Pork Gyros

Roasted pork pita sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 medium tomato
• 2 medium yellow onions, peeled
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, approximately 5 sprigs

Directions

Put the pork shoulder on a plate, and place in the freezer for approximately 1 hour, or until it is firm to the touch. Put meat on a cutting board, and using a sharp knife, remove and discard any skin, then slice the meat thinly against the grain, into 1/2-inch slices.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, and garlic. Using a box grater, grate the tomato and one of the onions into the marinade, then add 1 Tablespoon of the paprika, along with the salt, pepper, and oregano leaves. Whisk again, then place the sliced pork into the marinade, toss to combine and cover and refrigerate the meat for at least one hour and up to overnight.

When ready to cook, heat oven to 450°F. Use the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil to grease a rimmed sheet pan. Quarter the remaining onion, add it to the pork and marinade and toss once to combine. Remove the pork and onion from the marinade, and place on the pan, spreading everything evenly across it.

Put the pork in the oven, and roast until it is browned, crisp at the edges and cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. Check the meat at around 20 minutes to see how much liquid is in the pan. If there is a lot, remove the pan, and pour off all but a few Tablespoons. Remove the finished pork from the oven, allow to rest for a minute or two, then chop into bits. (To make the pork even crisper, set a large pan over high heat, add a Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then the sliced pork, and sauté until everything curls tight in the heat.) Scatter the remaining paprika over the top of the meat, and serve with warm pita, sliced cucumbers and onions, tomato, tzatziki sauce, hot sauce, French fries, scattered mint leaves, ketchup, really whatever you like.