Döner – Traditional Turkish Döner

Preparation

1. 01

   Step 01

   Squeeze the juice from the grated onion. In a bowl, combine strained yogurt, onion juice, crushed garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, sweet paprika, dried thyme, and olive oil, mixing until smooth.

2. 02

   Step 02

   Place the thinly sliced lamb in the marinade, making sure every piece is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

3. 03

   Step 03

   Remove the marinated meat from the refrigerator. Roll the meat tightly into a log shape and thread it onto a metal skewer, or press it together firmly to form a cylindrical shape. Rest both ends of the skewer on the edges of a baking pan so that it is suspended in the air.

4. 04

   Oven at 180°C

   Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the meat in the oven and brush the surface with melted butter using a pastry brush.

5. 05

   Oven at 180°C, 120 minutes

   Turn the meat every 20 minutes and continue brushing with butter. Cook for approximately 2 hours total. The döner will be done when the outside is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 70°C.

6. 06

   Step 06

   Cut thin slices from the outside of the cooked meat. Keep the cut slices warm without returning them to the oven. Continue slicing until the inside is cooked through.

7. 07

   Step 07

   Toss the red onion rings with sumac. Serve by placing the thinly sliced döner meat, tomato slices, and sumac-coated onion rings on lavash bread.