DIY East Coast Donairs

I love donairs! When I go back to Nova Scotia, all I want to eat is Pictou County Pizza, Halifax Donairs and some seafood thrown in! There are some great donair shops in Edmonton these days, but it’s always more cost effective to make it at home. I came across this recipe a while back and made it a few times, but it didn’t make enough for our donair loving family and there wasn’t enough flavor in my opinion. So with the kids visiting their grandparents and a large package of ground meat in my fridge, I though it was a good time to tweak the recipe and make some donairs!

Ingredients:

2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your spice level, this left a good kick after each bite but not too overpowering)
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp of flour or fine breadcrumbs
2 lbs ground beef (I used a beef / pork blend, very flavorful). Tip – if you get your meat from a butcher, have them ground it again. I’ve also heard of using ground round if you’re vegetarian.
1-2 diced medium onions
1-2 diced large tomatoes
pitas, the fresher the better
donair sauce – We buy Mr. Donair sauce from Sobeys but there is also an easy recipe in the original link. Yes, condensed milk, sugar, garlic and vinegar really go good together!)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small dish, add all the dry ingredients and blend. Add ground meat to a large bowl (metal or glass works best to help with the smooth finish) and sprinkle seasoning mix over meat, kneading it in well. Form a large ball with the seasoned meat and continue to knead and toss the meat hard into the bowl (At least 20 times). This helps to make it a tighter ball and easier to slice thinly. Form a loaf and set on roasting pan or deep sided pan. Cook for 1 hr 45 min, turning it over halfway for even cooking. Let cool for easier slicing, refrigerate overnight if possible (I couldn’t wait that long, just over an hr in the fridge).

I saved some grease from the pan I cooked the loaf in and used it in the frying pan when reheating the meat. While reheating the meat, I sat the pita topped with cheese on top to warm up. After removing the pita I added meat, more cheese, diced onions and tomatoes and drizzled with donair sauce. Tuck in one side of the pita, roll up and enjoy!