Lamb and goat in Ilioupoli, hand-cut every morning

Paidakia come off the rib section, cut rib by rib, and the thickness decides half the result. Aim for 1.5 to 2 cm. Thinner than that and they dry out before the fat has a chance to render and colour; much thicker and the outside chars while the meat next to the bone stays raw. Take them out of the fridge half an hour before they hit the grill and pat them dry, because surface moisture steams instead of browning. Do not marinate them in lemon from the start, the acid tightens the fibres.

You want hot coals with no flame and the grate set low, close to the embers. Three to four minutes a side is enough, with a single turn. The more you poke and flip, the more unevenly they cook. Salt and oregano on the grill, lemon at the table. Let them rest three to five minutes on a warm plate before serving. There are two chop options in the shop, Παϊδάκια Προβατινα and Πρόβειο ANGUS Παϊδάκι. Sheep meat carries a fuller, more mature flavour than young lamb, which is why it does not need a pile of spices on top. Count 400 to 500 grams per person bone-in, since bone accounts for close to half the weight on the plate.

Goat is leaner than lamb. It carries less intramuscular fat, so a hot oven dries it out long before the connective tissue softens. The rule is low and slow: 160 to 170 degrees, covered with parchment or foil for the first two thirds of the cooking time, then uncovered at the end to take colour. You are aiming for an internal temperature of 88 to 90 degrees, not less. That is where the collagen breaks down and the meat starts falling off the bone, whereas at 65 degrees it is still tight and chewy.

Κατσίκι Ελληνικό Ολόκληρο needs a large roasting tray and a bit of planning. For a whole bone-in animal, count 500 to 600 grams of raw weight per person. Κατσίκι Ελληνικό also works well in a covered clay pot or lemon-and-potato style, again at low heat and with time on your side. Αρνί Ελληνικό Μερίδες arrives already portioned and is the easiest Sunday tray in Greek cooking: potatoes underneath, olive oil, lemon, oregano and garlic, two hours covered at 180 degrees and another half hour uncovered. Either way, let the tray rest fifteen minutes before you carve, otherwise the juices end up on the board instead of in the meat.

Γίδα Ελληνική is a mature animal and its meat wants liquid and time, not dry heat. Simmered with a few vegetables it gives a clean, powerful broth, or you can braise it in tomato and serve it over hilopites. Keep it at a bare tremble for two and a half to three hours, skim the foam early and salt towards the end. Πρόβατο Ελληνικό follows the same logic, whether you put it in a giouvetsi or boil it with vegetables.

Κιμάς πρόβειος is richer and fattier than beef mince. It is the mince for kebab, soutzoukakia and giouvarlakia, with cumin, onion and mint, and it should be cooked right through to the centre. Φιλετάκια Προβατίνα are the tenderloins, small and very lean: a screaming hot pan or grill, two to three minutes a side, five minutes of rest, then sliced against the grain. Overcook them and there is no coming back. Συκωταριά is the pluck, the base for kokoretsi, gardoumba and the magiritsa soup eaten at Easter, which is when most people ask for it. Κεφαλάκια Τμχ are split in half and roasted with lemon, oregano and a little oil.

VOUS is at Katonos 6-8, Ilioupoli 163 45, in southern Athens. Giorgos Foskolos and his team cut the meat by hand every morning in the shop. The phone number is 210 9758744. We are open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 08:00 to 17:00, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 08:00 to 20:00, and closed on Sunday.

You can order and pay online through the shop app, which is the simplest route if you do not speak Greek at the counter. Delivery runs between 12:00 and 16:00 to Ilioupoli, Argyroupoli, Agios Dimitrios, Dafni and Vyronas, on the days the shop is open. The app shows what the category holds and lets you pick the quantity you want. If you are planning Κατσίκι Ελληνικό Ολόκληρο for a large table, give us a call before you come by, especially in the days around Greek Easter when the whole neighbourhood is after the same thing.