Eating kangaroo

[callalla]

Funny, I was just looking at kangaroo in the supermarket the other day and wondering whether it was worth giving it a whirl. Our cats eat it every day so perhaps that's been subconsciously putting me off.

We tried emu recently in the form of some not very nice sausages from an emu farm down near Jervis Bay which wasn't so great, and again, may have contributed to a lack of enthusiasm for indigenous meats...

However, given the responses upthread, it may well be time to give Skippy a go (will have to get the barbie fixed first after a nasty grease container conflagration/oh, my god what are all those flames doing up the side of the house-type incident. Moral of the story is, if the man of the house insists on being the keeper of the barbie, ensure that he is also cleaner of the barbie before firing it up....). I imagine that a good marinade would probably be the way to go for the first few experiments as it looks like such a dense/lean meat.

[spoonbread]

Emu is absolutely delicious, if prepared the correct way. I do liken 'roo to venison, as the flavor is more welcomed when cooked to a medium rare.

[TimTam]

I lived in Brisbane most of my life (now in Barcelona), and we used to go to Watt (at the powerhouse, near New Farm Park) just to have the kangaroo. Absolutely delicious. We returned to Watt a couple of years ago, when we were on holidays visiting "back home" and it was no longer on the menu

I woluld recommend kangaroo to anyone who likes gamey meats.

Edited November 30, 2004 by TimTam (log)

[nwyles]

I have been hijacked into a BBQ competition this weekend and have been given the task of finding something / someway to preparing a Kangaroo shoulder.

I have never had this, seen this, or even thought about it. I have gleened a couple of things from reading the thread but if anyone has any suggestions,

I would appreciate it.

Cheers

[Adam Balic]

I have been hijacked into a BBQ competition this weekend and have been given the task of finding something / someway to preparing a Kangaroo shoulder.

I have never had this, seen this, or even thought about it. I have gleened a couple of things from reading the thread but if anyone has any suggestions,

I would appreciate it.

Cheers

←

I would have thought that the shoulder would be a relatively tough cut for grilling?

Anyway, I would mince it and make it some type of grilled meat ball thing. There is a recipe of a Balinese temple satay (usually made with pork) that might be good as it contains coconut cream, so that may keep it moist. If you would like the recipe let me know.

[Kouign Aman]

I have been hijacked into a BBQ competition this weekend and have been given the task of finding something / someway to preparing a Kangaroo shoulder.

←

How did it go?

[Shalmanese]

I have been hijacked into a BBQ competition this weekend and have been given the task of finding something / someway to preparing a Kangaroo shoulder.

I have never had this, seen this, or even thought about it. I have gleened a couple of things from reading the thread but if anyone has any suggestions,

I would appreciate it.

Cheers

←

I've never heard of kangaroo shoulder being cooked, only loin. From everything I've heard, other parts of the kangaroo are too tough and lacking in fat to be worthwhile culinarily.

[Tae.Lee]

tail is apparently really good, really fatty..

[PCL]

Roo tail soup... superb... start like an oxtail soup, then load in the garlic and shallots... bloody tasty

[The Old Foodie]

Just to put a little historic perspective on this debate (it is my specific interest, after all), I thought you might be interested in a recipe for kangaroo brains. First - some comment on the cookbook concerned.

Australia's first cookbook was the "English and Australian Cookery Book: Cooking for the Many as well as the Upper Ten Thousand", published in 1864 by Edward Abbott. He was a Tasmanian MP and a fanatical promoter of all things Australian - which was not considered quite "O.K" at the time, when the Gold Standard was everything as it was done "Back Home". The book never did well - too much competition from Mrs Beeton no doubt, plus, even at the time it was considered a bit outlandish. This recipe is usually the one quoted to demonstrate why it was not popular.

"Slippery Bob"

Take kangaroo brains, and mix with flour and water, and make into a batter; well season with pepper, salt, &c., then pour a tablespoonful at a time into an iron pot containing emeu [emu] fat, and take them out when done. "Bush fare" requiring a good appetite and excellent digestion.

And, no - I haven't tried the recipe, nor do I intend to, but if you do, please let me know your thoughts.

[pat_00]

I had roo last night. It's becoming a real popular pub meal around inner north melbourne.

It was prepared very rare, with a balsamic and black pepper marinade, served on a crisp green salad with a horseradish sauce.

I also had an awesome kangaroo rendang a while ago, not sure what cut was used.

[Tae.Lee]

kangaroo rendang sounds awesome..

my korean mum is starting to think about replacing oxtail with roo tail.. will be interesting to see how it turns out..

[Ce'nedra]

Kangaroo brains...now that's something you don't hear everyday.

I hear kangaroo meat is a good substitute for beef as it's much more lean (well good for those with health concerns anyway).

[nickrey]

Reading back through the thread, it doesn't seem that anyone has commented that Roo is extremely good with a dark berry sauce. The flavour complements the gamy nature of the meat very well.

[Snadra]

Roo has been on and off the shelves at Woolies & Coles the last few years, but lately seems to be more reliably on, for a fair bit more than a couple of years ago.

I've only seen the 'Macro Meats' brand on the shelve, and I avoid the pre-marinated/seasoned stuff, and stick to the fillets (not steak as it has more silverskin on it) and mince.

I've only used the mince for bolognese-type sauce, but am thinking of expanding into new territory.

We generally have the fillets grilled or panfried to medium rare and haven't done anything very exciting with them. They do go nicely with a roasted beetroot, parsely, walnut & goat cheese salad, or on garlic toasted turkish bread for a steak sandwich.

Do you cook roo? How? What do you serve it with?

[annachan]

We tried roo when we were in Australia several years ago. It was really good. Now that we are planning to move there, I have been looking forward to learn to cook it. I really want to know how roo tail compares to oxtail.

[Snadra]

Annachan I haven't seen roo tail at the supermarkets, although I'm sure it's got to be available somewhere.

I was looking for something else today and was amused to come across this Wallaby Shanks recipe on the Australian Women's Weekly site. Now, I always thought that AWW was aimed squarely at the everyday sort of cook, with easily accessible ingredients. Can anyone tell me just how accessible wallaby shanks are if you don't live on a property?

And Nick: I must try roo with dark berry sauce. How do you do your sauce? I have some raspberry vinegar hanging about and was thinking it might give a nice acidity to some sort of raspberry sauce with chargrilled roo fillets.

[Snadra]

Did anyone else see this article about a new kangaroo cookbook?

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/hey-skip-whats-cookin-20101120-181uk.html

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for eating an environmentally sustainable animal, but a few things stood out at me.

First, this statement:

People are beginning to understand its nutritional benefits - especially athletes, [as] it is digested through the body so much better than beef.

Seriously, what does it mean to be 'digested through the body so much better than beef'? This sounds like the sort of rubbish you still hear on morning tv. By all means tout its benefits, but give us some scientific evidence to back it up.

Second:

One problem appears to be the use of the word kangaroo - after all, we call pig meat ''pork'' and sheep meat ''lamb''.

I was under the impression that we call meat from sweet little lambs...well, lamb actually! And we call meat from chickens...chicken! Given that, I have a hard time believing that a reluctance to eat kangaroo stems from the fact it's called kangaroo. Anyway, isn't the name difference between the animal and its flesh a result of the melding of Saxon and Norman terminology rather than any delicacy of feelings?

Finally, I know it's a bit squeamish, but the idea of roo tartare or carpaccio is a bit beyond me. I love the beef equivalent and will quite happily eat raw fish in various forms, but how much do we know about food safety issues around kangaroo, particularly considering it's always field dressed? Or have I been reading the barfblog a little too frequently? I'm keen to hear your views.

[nickrey]

Sorry. missed your original question.

The berry sauce I make is fairly conventional. First fry some very finely chopped shallots/mild onion. I'd deglaze with some port to add sweetness if you are using tart berries. Add the berries (use raspberries or blackberries [strawberries may be a bit light for the game dish] or if you want to go really Australian, try native raspberries). Add some blond chicken stock to give bulk and complexity of flavour. Thicken down and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce has reached your preferred taste and is still a bit thin, add a slurry of potato flour or cornflour to thicken. You shouldn't need to add extra acid to finish, but if you do, try some raspberry vinegar.

[ChrisTaylor]

Old reply but, on sourcing 'roo tail:

Go to either an Asian butcher (really) or a poultry butcher that either has a sideline in game or, at least, is nice enough to order in whatever you want. From memory 'roo tail is about seven dollars per kilo. Heard it's prone to drying out something awful.

You'd maybe be able to source wallaby from the same butcher.

Edited November 26, 2010 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[Nich]

A 'rainforest plum' sauce goes excellently with kangaroo. The majority of the red meat I buy to cook at home is kangaroo. With some whole seed mustard and cayenne, minced kangaroo also makes a mean sausage roll.

[Snadra]

I've just come back from another country trip, and once again was looked at like I had two heads when I talked about the deliciousness of roo, and this from people who have family involved in shooting roo for the meat marketers! There's a real squeamishness around it...

Nich, I've used the mince a few times, but have never been quite happy with it. It always seems very wet compared to beef mince and that puts me off a bit when i think of how to use it. I'd love to see some pictures of how you make your roo dishes and the finished products if you ever get a chance! Also, with the plum sauce, is this something you make or purchase?

[ianinfrance]

I've had 'roo a few times. Cooked the fillet like beef steak. Excellent. When I was visiting a friend in Adelaide, I made the tail into a 'roo bourguignon. Needed long marinating and long slow cooking, but it was very good indeed. I'd not heard of the shoulder being used, but if I were faced with it, I'd be tempted to make a wine based ragout after marinating. Doesn't have to be a bourguignon. If you speak French, I heartily recommend looking in Google.fr for a Salmis de Sanglier (that's an elderly wild boar and it's pretty tough. The young one is called marcassin and is cooked differently). Without wanting to plug, here's a link to what I do for boar, though you might want to marinate the 'roo before barding it and cook it longer.

Boar Salmis

Edited December 11, 2011 by ianinfrance (log)

[Nich]

I've just come back from another country trip, and once again was looked at like I had two heads when I talked about the deliciousness of roo, and this from people who have family involved in shooting roo for the meat marketers! There's a real squeamishness around it...

I find rabbit is sort of like that for anyone who grew up having to eat it. It's difficult to explain that it's a nice and tasty animal that is up there on the great things about being a carnivore. I expect that this is kind of the same reaction that people get when trying to explain why horse is an animal that should be eaten more often. I'm okay with that, tho', because it means more for me!

I've used the mince a few times, but have never been quite happy with it. It always seems very wet compared to beef mince and that puts me off a bit when i think of how to use it.

I've never really noticed that too much, I guess. When I did sausage rolls specifically, I don't think I used much more bread crumbs than when using processed pork sausage meat, but I have a much less critical eye for savoury food. I'm also a fan of not-puffed puff pastry, so I'm less likely to notice if the extra moisture affected that aspect.

I'd love to see some pictures of how you make your roo dishes and the finished products if you ever get a chance! Also, with the plum sauce, is this something you make or purchase?

I'll see what I can do, although my camera is on the fritz again.

The sauce is something that's made at work, but I'm having trouble working out if they're still using native plums, or have moved on to something else. I'll try to find out over the next few days, if they're not too busy, what actually goes into it and a vague recipe.

Edited December 16, 2011 by Nich (log)

[nickrey]

A 'rainforest plum' sauce goes excellently with kangaroo. The majority of the red meat I buy to cook at home is kangaroo. With some whole seed mustard and cayenne, minced kangaroo also makes a mean sausage roll.

What fat do you use with it in the sausage roll?

Edited December 16, 2011 by nickrey (log)