Assemble Pita Lamb Burgers Before Grilling And Get Everything Done At Once
Among the many bread choices we make to sandwich our burgers, pita bread has to be one of the most versatile, but least used. Naturally, we'll gravitate towards the classics like potato or sesame buns before we stop to consider just how perfect pita bread is for housing burgers. It is, quite literally, a pocket intended to be stuffed with a variety of different ingredients. And there is hardly a better meat to pair with pita bread than lamb.
Souvlaki, which is ground lamb spiced with cinnamon and pepper, is commonly served in Greece with a side of pita and the lemony, yogurt sauce known as tzatziki. So it only makes sense that a lamb burger would be best served stuffed into a pita pocket. But rather than grilling it and then placing them in a pita, there is another method that yields maximum flavor and optimal efficiency. Instead of grilling the meat beforehand, simply stuff the raw lamb into the pita pocket and grill everything together.
How to cook pita lamb burgers
The assembly of this burger could not be more simple. You start with any type of spiced lamb mixture you like, be it the classic Greek souvlaki combination of pepper and cinnamon or the addition of other spices and herbs like coriander, parsley, paprika, dill, and mint. Next, you'll slice the pita bread evenly down the middle and open the inner pockets. Stuff as much lamb mixture as you can into the pita halves so that they are full and hefty for the grill. You can leave these to rest in the fridge for an hour or overnight.
When you're ready, grill the burgers over medium heat, between 300 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, for four to five minutes per side until the lamb is cooked through and the pita shells are brown and crispy. As pita is such a thin bread, there is not much of a barrier keeping the heat from cooking the lamb burgers within a typical 10-minute window. Just make sure the heat doesn't get too high as it could burn the pita before the lamb is finished. In the end, you should have a juicy interior burger and a crispy pita shell. Serve with a side of tzatziki sauce and enjoy.