The Great Halifax Donair

If you have ever been to the east coast, I hope to hell that you tried a real Halifax Donair.  A donair is a variation of the doner kebab or shawarma.  It was originally introduced in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the early 1970s. A restaurant called King of Donair claims to have been the first to serve this version in 1973. The owners of King of Donair had originally tried selling Greek Gyro sandwiches, but had a hard time selling them so they replaced the lamb with beef and the tzatziki with a sweet garlic sauce, thus inventing the Donair.  Basically it is a pita pocket stuffed with spiced beef, topped with tomators, onions and a sweet garlic sauce.  And it's freakin' aweseom.

Although it is typically cooked on a rotating spit, here is a recipe that comes VERY close to what you might get in Halifax:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb ground beef

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a cup or small bowl, mix together the salt, oregano, flour, black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper 

Place the ground beef in a large bowl and use your hands to blend in the spice mixture.  Pretent you are giving Jessical Alba a massage.  If you want the smooth texture of meat that you see in a real donair shop, you must do this in a steel mixing bowl and on a sturdy surface.  Pick up your meat (no the ground beef!), and throw it down with force about 20 times, kneading it after each throw.  Pretend it is one of those douchbags from work and go to town.  This agression not only relieves stress, but it also helps the meat hold together better when you slice it.

Form the meat into a loaf and place it on a broiler pan.  If you do not have one a baking sheet will do.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, turning the loaf over about half way through.  THis will ensure even cooking.  The loaf will cut better if you chill the meat overnight before slicing.

Sauce:

1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp white vinegar, or as needed

To make the sauce, mix together the evaporated milk, sugar and garlic powder in a medium bowl.

Gradually whisk in the white vinegar, adding 1 tsp at a time until thickended to your desired consistency.

Enjoy this in a pita with tomatoes, lettuce and onions.

L8er Verno