Pickled Peperoncini Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated March 30, 2025
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A gryo-spiced meat mixture is formed into little patties, grilled, and topped with tzatziki and pickled peperoncini to make one tasty small sandwich. Joshua Bousel

A gyro-spiced beef-and-lamb mixture is formed into little patties, grilled, and topped with tzatziki and pickled pepperoncini for one tasty sandwich.

Why this recipe works:

  • A 50/50 mix of ground beef and lamb strikes a nice balance between the flavor of a burger and a gyro.
  • Adding additional fat or bacon into the meat mixture ensures a juicy patty.
  • Puréeing the meat mixture in a food processor results in a fine texture that's reminiscent of a standard gryo-loaf.
  • Tzatziki adds a cooling touch, while pickled peperoncini add heat and tang.

Recipe Details

Mini Grilled Gyro Burgers With Tzatziki and Pickled Peperoncini Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 10 mins
Active 30 mins
Refrigerating Time 60 mins
Total 80 mins
Serves 3 to 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the Tzatziki:

  • 2 cups Greek yogurt

  • 1 English cucumber, peeled and grated

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 whole lemon

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh dill

  • Kosher salt

For the Burgers:

  • 1/2 pound freshly ground lamb, well chilled

  • 1/2 pound freshly ground beef chuck, well chilled

  • 3 ounces pork fatback or bacon, diced and well chilled

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 medium clove)

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1/3 cup finely minced red onion

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Greek

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 9 slider-size potato rolls, split

  • Pickled pepperoncini, for topping

Directions

  1. For the Tzatziki: Mix together yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and dill in a medium bowl. Season with salt. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.

  2. For the Burgers: Place lamb, beef, fatback or bacon, garlic, salt, onion, oregano, and black pepper in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth puree is formed, about 1 minute total, scraping down side of bowl with rubber spatula as necessary. Form meat mixture into 9 equal-sized patties.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place buns on grill, cut side down, and grill until lightly toasted. Set aside.

  4. Place gyro patties on grill and cook until well seared on both sides and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

  5. Transfer patties to toasted buns, top with a spoonful of tzatziki and a few slices of peperoncini. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Food processor, grill

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
805Calories
40gFat
54gCarbs
57gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories805
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g52%
Saturated Fat 13g65%
Cholesterol 132mg44%
Sodium 1920mg83%
Total Carbohydrate 54g20%
Dietary Fiber 6g20%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 57g
Vitamin C 65mg325%
Calcium 349mg27%
Iron 7mg37%
Potassium 1344mg29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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