Pass the 'Roo
Thursday, October 27, 2005
You never forget the first time you eat kangaroo for dinner.
I gather weekly with my Bible study for an evening of food, fellowship and scripture. Each of us takes turns cooking dinner and preparing a study topic. I love the opportunity to cook for my friends - especially because they'll let me explore some themes and ingredients that I normally wouldn't try at home. My friend James uses the opportunity to randomly pick a country and prepare an meal from their local cuisine. He's served up dinner from Ethiopia, rocking hot jerk chicken from the Caribbean (the best I've ever had) and even pemmican from the South Pole (technically not a country, but I'll give him this one). Recently, he decided to make an Australian dinner for the lot of us. We had absolutely no idea how far he was prepared to go in search of some authenticity!
Actually, thanks to the internet, he didn't have to go very far. He was able to purchase various exotic meats at, well, ExoticMeats.com. Curious, I found their site and had a look. They're certainly not kidding when they say "exotic". They even go so far as to post nutritional information on their selections. That way you can find out how many grams of fat are in your quarter-pound goat burger (2).
Many people have had gator, and I guess there's not much to say except that it's a little like a rubbery tilapia fillet.
The kangaroo, which I might remind you is a rodent, tastes like giant rodent. Seriously, it was chewy with this insanely gamey flavor. Despite James' best efforts (he's an excellent cook), the 'roo wasn't exactly flying off the platter.
James' ostrich, on the other hand, was moist, flavorful and of terrific texture. It was so good, in fact, that we were fighting for every morsel. He prepared it according to this recipe with a sugar-soy glaze and broiled it in the oven. It's of course a little cheesy to say that it tasted like chicken...but it tastes like chicken. Sorry, but you knew going in that this post would eventually degrade to that. Actually, ostrich meat is a little, well, "meatier" than chicken, with the texture of white meat poultry and the juiciness of beef.
I think I might try this recipe at home, although I'll probably cave and make it with lean beef, since it's cheaper and I won't have to spend 20 minutes convincing my wife that she is really eating a fast-running, oversized bird from down under. Jenny and I cook a lot of lean beef and chicken, and this simple recipe seems like a good way to jazz up the occasional dinner.
I gather weekly with my Bible study for an evening of food, fellowship and scripture. Each of us takes turns cooking dinner and preparing a study topic. I love the opportunity to cook for my friends - especially because they'll let me explore some themes and ingredients that I normally wouldn't try at home. My friend James uses the opportunity to randomly pick a country and prepare an meal from their local cuisine. He's served up dinner from Ethiopia, rocking hot jerk chicken from the Caribbean (the best I've ever had) and even pemmican from the South Pole (technically not a country, but I'll give him this one). Recently, he decided to make an Australian dinner for the lot of us. We had absolutely no idea how far he was prepared to go in search of some authenticity!
Actually, thanks to the internet, he didn't have to go very far. He was able to purchase various exotic meats at, well, ExoticMeats.com. Curious, I found their site and had a look. They're certainly not kidding when they say "exotic". They even go so far as to post nutritional information on their selections. That way you can find out how many grams of fat are in your quarter-pound goat burger (2).
Many people have had gator, and I guess there's not much to say except that it's a little like a rubbery tilapia fillet.
The kangaroo, which I might remind you is a rodent, tastes like giant rodent. Seriously, it was chewy with this insanely gamey flavor. Despite James' best efforts (he's an excellent cook), the 'roo wasn't exactly flying off the platter.
James' ostrich, on the other hand, was moist, flavorful and of terrific texture. It was so good, in fact, that we were fighting for every morsel. He prepared it according to this recipe with a sugar-soy glaze and broiled it in the oven. It's of course a little cheesy to say that it tasted like chicken...but it tastes like chicken. Sorry, but you knew going in that this post would eventually degrade to that. Actually, ostrich meat is a little, well, "meatier" than chicken, with the texture of white meat poultry and the juiciness of beef.
I think I might try this recipe at home, although I'll probably cave and make it with lean beef, since it's cheaper and I won't have to spend 20 minutes convincing my wife that she is really eating a fast-running, oversized bird from down under. Jenny and I cook a lot of lean beef and chicken, and this simple recipe seems like a good way to jazz up the occasional dinner.
:: 2 comments
2 Comments:
Kangaroo can be delicious! It's important not to overcook it - should be rare to med-rare otherwise it will be tough.
- Aussie blogger
10/27/2005 9:44 AM
What fun! Too bad the kangaroo wasn't better...
I love exoticmeats.com--they're only 30 minutes away from me, so I wander over there from time to time. So far, my favorites have been the caribou sausages, the elk medallions and, of course, the wild boar bacon!
10/28/2005 6:07 PM
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