Arayes Recipe
Arayes are spiced ground beef stuffed into pockets of pita bread, seared crispy on cast iron and finished over the grill. I seared mine on a ripping hot cast iron first and then moved them to the grill to finish cooking. Garlic yogurt sauce on the side. Easy enough for lunch, or a quick dinner.
Author’s Notes
One Key Thing
One key thing is you wanna make sure that you squeeze out your onion, squeeze out all that juice. Otherwise it’s gonna make your arayes too mushy and it’s gonna tear into the pita bread.
The 85/15, it keeps the meat juicier so that way you don’t dry it out too much on the arayes, and it sticks better to the bread.
Try to use the thick pita bread that you can find, that way they don’t break on you. Besides that, that’s it. These are super simple to make, very quick meal, either enjoy them for lunch or for dinner.
Miguel
What Goes Into Arayes
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| 85/15 ground beef | Yes fat matters and I’ll explain below. |
| Onion | Finely grated, squeezed dry. |
| Garlic | Fresh minced, added to both the beef and the sauce. |
| Fresh parsley | Finely chopped and added to the meat. |
| Cumin, coriander, allspice | Our warm spice blend. |
| Smoked paprika | Both in the beef and mixed with oil for brushing on the bread. |
| Salt and black pepper | Basic seasoning. |
| Olive oil | Mixed into the meat, mixed with the paprika for brushing, and added to the sauce. |
| Pita bread | Small, and thick. As thick as you can find them. |
| Greek yogurt | For making the dipping sauce. |
| Lemon juice | Fresh squeezed into the sauce. |
Find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
Squeeze The Onion Dry
Don’t skip this step. Seriously dont. Grate the onion first, then squeeze all the moisture out before it touches the beef. Onion has a ton of water. If you leave that water in it has nowhere to go when it gets trapped inside a pita pocket with meat. It steams the bread from the inside making it tear when you try to flip it. Squeeze that moisture out and you still get all the flavor of onion without the water working against your pockets.
Why 85/15 and Thick Pita
Both of these calls have a huge impact on how your arayes turn out.
The beef needs to be 85/15. Leaner and it dries out because the beef is essentially cooking twice, to sear it and then again on the grill. That extra fat keeps it juicy, but it does something else people often don’t realize. The fat helps the beef cling to the pita. As it renders into the bread it helps them bind together instead of your patty sliding right out when you take a bite.
Use thick pitas. Thin pita are what most recipes call for, but they fall apart the second you try to stuff them. Thick pitas have more structure and integrity. They can hold the filling, develop a crust on the outside without tearing, and they can handle being flipped four or five times in the pan.
How I Made These Arayes
Started by grating my onion and squeezing all the juice out.
Put the beef into a bowl and mixed in the onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, all spice, salt, pepper and olive oil.
Cut my pitas in half and stuffed each half with a layer of meat. Keep it as even as you can.
Mixed some olive oil with smoked paprika for brushing.
Heated my cast iron skillet over high heat till it was ripping hot then added the sandwiches meat side down to start a crust.
After it got to where I wanted it I flipped onto the bread side, brushed the side facing up with the paprika oil, then flipped and brushed the other side.
Kept flipping them till both sides of the bread had browned and the meat had a crust on it.
Moved them over to the grill to finish cooking all the way through.
While those cooked up I made the sauce by mixing greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt together.
Removed them from the heat and served hot with the sauce on the side.
Recipe card below has times and temps.
Getting the Crust Right
This skillet has to be screaming hot before you touch it with anything. Hot enough that it sizzles when the meat hits it. First side that goes down is the meat side. The beef is the only thing that touches the pan directly, so this is where your sear comes from. Build up a crust on the meat first then flip it over.
Now they go on the bread side and this is where the smoked paprika oil we brushed on comes into play. Brush the paprika oil on the top while the bottom side browns, flip, brush the other side. Continue flipping them till both sides of the bread are as you like, and the meat has a crust on it.
They finish on the grill opposed to staying in the pan because you can’t control the heat that well once it gets to where the bread crust is perfect. The pan will continue to cook the inside but at this point it’s likely burning the bread. Finishing on the grill or even in the oven lets you bring the inside up to temperature without destroying the outside.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: The beef mixture will keep for a few days in the fridge and you can absolutely stuff the pitas in advance. Cook them straight from the fridge.
Storage: It stays good in the fridge for a few days but obviously play it safe. If it looks or smells off, throw it out. Store the sauce in its own container. Reheat in a dry pan or air fryer to crisp back up. The microwave will make them soggy again.
Tips for Making Arayes
- Squeeze your onion! This cannot be stressed enough. Do not skip it or you will regret it.
- Find 85/15 ground beef. Leaner will dry out during cooking and has nothing to bind it to the bread.
- Thick pitas only! Trust me, if they break on you when you’re stuffing the beef, it will continue to fall apart from there.
- Cast iron then grill. You need both to get the crust you’re looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use lamb instead of beef?
Absolutely. Lamb is the regular choice for this type of cook. Keep an eye on the fat content and try to stick around that same mark.
Do I have to finish them on the grill?
No you don’t. But somewhere in the cooking process you have to bring the beef up to temperature without burning the outside. Putting them back in that hot skillet will burn the bread. Finish in the oven if you don’t have a grill.
Why is my bread tearing?
If the onion wasn’t squeezed dry or if you used skinny pitas. Both will cause this issue so start there.
Related Recipes
- Chicken Gyro on the Griddle
- Chipotle Garlic Lamb Kabobs
- Garlic and Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb
- Mexican Style Smoked Burgers
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Arayes Recipe (Crispy Beef Stuffed Pita)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Finely grate the onion, then squeeze out all of the excess juice. Do not skip this. Too much liquid makes the beef mixture wet, which turns the pita mushy and causes it to tear.
- Add the ground beef, squeezed onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, allspice, black pepper, salt and olive oil to a bowl. Mix everything together until well combined.
- Cut each pita in half to create pockets. Stuff each pocket with the beef mixture, keeping the layer as even as you can.
- Mix olive oil with smoked paprika. This is what you brush on the bread while it cooks.
- Get the cast iron ripping hot over high heat. Place the stuffed pita meat side down directly onto the pan and let the meat develop a hard crust before you move it.
- Turn them onto the bread side. Brush the side facing up with the smoked paprika oil while the bottom browns, then flip and brush the other side. Keep flipping until both sides of the bread are browned and the meat has a crust on it.
- Transfer the arayes to a grill running at 300°F. Continue cooking until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- While the arayes finish, combine the Greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Add cold water a little at a time until you reach the consistency you want. Stir in the parsley or mint if using.
- Remove the arayes from the grill and serve hot with the garlic yogurt dipping sauce.
