Kangaroo Meat: Delicious, Nutritious and Tender

"This land is cursed; the animals hop not run, birds run, not fly and the swans are black not white". 

So wrote one of the first Europeans to set foot on Australia, Dirk Hartog, as he sailed away from the west coast in 1688.

Then Dr Tim Flannery wrote;
“Unfortunately for our environment this attitude prevailed throughout our settlement - the land was wrong and had to be changed into how a good European farm should be, the animals should be removed and replaced with good European animals.

Along the way we have caused huge damage to our fragile grazing lands. It's only in recent times that the concept of utilising this land with the animals that belong here has emerged. Doing so has the potential to deliver enormous environmental benefits.”

If Kangaroo meat is good for the environment, healthy for us and tastes good – why don’t we eat it more? I think it is the thought of eating it.  People don’t want to eat something that is our national symbol.

If only it was called something else.

Is there a more palatable name?
There has been recent discussion from the kangaroo meat industry about attempting to introduce a specific culinary name for kangaroo meat, similar to the reference to pig meat as ham and pork, and calling deer meat venison.

The aim is to have diners thinking of the meat rather than the animal and avoiding adverse reactions to the eating of a 'cute' animal or "eating Skippy".

In 2005 the Food Companion International magazine, with support from the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, ran a competition hoping to find a name that wouldn't put diners off when they saw it on a menu.

The three-month competition attracted over 2700 entries from 41 nations, and the name australus was decided in December 2005.

Other finalists for the name included kangarly, maroo, krou, maleen, kuja, roujoe, rooviande, jurru, ozru, marsu, kep, kangasaurus, marsupan, jumpmeat, and MOM (meat of marsupials).

It was worth a try but didn’t work, I haven't heard any of these names used!

Kangaroo meat was legalised for human consumption in South Australia in 1980, and in all other Australian states in 1993. Kangaroo was once limited in availability, although consumption in Australia is becoming more widespread. However, only 14.5% of Australians were reported in 2008 as eating kangaroo meat at least four times per year.

Many Australian supermarkets now stock various cuts of kangaroo including fillets, steaks, minced meat and kanga bangas (kangaroo sausages).

The Europeans have been enjoying our kangaroo for decades, it has been exported since 1959. Seventy percent of kangaroo meat is exported to the European market mostly Belgium, Germany and France.

It is sold in supermarkets in England and before a suspension on imports of kangaroo meat to Russia in 2009 it was widely used in Russian smallgoods.

Kangaroo are a remarkably healthy animal. They carry very few of the diseases commonly carried by domestic animals.

This makes sense since if a wild animal gets sick it will generally die, if a domestic animal gets sick we treat it thereby maintaining the disease in the population. For example rejection rates for disease conditions identified by inspectors when animals are processed are only 0.7%, this is about half to one-third of what is usually rejected for cattle and sheep.

So far I have cooked it for 6 cooking classes and even the reluctant guests agreed it was the highlight of the menu.

The Large Western Reds are more tender then the Small Queensland Greys. There is a company called “Gourmet Game” that produces a consistently high standard of tender Kangaroo meat.

It is available from Mike at North Tamborine Butcher in Main Street and all the larger supermarkets. It costs $15 to $20 a kilo and it is all meat, no need to trim.

Minced Kangaroo can easily be substituted in any recipe. It is particularly good in Lasagne.

When roasting or barbecuing it is important not to overcook it.  It is recommended to cook it medium-rare, but I usually take it to medium, then rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Use it with any favourite marinade, particularly any of the smoky or herb types.