Kangaroo Meat
Some people don’t like eating an animal that appears on the nation’s coat of arms. Knowing that they’re in abundance, tasty and environmentally sustainable convinces me that just because they’re a national symbol doesn’t mean they need to go to waste.
Most of the time I buy organic meat, but lately I’ve been buying some from the supermarket since I found kangaroo mince and sausages there. It’s cheap, low-fat, Australian, sustainable and good for the environment - if you’re a meat-eater, what more could you want?
Tags: organic food
June 12th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Eating roo meat is for many a very controversial subject. We have eaten it for many years and it is always on the meanue for courses. The meat is lean, very healthy, extremly tasty….and roos apparently don’t contribute greehouse gases!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:36 am
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January 30th, 2009 at 9:00 am
i don’t tend to eat meat very often, but i do wonder if smiley should have more protein in his diet, since he’s a growing little boy. maybe i should look for some roo meat at my supermarket.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Kangaroos are not farmed. They are Australian native wildlife which are killed by the millions for cheap dog food and leather for sport shoes. In addition, bushfires and drought have brought the population of the 5 commercially hunted species to an historic low. Kangaroos are not as abundant as the industry would have us believe. Hmm, fancy that.
In regard to human health issues, eating kangaroo is not like eating domesticated meat. Kangaroos are killed in the dusty, hot outback, hung on an open-air truck all night with flies breeding in the open body cavity, and then left in a filthy chiller for up to 2 weeks before being trucked for processing. Does that sound “healthy” to you?
To make things even more icky, the baby joey’s are ripped from their dead mother’s pouch and (as prescribed by Australian code of practice) bashed in the head until dead. This practice is as cruel as killing baby harp seals, and just as disgusting. Any “at foot” baby joey is left alone to slowly starve to death, or to be eaten.
What does “sustainable” mean when a practice is not ethical? Care of the earth includes care of the animals and the over-exploitation of our wildlife is counter to this ethic.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:55 am
I can’t comment on the standards of the industry, but in regards to killing & eating Kangaroo from local sources, there is certainly merit in it.
Whilst living in NW Western Australia, i regulary had the opportunity to attend hunting trips with a couple of indigenous lads. As well as both being great shots, they were also extremely observant, not to target mother’s with joeys and also the large males. When asked, their response to the large male issue relates to worm infestation. Younger animals are less likely to be infested, reducing the instance of spoiled carcasses. Strangely enough, mothers carrrying joeys are slower to move. …. so it pays to be a proper sportsman.
I personally found that a younger kangaroo, once skinned and gutted, would just fit nicely into my refrigerator. This meant that butchering was a much easier task, carried out on my kitchen counter at home. Much more hygienic and permitted me to extract as much high quality cuts as possible. (was just like filleting a fish).
One such kangaroo, provided my family of four with steak (the best i have ever eaten), casserole cuts, mince (’Roo- banaise’, Roo Con Carne, Roo Lasagne, Roo- soles), Kangaroo Tail Soup (a special occaison in our house), and fantastic stews (a fantastic stock made from the hip bones). Our two small dogs never went without either. The ribs were certainly their favourite, while 1/2 leg bone kept a smile on their face.