Beef in Ilioupoli: hand-cut every morning at VOUS butcher shop

In most shops, mince is just mince. Here you choose the cut it is ground from, because that determines the fat content and how the meat behaves in the pan or on the grill.

For burgers and patties you want around 20 percent fat, otherwise they cook out dry. Shoulder and flank carry it: Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος σπάλα (chuck) and Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος λάπα (flank). For pastitsio, moussaka, stuffed vegetables and pasta sauces, where the sauce supplies both fat and moisture, go leaner: Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος ελιά, Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος νούα (silverside), Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος τράνς (topside), Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος κιλότο (rump). Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος ποντίκι (shank) and Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος ουρά (tail) carry more collagen and give body to a ragu that simmers for hours. Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος καπάκι and Κιμάς μοσχαρίσιος φέτα sit in the middle and work almost anywhere. Κιμάς ανάμεικτος is 60 percent beef and 40 percent pork, the standard Greek ratio for keftedes and stuffed vegetables, because the pork adds fat and softness.

Mince has an enormous surface area relative to its volume, so it turns faster than a whole piece of meat. Keep it in the coldest part of the fridge and cook it the same day or the next. If it goes in the freezer, press it flat inside the bag so it freezes and thaws quickly and evenly.

Per person, count on 120 to 150 grams for a sauce-based dish and 180 to 220 grams for a grilled patty. Do not overwork the mix, keep it cold until it hits the heat, and salt it just before cooking so it stays loose rather than springy. Unlike a steak, a patty should be cooked through.

Κόντρα μπριζόλα με κόκκαλο and Κόντρα μπριζόλα χωρίς κόκκαλο are cut from the loin along the back, behind the ribs. It is one uniform muscle with a fine grain, moderate marbling and a strip of fat along one edge. The flavour is clean and the texture consistent from end to end. The bone slows cooking around it, so a bone-in steak stays juicier in the middle.

Σπαλομπριζόλα με κόκκαλο and Σπαλομπριζόλα χωρίς κόκκαλο come from the shoulder, further forward. They contain several muscles, more intramuscular fat and more connective tissue, which means a bigger flavour and far more forgiveness if you leave them on the grill a minute too long. Φιλέτο is the tenderloin, a muscle that does almost no work, so it is the most tender and the leanest of the three. Precisely because it has little fat, it takes less heat and needs watching.

Ask for 2.5 to 3 centimetres of thickness. Anything thinner cooks through before the outside has a chance to brown. Take it out of the fridge 30 to 45 minutes ahead, pat the surface properly dry, sear over high heat and leave it alone for the first two or three minutes. On a thermometer: 50 to 52C for rare, 54 to 56C for medium rare, 58 to 60C for medium, 63C and above for well done. Rest it 5 to 8 minutes before slicing so the juices redistribute, and always cut across the grain.

For portions, count 300 to 400 grams bone-in and 250 to 300 grams boneless per person. If you want something already prepared, Ταλιάτα μόσχου is a boneless beef steak, marinated and ready for the grill.

Ribeye Αμερικής creekstone, Rib-eye Βραζιλίας and Μοσχάρι Rib-Eye Ουρουγουάης all come from the rib section. Wrapping around the central eye is the cap, the most heavily marbled and most flavourful part of the steak. That intramuscular fat renders as it cooks and bastes the meat from the inside, which is why a ribeye forgives more than a lean cut does.

Μοσχάρι Striploin Αμερικής comes from the loin, with a firmer bite and a fat cap along one side. Stand it on that edge in the pan for a minute to render the fat before you lay it flat. Μοσχάρι Picanha Αμερικής is cut from the top of the rump and arrives with its own fat cap. Do not trim it off. Cook fat side down first until it renders and browns, then slice across the grain at the end.

Flap steak Αμερικής, Outside skirt Αμερικής and Μοσχάρι flank-steak Αμερικής are abdominal muscles with a long, open grain and a deep, beefy flavour. They want very high heat, only a few minutes, nothing past medium rare, then thin slicing on the diagonal across the grain. They are excellent in tacos and steak salads. Rump steak Αμερικής is leaner and firmer and rewards you for stopping at medium.

Μοσχάρι Wagyu A5 Rib-Eye is marbled so densely that 80 to 100 grams per person is plenty. Use a hot dry pan with no oil, seconds per side, slice it thin and salt at the end. There is also Φιλέτο black angus and Μπιφτέκι Black Angus Χειροποίητο 220g. Μοσχάρι γάλακτος μπριζόλα με κόκκαλο Ολλανδίας is milk-fed veal, paler and more delicate with less fat, so it cooks faster and should not be pushed too far.

For stews, stifado and ragu you want collagen-rich cuts that turn to gelatine over time and give the sauce body: Μερίδες μοσχάρι σπάλα (chuck), Μερίδες μοσχάρι ποντίκι (shank), Μερίδες μοσχάρι κότσι (shin), Μερίδες μοσχάρι σπαλομύτα and Μερίδες μοσχάρι χτένι. They need moisture and low heat, at least ninety minutes to two hours of gentle simmering. The leaner options, Μερίδες μοσχάρι νουά, Μερίδες μοσχάρι στρογγυλό, Μερίδες μοσχάρι τράνς, Μερίδες μοσχάρι κιλότο and Μερίδες μοσχάρι ελιά, suit an oven roast that gets carved thin, or a lemonato, and will dry out if you boil them without enough liquid.

Μοσχάρι ελιά με κόκκαλο and Σιδηρόδρομος μοσχαρίσιος με κόκκαλο give you a richer sauce, because the bone works for you in the pot. Μοσχάρι οσομπούκο με κόκκαλο and Μοσχάρι οσομπούκο με κόκκαλο Δανίας are cross-cut shank with the marrow in the middle: dust with flour, brown properly, then two and a half to three hours on low until the marrow melts into the sauce. Μοσχάρι Ελληνικό συκώτι wants high heat and only a couple of minutes, salted at the end, while Σνίτσελ μοσχάρι fries fast in properly hot oil. In every case, brown the meat in batches and never crowd the pan, or it steams instead of caramelising.

For the nights you have no time: Σακούλα μοσχάρι με κόκκαλο and Σακούλα μοσχάρι χωρίς κόκκαλο go straight into the oven in their bag, plus Σουβλάκι μόσχου, Σουτζουκάκια 85g, Αρμένικο κεμπάπ 90g, Κεφτεδάκια μοσχαρίσια χειροποίητα, Μπιφτέκι burger χειροποίητο 180g, Μπιφτέκια μόσχου χειροποίητο 120g, Μπιφτέκια μόσχου γεμιστό χειροποίητο, Ρολό κιμά, Ρολό μοσχάρι, Τορτίγια μοσχάρι, Λαζάνια με κιμά μοσχάρι and Μεξικάνικη τηγανιά.

You order and pay online through the shop's app. Delivery runs Monday to Saturday, 12:00 to 16:00, across Ilioupoli, Argyroupoli, Agios Dimitrios, Dafni and Vyronas.