Gyro Rotisserie

© Jim Stanfield

In Greek, the word gyro or γύρο (pronounced YEE-roh) means "turn or revolution," and that's just what this fabulous cone of pork does on an upright rotisserie grill. Other versions of gyro adapted from the Turkish döner kebap or Middle Eastern shawarma are never made with pork, only lamb and/or beef (sometimes ground), goat, or chicken.

Making gyro is a major undertaking, and for a professional like Bobby Bounakis, the process took just under an hour from the time he brought in the fresh pork to the time the 88-pound gyro cone went up on the rotisserie to start cooking.

Bounakis knows from experience how many gyros to make every day. The day these photos were shot was a "slow day," so the cone weighed "only" about 88 pounds (40 kilos) to be made into gyro sandwiches on pita bread with tomatoes, onions, tzatziki, and french fries.