Pork Shawarma From Scratch

Peel the garlic cloves.

Slice the pork shoulder into large cubes, around 1" wide.

Cut the pork belly to a similar size. Pork shoulder these days tends to be quite lean. Adding pork belly to the mix will yield enough fat to crisp the rest of the meat.

Place the pork belly in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add the ground cumin.

Add the pork shoulder chunks.

Add the dried oregano.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice through your fingers into the pot, catching any seeds that pop out.

Add the garlic cloves.

Stir it all up and toss in the cinnamon stick whole.

Reduce the heat to low and let it cook until all of the meat is tender and crisp on the outside (about 90 minutes).

Place the flour in a mixing bowl.

Add the salt.

Add the baking powder.

Add the greek yogurt and mix well, pressing the dough, in an attempt to bring the mix together into a dough. It should be too dry though to go beyond a shaggy mass.

Add water in small amounts (1 Tbsp at a time) mixing well after each addition, until a dough forms.

Turn it out onto a clean surface. Set a timer for 2 minutes and knead until the timer goes off.

Cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 chunks of similar size.

Take one section and roll it into a ball, keeping the remaining sections covered while you work so that they don't dry out. Dust the surface with flour to avoid sticking and roll it out as thin as possible.

Coat the top of the dough with a thin slick of olive oil or butter.

Tightly roll the thin sheet into a tube.

Twist the dough into a coil. Pinch the end to the body a little to secure it.

Repeat with the remaining dough chunks. Cover and rest for another 20 minutes.

Roll the dough coils out to around 5" in diameter.

Spread a little softened butter over the top.

Flip the dough, with the buttered side down into a heavy skillet over medium heat.

Melt a little butter over the top as it cooks. You should see some bubbles begin to form in the dough.

Once the bottom is spotted a golden brown, flip the dough over to cook the opposite side. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Wrap in foil or store in a tortilla warmer until you're ready to eat.

Place the greek yogurt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Add the mayonnaise.

Add the ground cumin.

Add the vinegar. Mix well. Set aside to chill until you're ready to build your wraps.

Wash the tomatoes and slice them into thin wedges, discarding the stem.

Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the halves into thin half-moons.