Pork in Ilioupoli, cuts for the grill, the oven and the pot

The raw cuts we work with are Greek in origin. From the neck, the most marbled part of the animal, come Χοιρινή σπαλομπριζόλα along with Λαιμού με κόκκαλο and Λαιμού χωρίς κόκκαλο, the bone-in and boneless neck chops. The fat there is woven through the muscle, so it melts over the coals and keeps the meat juicy even if you leave it on a minute too long. This is the cut we hand to anyone grilling for the first time. A whole Λαιμός χωρίς κόκκαλο goes in the oven as a roast or gets cubed for a stew.

Κόντρα is the loin: lean, even in shape, firm in texture and unforgiving about timing. Belly comes off as πανσέτα, those alternating layers of meat and fat, and we carry it as Πανσέτα χοιρινή με κόκκαλο, Πανσέτα χοιρινή χωρίς κόκκαλο, Πανσέτα χοιρινή με δέρμα με κόκκαλο and Πανσέτα χοιρινή με δέρμα χωρίς κόκκαλο, so you can pick with or without the bone and the skin. Μπριζολοπανσέτα catches both worlds in one piece, chop and belly together.

Ψαρονέφρι is the tenderloin, a muscle that barely works and is therefore the softest thing on the pig. Μπούτι χωρίς κόκκαλο, Μπούτι χωρίς κόκκαλο με δέρμα and Μπούτι με δέρμα και κόκκαλο are leg cuts that want slow heat, and the same goes for Σπάλα χωρίς κόκκαλο, Σπάλα με δέρμα χωρίς κόκκαλο and Σπάλα με κόκκαλο και δέρμα from the shoulder. Κότσι με οστό και δέρμα is the hock, full of connective tissue and worth the wait. We also carry Παϊδάκι χοιρινό (Ribs), Χοιρινό σνίτσελ and Κιμάς χοιρινός, the pork mince.

Ribs want time, not fierce heat. Before anything else, flip your Παϊδάκι χοιρινό (Ribs) over and pull off the white membrane covering the bones, gripping it with a kitchen towel. Left on, it tightens as it cooks and blocks salt and seasoning from getting through. Then a roasting tin with a little liquid in the bottom, a tight seal of parchment and foil, and 150 to 160C for about two and a half hours. Uncover for the last twenty minutes, push the oven to 220C and glaze two or three times. The meat should pull back from the bone when you tug it, not fall off on its own.

Skin-on belly is a different job. Score the rind into diamonds without cutting into the meat, rub it with coarse salt and leave it uncovered in the fridge for a few hours so the surface dries out. Start at 160C to render the fat, then finish at 220C so the skin puffs and crackles. On the grill, Πανσέτα χοιρινή χωρίς κόκκαλο works best sliced around one centimetre thick over medium coals, since dripping fat will flare up over a fierce fire. For quantities, count 350 to 450 grams per person on bone-in cuts and 180 to 220 grams on boneless ones.

Ψαρονέφρι has no fat to protect it, so everything comes down to temperature. Start by trimming the silverskin with the tip of a sharp knife. It is tough, it never renders, and as it contracts it warps the whole piece. A short brine, five grams of salt per hundred grams of water for two hours, makes a real difference. Sear the tenderloin whole in a hot pan until it colours on every side, then finish it in the oven. Pull it at 63 to 65C in the centre, measured with a thermometer rather than guessed, and let it rest five minutes loosely covered. It will climb another two or three degrees on its own and the juices settle back into the fibres.

The same thinking applies to Κόντρα. It wants slices two and a half centimetres thick, no thinner, because a thin loin chop dries out before it has a chance to brown. High heat, four to five minutes a side, five minutes of rest before it hits the plate. Χοιρινό σνίτσελ comes thin on purpose, because there you want a fast pass through hot oil, roughly a minute and a half each side. Κιμάς χοιρινός carries a bit more fat than beef mince, which is exactly why it works so well in burgers and stuffed vegetables that you do not want turning out dry.

When there is no time to marinate the night before, there is the ready and marinated shelf: Γύρος χοιρινός χειροποίητος, hand made pork gyros; Σουβλάκια χοιρινά χειροποίητο, skewers made from neck; Κοντοσούβλι χοιρινό χειροποίητο, marinated neck with peppers on a wooden skewer; Εξοχικό χοιρινό, neck with peppers and kefalotyri in a roasting bag; Μπριζολάκια χοιρινά μαριναρισμένα; Παϊδάκια χοιρινά (Ribs) μαριναρισμένα in herbs and a smoky sauce; Πανσέτα μαριναρισμένη χωρίς κόκκαλο; Χοιρινή τηγανιά with garlic and mustard; Σεφταλιά χοιρινή wrapped in caul fat; Ρολό χοιρινό stuffed with kefalotyri, bacon and pepper; and Σνίτσελ χοιρινό πανέ, breaded and ready for the pan.

You order and pay online through the shop's app. Delivery runs every day from 12:00 to 16:00 in Ilioupoli and the neighbourhoods around it, Argyroupoli, Agios Dimitrios, Dafni and Vyronas. Ask us about your address. The shop itself is at Katonos 6-8, Ilioupoli 163 45, open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 08:00 to 17:00, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 08:00 to 20:00, closed on Sunday. Call 210 9758744 and tell us what you are cooking, and we will point you to the right cut.