Growing up in the Maritimes the donair has been one of the most popular foods for a long time. It’s right up there with pizza and poutine and in fact, it has its own poutine and pizza variations! Although the main ingredients of a donair often stay the same the thing that makes the donair is the meat which, when spiced and cooked to perfection gives you that perfect Maritime donair flavor as only we can do it!
The easiest place to start is the sauce so it has time to cool while you’re preparing the donair meat. In a bowl, stir canned milk, sugar and garlic powder until the sugar dissolves, then add vinegar and continue mixing. Add the vinegar quickly and try to mix the sauce properly with as few stirs as possible. This will make the sauce thicker in texture. Let the sauce sit for at least one hour in a refrigerator before using it. If you have trouble making the sauce thick enough, follow the same above recipe removing the sugar. This will allow you to stir to your hearts content without fear of the sauce becoming thin and the sauce still tastes great.
Now for the meat; donair meat makes or breaks the entire donair in my opinion. The more care and time you put into it, the more mouth watering your donair will be. The beef you choose must be triple ground at minimum, I prefer to buy fresh lean ground from a butcher and have them put the meat through the grinder a few extra times for me. If your butcher cannot, a food processor does just as good. Either way, doesn’t forget this part of the meat preparation process!
Combine hamburger, bread crumbs, pepper, sale, garlic power, onion power, paprika and oregano into a large bowl. Add cayenne pepper to taste or if you’re not a fan of cayenne pepper, leave it out entirely. Mix and knead together for approximately 20-30 minutes and then shape into a bread pan. This recipe should make two decent size loaves which should be baked at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for two and a half hours. Once the meat is cooked, allow it to cool before cutting it into thin strips of meat. The final trick to make the meat perfect before serving is to pan fry the meat to a golden brown right before serving. This not only browns the inside cuts from the loaf but it gives the meat a chewy, flavorful texture.
Finally, lay out your pita bread (preferably home made) and load them up with a thick helping of donair meat and top it off with your chopped onion and tomato. Lastly, sprinkle lightly with shredded mozzarella cheese and spoon a generous helping of the donair sauce over the filling before folding the pitas in half towards the center.
Then there is only one thing left to do…dig in and enjoy!
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (524g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 6 | ||
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Calories: 1035 | ||
Calories from Fat: 432 (42%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 48g | 64 % | |
Saturated Fat 21.2g | 106 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 18.4g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 2.4g | ||
Cholesterol 200.1mg | 62 % | |
Sodium 1048.4mg | 36 % | |
Potassium 1097.7mg | 29 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 79.3g | 23 % | |
Dietary Fiber 4.8g | 19 % | |
Sugars, other 74.5g | ||
Protein 68.9g | 98 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 1035
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