Do you eat kangaroo meat?

Our Woolies sells it in many forms - sausages, steaks etc.
Not bad stuff, it's a really strong tasting meat, can be a little chewy and jumps off ya plate if you don't cook it enough!! (Sorry, joking about the last bit!)
It is supposed to be pretty low in fat too.

I tried it when I was in Australia a few years back. Very thinly sliced and cooked on the barbie. It wasn't anything to get excited about but it was nice and lean. I preferred the Barramundi.

I can't really remember what it tasted like, but I do remember I used to love the kangaroo stew they gave us on multicultural days at school. As for price, we sell it frozen at my work for about $7/kilo I think. That might not be quite right but it's not expensive, and it's not really exotic either. It's definitely not something the average Aussie eats on a regular basis but it's not surprising or unusual to see it in a shop.

I've been to Australia and it baffles me how this meat is seen as less desirable. I think it's compareable to veal in Europe. It is nutritionally. It's lean and has a great distinct taste. Healthier than beef. It's among my favourite meats in Australia. Dirt cheap too. I suspect that's why it's got lower status. Because it's not for the taste or quality.

Australians in general are pretty spoiled when it comes to good food. The fruits, vegetables and fish are among the best I've ever eaten anywhere. And I've travelled a lot. The Sydney fish market sashimi is the best I've ever had anywhere. They've simply got an amazing climate and geographic situation.

My local butcher stocks it frozen. I had it a couple of times. I like it. Storng flavoured and a bit tougher than the best sirloin.

I'm in the UK and have had it a couple of times- there are specialist meat retailers who sell things like this.

It was quite gamey. Like aged beef, strong-tasting. Ours was quite tough: I'd probably marinade next time.

I've also had: Ostrich, Springbok, Kudu and Crocodile if you ever want to know about those.

The most I remember about it is how chewy it was. Unsure if you'd consider that aged beef, but definitely lean. There was an odd taste to it, not unpleasant, but a taste I thought might be one to acquire. Unfortunately, don't remember how it was cooked. I'll have to ask my friend.

boron said:

I have no idea how many kangaroos actually live out there in Australia, but it seems there are almost no kangaroo farms. So I'm surprised the meat is cheap.

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Kangaroos are so numerous that they're a pest and have to be culled.

I had it, tasted a bit like corn beef.
Quite nice.

Though afterwards I had a cry. Who would eat Skippy? What sort of monster am I, who will rescue the boy down the well? It's like eating Lassie.

I've had kangaroo tail - done in a stew like ox tail. Very strong favoured meat, i thought.

Most people don't know how to prepare an "exotic" meat. It's easy to screw up bison meat by trying to cook it like farm-raised beef; I would imagine the same holds true for kangaroo.

I've had it in the UK. When we had the BSE crisis and you couldn't get beef, Sainsburys offered a whole load of alternatives for a while.

I loved ostrich, kangaroo was okay, and crocodile was underimpressive

(wonders if Anninyn's kangaroo-eating had the same cause, given the similarity of our weird meat lists.. )

Never had kangaroo, but have eaten at Outback Steak House. It was a bit salty ...

skylark said:

(wonders if Anninyn's kangaroo-eating had the same cause, given the similarity of our weird meat lists.. )

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It did, but the other animals I ate later. I too found crocodile underwhelming- a very delicate tasting meat, with a lot of fat.

I LOVE kudu and springbok though, and think every meat eater should try them.

I have never seen kangaroo meat available here in the US. I'd try it if it was available. For healthy unusual meats we mainly have ostrich/emu and bison, occasionally venison. Down south gator is occasionally eaten (but not really supposed to be healthy), and rabbit seems to be moderately common.

My cats sometimes eat roo meat, but I'm a vegetarian. Kangaroos are considered pests by many farmers, there are regular culls due to the numbers. I have friends living only 45 minutes out of the very centre of Melbourne who have them in their back yard all the time.

nope never have.

Yep!

but it's like venison, no fat, so you need to cook it right. Yummy in stews and soup, treat the tail like oxtail.

I can't fry the steaks, get them too tough, but slow cooking with a wine and juniper berry sauce, or redcurrant and orange sauce, like venison, makes them delicious.

Yes, it does have a distinct flavour so I'd recommend you try a little in a slow cooked stew without tomatoes or strong tasting veg so that you can see if you really 'enjoy' the different taste.

I ate it (in orange sauce) at a restaurant in Sydney last year.

i've never had it but it's pretty easy to get here in ireland. there are a lot of shops that stock it now, and it's popular in the markets etc.

Don't like it. Too gamey and tough.