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Classic Halifax Donair

Classic Halifax Donair

Recipe Book: Sandwiches

An iconic Halifax recipe, this classic donair consists of spiced beef baked and thinly sliced, served in a pita bread with a sweet, creamy garlic sauce, tomatoes, and onions.

Ingredients

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Cooking for
4 people

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    Donair Sauce Ingredients

    Donair Meat Ingredients

    Sandwich Ingredients

    Preparation

    1

    Step 1

    Sauce Instructions
    In a bowl, mix together the evaporated milk, sugar, and garlic powder. Next, add in the white vinegar a tablespoon at a time. Do not stir immediately. Let the milk curdle slightly, then gently stir after 3 minutes. This step helps make the sauce nice and creamy.

    2

    Step 2

    Meat Instructions
    Combine ingredients in a mixer. Emulsify meat mix for about 5-6 minutes until it's almost a paste. Transfer the meat to a pan, making sure you force the air out. Cook in the oven at 350 F for 90 minutes. Let cool and slice thinly. In a pan, crisp up the strips before serving. You can warm your pitas in the same oiled pan, in the oven, or microwave. Assemble with the meat, donair sauce, tomatoes, and onions.

    Notes

    Halifax Donair Checklist:
    Start by making sure your ground beef is nice and cold.

    When you emulsify the meat with all of its spices, really whip it in the stand mixer. If it's not whipped enough, you’ll have a crumbly meatloaf consistency.

    When you place the emulsified meat in the pan, make sure to force all the air out. This will help achieve an even cook in your Donair meat.

    Once it's cooked, let it rest. This is a crucial part of the recipe. If you don’t let it rest and reabsorb all of its flavour and juices, it’ll just run and leak them all out leaving you with a dryer and less flavourful end product.

    Steam your pita. A simple 5-8 seconds in the microwave will do the trick, but if you want to do it the traditional way, place a wire baking rack over a pot of simmering water. You’ll see the pita fill with steam. Flip it over until both sides are soft.

    When making the Donair Sauce, very gently stream in the vinegar about a tbsp at a time, this will ensure you thicken the sauce and not thin it.

    When you cut your onions and tomatoes, make sure to keep them roughly the same size, not too big, just small enough that you get some in each bite.

    • Oven Temp

      180 C

    • Prep Time

      30 min

    • Cook Time

      90 min

    • Serves

      4 people
    Recipe By

    Recipe By

    East Coast Kitchen

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