Cooking Kangaroo
Kangaroo is a succulent, versatile, lean red meat. It is very well known throughout the world as a high quality game meat because it has a remarkable appeal to discriminating diners and health conscious people alike.
What little fat there is in kangaroo is “good fat”. Research undertaken by Professor Kerin O’Dea and associates found that 40% of the fat in kangaroo meat consisted of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) molecules which are believed to improve blood flow, reduce the blood’s tendency to clot, and thereby reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. She also found that kangaroo meat as part of a low fat diet can achieve a rapid fall in plasma cholesterol.
Kangaroo is a well flavoured meat with the intensity ranging from subtle in young animals to distinctively gamy in older animals. Ageing kangaroo in vacuum bags for up to two weeks can enhance the meat’s natural gamy flavour. Kangaroo responds well to aromatic spices .
The wide variety of cuts available create the opportunity to cook kangaroo meat in many different ways. The most popular techniques for prime cuts are pan frying at high temperatures to sear and seal the meat, rare roasting on a high heat to ensure a moist tender finish, barbecuing, char grilling and stir frying. Lesser cuts with more connective tissue respond well to long slow cooking…. braising, casseroling and stewing. Do not add salt to kangaroo prior to cooking. It will draw out the meat juices, prevent browning and resulting in dry meat.
Kangaroo meat is a good take away, fast food resource, yet is equally at home in haute cuisine. It is a very low fat meat which means that care must be taken not to over cook it. Always preheat the oven, grill or pan before cooking kangaroo. Quick cooking methods help retain juiciness and flavour. It may be stir-fried, is wonderful marinated, barbecued, char-grilled and roasted and is delicious when accompanied by any traditional game meat sauces.
When roasting, pan frying or grilling kangaroo, the meat should be covered with foil and rested for 5 -10 minutes after cooking. This allows the even distribution of juices and colour. Prime cuts of kangaroo do not need marinating. Less tender cuts can be marinated in a mild acid marinade. If using a marinade, completely dry the meat surface before cooking.
Kangaroo meat is a fine textured soft meat with tender muscle fibres, virtually no fat and little connective tissue (collagen). Kangaroo meat is best served rare or medium rare rather than well done. When not overcooked and rested after cooking it is also juicy.
The preslaughter handling of meat animals is one of the intrinsic factors influencing meat colour appearance and quality. When animals are herded together, stress involved with mixing with strange animals, transportation , being held without food prior to slaughter and movement to the stunning pen can cause abnormal conditions in meat such as pale soft and exudative or dark, firm and dry conditions, both of which have poor eating and keeping quality. All kangaroos harvested for human consumption are head shot in the field which eliminates all of the negative effects of preslaughter handling on meat quality. Kangaroo meat has a natural deep red colour with no visible fat.
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