Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

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NASH
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Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by NASH » Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:32 pm

Spicy Donairs with traditional sauce are somewhat an adaption of a Greek Gyro, supposedly born in Atlantic Canada, more particularly in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the early '70's. I've spiced these ones up a bit so if you are afraid of the heat back off on the dried chilies and cayenne pepper a bit. These are truly delicious!

Ingredients:

Donair Meat:
4 lb. Ground Beef
1 lb. Ground Lamb
5 tsp. Flour (optional - used for binder - see 'method' below)
5 tsp. Salt
5 tsp. Oregano
2.5 tsp. Dry Mustard
2.5 tsp. Granulated Garlic
2.5 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
2.5 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp. Crushed Dried Chilies
1.5 tsp Paprika
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

Sauce:
1 can Evaporated milk (12oz)
3/4 cup White Sugar
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
~ 4 tbsp. White Vinegar (or as needed to thicken)

Method:
Meat:
- Mix the flour and all the spices well.
- Knead the spice mixture into the meat VERY WELL - this is very important for the smooth texture, the more kneading and pounding, the better! Plan to spend ~ 20 minutes kneading, this can be shortened to ~ 5 - 10 minutes if using the flour as it helps bind the meat together a lot. Alternatively you can triple grind the mixture and/or grind it very fine, you want the finished product after cooking to be similar to a processed meat - so it can be sliced thinly and fried without crumbling.
- Roll the meat out into a loaf and bake at 300 - 350F indirect to internal of at least ~ 160F or well done.
- Rest tented with foil for at least 30 mins to an hr on a drip rack to allow juices and fat to run free from the loaf. It's much easier to slice for Donairs after an overnight rest in the fridge.
- Cut as desired and serve as desired (see below), or portion it off and freeze for later use.

Sauce:
- Stir together the evaporated milk, sugar, and garlic powder.
- Gently stir in the vinegar until thick - the mixture will thicken QUICKLY to a thick gravy consistency, don't over-stir or add too much vinegar as this will cause the sauce to become thin.

Serving:
- Traditionally, the meat is roasted on an upright electric spit, then shaved off in strips as seen in the photo below. A Donair is served on pita bread with the meat cut in thin uneven 1/8" - 1/4" strips, garnished with diced onion and tomato, the sauce poured over it, and then wrapped in foil. Sometimes topped with mozza cheese too.

Meat & Pita Prep:
- Saute sliced Donair meat in a hot skillet or flattop until starting to crisp on the edges then remove.
- Quickly and lightly rub pita bread with water and briefly fry in the same hot pan the meat just came out of, turning once to soften and warm, don't let it dry or crisp - this step is important so don't leave it out.
- Slather some sauce on the pita, top with meat, chopped onions, diced tomatoes and finish off with lots more sauce.
- Put on some old clothes, roll it up in foil then go nuts - these things are messy! For the more refined they can be eaten open-faced on a plate with a knife and fork :lol:

More recently Donair meat has been used to make subs, burgers and pizza. Use your imagination to dream up any possibility, Donair burgers or steaks are great, they are great as a wrap in flour tortillas with shredded lettuce, onions, tomatoes and sauce too. It's good stuff :D:

Basic Donair
Image

The real deal!
Image

Donair Pizza
Image

Electric Donair Spit
Image

Open Faced Donair
Image

Here is the 5 lb log from this recipe ready to grill
Image

And here it is fresh off the grill @ 165F internal about 2.5 hrs later, with a little smoke, of course :lol:
Image
Last edited by NASH on Sun Jan 19, 2014 11:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by Jimmy » Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:43 pm

Nice. Donair anything is the way to my heart!

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by canuck » Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:55 pm

Ummmm yeah, I'm sooooooo going to make this! Thanks for posting it up, Nash!! :cheers:

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by sleepyjamie » Sun Jan 19, 2014 11:44 pm

canuck wrote:Ummmm yeah, I'm sooooooo going to make this! Thanks for posting it up, Nash!! :cheers:

same here. donair meat in calgary just isnt the same. the calgarians think it is but they dont understand.
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by mr x » Sun Jan 19, 2014 11:46 pm

Remember this old post:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/dinin ... d=all&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by HappyHopper » Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:17 am

Gonna do that baby up this week! My favorite Donair in the city is the Greek Donair at pizza delic .... A Greek salad slapped on top of a Donair with feta and mozzarella then baked !
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by Broob » Tue Jan 21, 2014 9:37 am

FYI using a dough hook with a kitchen aid mixer is a very nice alternative to kneading. Makes it nice and smooth.
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by homebrewcrew » Tue Jan 21, 2014 9:43 am

Would be a great superbowl recipe. Where is a good place in halifax to get ground lamb?
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by mr x » Tue Jan 21, 2014 10:48 am

You can get it at ss and sobeys almost always, frozen, and occasionally fresh.
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by homebrewcrew » Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:08 pm

Quite often I have been to sobeys and superstore and found a very poor selection of ground lamb. May try the farmers market this weekend, I know meadowbrook at the dartmouth farmers market has ground lamb.
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by dexter » Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:33 pm

They also carry frozen tubes at cash and carry, super store in bedford always has it and sobeys on Larry utteck does as well

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by mr x » Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:06 pm

Yeah, it's NZ lamb in the green tubes. I have no idea on the quality, just know it's there.
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by NASH » Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:31 pm

They usually have it fresh, from Martock Glen at SS Barrington.

Transmitted from the Hop-phone.

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by gm- » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:23 pm

NASH wrote:Spicy Donairs with traditional sauce are somewhat an abomination of a Greek Gyro, supposedly born in Atlantic Canada, more particularly in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the early '70's.
There fixed it for you :D
Almost puked when I tried a "maritime donair" for the first time. I was expecting something similar to the döner kebabs in Europe (lamb or chicken, served with onions, lettuce, taziki and hotsauce), but that awful sauce completely ruins it :barf2: :shitstorm:

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by GuingesRock » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:42 pm

gm- wrote:
NASH wrote:Spicy Donairs with traditional sauce are somewhat an abomination of a Greek Gyro, supposedly born in Atlantic Canada, more particularly in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the early '70's.
There fixed it for you :D
Almost puked when I tried a "maritime donair" for the first time. I was expecting something similar to the döner kebabs in Europe (lamb or chicken, served with onions, lettuce, taziki and hotsauce), but that awful sauce completely ruins it :barf2: :shitstorm:
Same reaction here. I was so disappointed, I thought it was going to be a proper "doner kebab" when I first tried one. It wasn't :(
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by mr x » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:45 pm

Here be your recipe:

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1779&p=19861" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by Jimmy » Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:30 am

You cooking it direct on the grill, using a drip pan, or have it on tinfoil?

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by NASH » Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:04 am

Jimmy wrote:You cooking it direct on the grill, using a drip pan, or have it on tinfoil?
'You' meaning me?

Cook it on the grill indirect with drip pan under, or on a rack in an open roaster. You'll be wanting to let the fat render out and away from the meat :cheers2:

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by Jimmy » Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:22 am

Yes you :lol:

That's kind of what I figured. I saw the tinfoil and thought you might have been cooking on that, but didn't think it would hold together well if cooked that way.

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by Jimmy » Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:08 pm

Just finished rolling one of these bad boys up
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by NASH » Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:13 pm

Looks wicked!

Transmitted from the Hop-phone.

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by Jimmy » Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:28 pm

Oh, and if anyone goes to the grocery store looking for crushed dry chilies, good luck finding them. Nash sent me on a wild goose chase last night, only to find out I had the "chilies" at home already. It's the crushed red pepper flakes that you're looking for :lol:

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by mr x » Sun Jan 26, 2014 3:09 pm

Indian Food Store on Robie, or Tian Phat in Bedford. ;)

Costco as well, and C&C if you want a lifetime supply. :lol:
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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by Jimmy » Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:17 pm

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Re: Spicy Donairs [Smoke Optional]

Post by NASH » Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:34 pm

Jimmy wrote:Oh, and if anyone goes to the grocery store looking for crushed dry chilies, good luck finding them. Nash sent me on a wild goose chase last night, only to find out I had the "chilies" at home already. It's the crushed red pepper flakes that you're looking for :lol:
Not my fault you don't know what crushed dried chilies are :lol:

Looks epic! I want some, now :cheers2:



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