It’s all sunshine and Mediterranean skies when you’ve got warm, pita-wrapped, beef souvlaki on deck! I know when you look at the short ingredient list for these steak souvlaki wraps, you won’t believe that they’re as yummy as I’m describing them to be. But I have a theory, the shorter the list of ingredients for souvlaki, the more delicious they are! Check out my chicken souvlaki skewers, you’ll see what I mean. For this recipe, we’ll start with your favorite cut of steak – feel free to use the economical cuts; they work just fine here! The key is to make sure the beef has an ample amount of time to marinate. I usually toss these in a skillet instead of the grill and then loaded them into pitas with french fries, sliced onions, tzatziki sauce, and sliced tomatoes. Also, when in doubt, dunk them in more homemade tzatziki sauce! The flavors of fresh dill, garlic, lemon juice, etc. work so well with the flavors of the beef souvlaki! Honestly, the street food in Greece was one of my favorite things!
Ingredients for beef souvlaki wraps:
Beef cuts: Feel free to use top sirloin, NY strip, or even a flank or skirt steak. The key is to remember that regardless of the cut of steak, it needs to be sliced against the grain here before we add it to the marinade. If you want to make beef skewers for kebabs, you can use top sirloin and just dice it into 1-inch cubes before you thread them onto wooden skewers. This marinade would work that way too! Make sure to grill the beef souvlaki skewers on an outdoor grill for the best flavor – perfect for BBQs!Lemons: You’ll want to use the juice of fresh lemons for this recipeRed Wine Vinegar: is another source of acid for this recipe.Paprika: Hot paprika the souvlaki a deep red color and works well with the other ingredients in the recipe.Olive Oil: is the base of the marinade. Garlic: you’ll need a handful of garlic cloves. Mince them or grate them into the dressing so that the flavors all mingle together quickly. If you’re making this within 1-3 hours of marinating, I highly recommend grating the garlic rather than mincing. It’ll flavor everything much quicker.Dried Oregano: You can also use fresh oregano for this recipe, I suggest doubling the quantity if that’s the case.Salt and Black Pepper: these are standards!Things to serve: prepared tzatziki sauce – this is ingredients like cucumbers, dill, Greek yogurt, some kind of acid like red wine vinegar, or lemon juice – you get the gist! You’ll also need warm Greek pitas, french fries, sliced tomatoes, and sliced red onions.
How to make Greek beef souvlaki wraps:
How to make tzatziki sauce from scratch:
Okay, what are souvlaki wraps without tzatziki sauce? Grab some cucumbers, I like to use Persian cucumbers here. I prefer the flavor of those over English cucumbers. Peel half of the cucumber so that your tzatziki isn’t completely green. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice (or use red wine vinegar) and a big pinch of salt to the cucumbers and let them sit in a bowl. The salt and lemon juice will draw out the excess moisture. Add a clove of pressed garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil to a bowl and press it down with the back of a spoon. The olive oil will help mellow out the garlic and get rid of that harsh bite. Then, whisk in the Greek yogurt and dried dill. Squeeze all the liquid out of the cucumbers in a tea towel or paper napkins and add the cucumbers to the sauce. Stir to combine, taste and adjust with another big pinch of salt and more lemon juice as desired. I also have an alternate feta and mint sauce you can use if you aren’t a fan of cucumbers! Check out my Harissa Chicken Bowls for that recipe.
What about gyros?
Now, if you’re looking for gyros, don’t worry, I have a couple of different versions of those two! You can check out my lamb and beef gyros here and my chicken gyros loaded with french fries, here!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)Cucumber Chickpea Salad with FetaThe Easiest Greek Grilled ChickenOne Pan Greek Chicken and Potatoes Greek Chicken Meatballs in Lemon Cream Sauce
Tzatziki Sauce: Add ½ cup grated cucumbers to bowl, season 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Let the cucumbers sit for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine 1 clove of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil using the back of a spoon mash the garlic into the olive oil. Then add the yogurt and 1 teaspoon of dried dill and stir. Drain cucumbers in a tea towel and wring out excess moisture. Add to yogurt and stir. Taste and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt if desired as well as up to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Keep sauce refrigerated until ready to serve.
