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Thursday, May 12, 2016

Trader Joe's Gyro Slices

Yes, they exist.

No, I'm not talking about cell phone batteries that don't die every five minutes, pens that don't stop writing with only half the ink used, or a Justin Bieber song that doesn't suck. It's a not that good of a world out there. But at least we do have Chuck Norris-approved roundhouse kicking jeans. Listen, with those hidden gussets not binding your legs, you got some full leg-swinging freedom there, partner.

Nope, I am talking about Trader Joe's Gyro Slices. They do exist. I know, because I just had them for dinner. But if you're searching the shelves for them, good luck...much like their distantly related riced cauliflower cousin, you're much more likely to spot that Bieber character in your local TJ's than this particular meat package. It's that popular with demand that far underestimated that warehouses are out, so get yourself on the waitlist, and if you see any, stock up and sell on eBay.

Are the gyros worth the hype, though? Ehhhh...debatable. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy gyros at local Greek food festivals just as much as anyone reasonably can, so I was pretty hyped up as well. But the TJ gyro slices just aren't quite as good as those - close, but not quite.

The reason? Possibly ignorance, probably perception bias. But I've always thought that the meat in gyros at the food festivals was lamb, or at least mostly lamb. Now, there's lamb in these guys too...listed as the last ingredient before the "Contains 2% or less of the following" part of the credits. So, there just might be as little as 3% lamb we're talking about here...probably more than that, but undoubtedly more beef than lamb. As a result, I swear these taste more beefy than other gyro meat, which kinda comes off as vaguely Steak-Umm-esque, but how accurate that is debatable at best.

That sounded like an insult. I didn't mean it that way. In every other regard these seem spot on, with the breadcrumbs adding the right mealy-meaty feel, and spiced appropriately with the pepper and garlic and whatnot. And I'd be danged if altogether both Sandy and I didn't enjoy a good made-at-home gyro that we'd be more than eager to do again, all for the fraction of the price of gyros out. It helped that when all the sandwich components were together, the perceived beefiness became a lot less noticeable.

For the requisite "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" reference, I won't vouch these are entirely authentic, but will say spraying Windex at them will certainly not make an improvement. If you see 'em, snag 'em. Double fours.

11 comments:

  1. These were advertised in their flyer.. and yes, they were @ my TJ's... btw, is there any copy cat product ever entirely authentic? :-).....Even if I did eat meat, I would take a pass on this. TJ's is just trying' way too hard... less is more..They already have the monopoly when it comes to the public--i.e. where I live... 'regular markets' are slowly closing out where I live...

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  2. this is very exciting. I've got to go to TJ soon to try out.

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  3. Grill it maybe it gives more flavor.

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  4. at first I was thinking, gross..... but the natural ingredients peak my carnivore curiosity.

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  5. They have a ton of these at the Atlanta store. I will add that most gyro stands or delis use predominantly beef, perhaps with a little lamb or lamb seasoning

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  6. I tried them as soon as I saw them at TJs, and they made excellent gyros, but they've been back-ordered ever since. I heated them in my Air Fryer, and they came out great. More lamb flavor would have probably better.

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  7. I just had these, and what really put it over the top for me was using garlic naan to complete my gyro. 🖒

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  8. They weren't that great.... I will not be buying these ever again

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  9. Just tried these, I like 'em! Can't really tell if much diff between these and the Greek Festival ones, but that's been months, my taste memory is faded. Also, I don't care for straight lamb, but I really like this blend of beef/lamb.

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  10. Trump sandwich - white bread full of bologna, Russian dressing, and a little tiny pickle.

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  11. I thoroughly enjoy them in a Pita with the Greek yogurt cucumber spread and some tomatoe. Delicious!

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