More of a technique than a recipe, here’s the method we use for marinating red meat in oil. This recipe works particularly well for Kobe beef, grassfed beef, and beef-like game meats like bison, ostrich meat and kangaroo meat.  Pretty much any meat cut can be marinated, though skirt steaks & flank steaks absorb marinades particularly well.

Basic Oil Meat Marinade
1 part canola oil
1 part olive oil
Peppercorns
Bay Leaf
Garlic Cloves
Coriander
Thyme
Rosemary

Use just enough oil to cover the meat cuts you’re marinating, and vary the quantities of other ingredients based on how prominent your want their flavors to be in the finished dish.

Directions:
1. Crush the garlic cloves with the flat of your chef’s knife, but don’t bother peeling them.

2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring just to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

3. Pour the marinade over your meat in a zip-top bag, and place it in a bowl (to protect against drips) in your refrigerator to marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.

Variations:  Try adding cumin or paprika/pimenton to bring some heat to your marinade.

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Kangaroo Burgers with Camembert & Grilled Onions

These burgers are incredibly savory with multiple levels of flavor.  The grilled onion gives bite that cuts through the beefy-smoky kangaroo and the musty-richness of the camembert cheese.  Outrageous!

Drink Pairings: Argentinean Malbec or California Cabernet

Ingredients:          (Makes 3 Large Burgers)
1lb Ground Kangaroo Meat
¼ cup Onion, diced
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp Fresh Oregano, finely chopped
¼ cup Bread Crumbs    (store bought or homemade breadcrumbs)
1 Egg
Yellow Onion, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
Camembert-style Cheese, cut into thick wedges

Parsley Garlic Aioli
4 tbsp Mayonnaise (we recommend homemade mayonnaise, but you could use store-bought)
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley leaves, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl mix together the ground kangaroo, egg, bread crumbs, onion and herbs.  Form into patties.

2.  Mix together the mayo, parsley leaves and garlic clove.

3.  Season the kangaroo patties.

4.  Oil & preheat your grill.

5.  Grill the patties.  Grill one side of the onion slices until grill marks appear, then flip and top each with a wedge of the camembert. Toast your buns.

6.  Spread the aioli on each bun, add a kangaroo patty & top with a camembert onion slice.  Serve.

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Kangaroo medallions are a good cut to start with if you’re preparing kangaroo meat for the first time.  They’re easy to work with, tender, and when grilled with a simple marinade really showcase kangaroo’s beefy, smoky-sweet flavor.  Juniper berries pair well with kangaroo, like most game meats, bringing a subtle pine-forest scent and flavor to your dishes.

In this preparation, we’ve paired the grilled kangaroo medallions with a crisp, slightly acidic fennel & carrot slaw for a complete dish that won’t leave you feeling stuffed.

Kangaroo Medallions With Fennel Carrot Slaw
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
4-6 Kangaroo Medallions (1 per person)
4 Juniper Berries per medallion
2 cloves of garlic
5 sprigs of fresh oregano
olive oil to coat
5 large carrots
10 ribs of celery
2 ½ fennel bulbs
50/50 cider vinegar and rice vinegar to taste
50/50 peanut oil and olive oil to taste
salt & pepper to taste
Finishing Salt for garnish (we used Hawaiian Red Sea Salt)

butcher’s twine

Directions:

1.  Roll the medallions around the juniper berries and tie them with butcher’s twine. 

2.  Make a marinade: slice the garlic cloves thinly, combine them with the oregano and olive oil in a bowl. 

3.  Submerge the medallions in the marinade.  Marinate in the fridge (covered) for at least three hours, preferably overnight, before removing them from the oil and grilling.

4.  Wash the vegetables and peel the carrots.  Slice the vegetables fine with a knife, mandoline, or the slicing side of a box grater.  Toss them with the oils, vinegars, and salt & pepper.  Let the slaw sit (covered) in the fridge while you grill the medallions.

5.  Grill the kangaroo medallions on a well oiled, hot grill until they reach your desired internal temperature (remember, kangaroo is extremely low in fat, and thus cooks very quickly).  We cooked ours for about 5 minutes.

6.  Cut and remove the twine, serve with the slaw.

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Kangaroo Recipes

Kangaroo’s beefy, yet slightly smokey and sweet flavor is best enjoyed simply seasoned.  Kangaroo medallions are very easy to cook, either pan roasted or grilled, and are a great way to try this exotic game meat for the first time.  We recommend Jerusalem artichoke puree and a fresh herb salad, but you could also use heirloom potatoes, microgreens, or more conventional sides.

For another recipe using this same cut of kangaroo meat, see our grilled kangaroo medallions recipe.

Wine Pairing:Red Burgundy Pinot Noir, or Ploussard from Jura, France.

Ingredients:
3 oz of Kangaroo Medallions per person (appetizer) or 6 oz for an entree
Portuguese Sea Salt
Freshly ground Tellicherry Pepper

Shown plated with:
Jerusalem Artichoke Puree Recipe
Fresh Herb Salad Recipe

1. Rub the kangaroo medallions with salt and pepper.

2. Add olive oil (not extra virgin) to a hot sauté pan. Carefully lay in the kangaroo medallions.

3. Cook the medallions until they develop a brown sear, then turn them. Repeat until all the sides have been seared.

4. Remove the medallions from the heat and allow them to rest for 5 minutes prior to slicing.

5. Slice the medallions and serve them atop the starch of your choice with a fresh herb salad on the side.

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Kangaroo Recipes

Kangaroo Crepinettes with Wilted Kale & Apple Creme Fraiche Puree 

Because kangaroo meat is so incredibly lean, we’ve wrapped it in caul fat and also added bacon help keep it moist while also amping up kangaroo’s natural smokiness.  The result is a dish that features kangaroo meat at its most intense and savory, balanced with a sweet-tangy apple crème-fraiche puree and wilted kale. 

Ingredients:                                   Makes 4 Servings
12oz Ground Kangaroo Meat
3oz Bacon, ground or finely minced (we recommend kurobuta bacon or mangalitsa bacon)
1/3^rd peel-on Red Apple, small diced
3 cups peeled Red Apple, large diced
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, minced
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme, minced
1 tsp Fresh Marjoram, minced
1 large Shallot, small diced
2 tsp White Vinegar
2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
Approx. 4oz Caul Fat            (we used Kurobuta Caul Fat)
1 bunch Kale, washed & deribbed
1 clove of Garlic, crushed
More than ¼ cup Chicken Stock
7.5oz Crème Fraiche
Il Casolare Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil (could substitute other flavorful EVOO)
Micro Mustard Dijon for garnish (optional)
Additional Salt to taste
Lemon Juice to taste

Directions:

1. Get some olive oil hot in a small frying pan & sweat (sauté over low heat) the shallot until slightly golden.  Turn off the heat.  Add the minced herbs. Let the mixture cool completely. 

2. Add the peel-on apple, bacon, pepper, salt, and cooled shallot-herb mixture to the ground kangaroo in a bowl.  Mix to combine & store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

3. Make the Apple Puree:  Add the peeled apple to a pot with the white vinegar and just enough water to cover. Gently poach until tender.  Drain & puree the apples.  Mix them with the crème fraiche.

4. Defrost your caul fat and gently unroll it.  Form the kangaroo meat mixture into 3oz patties and roll them individually in the caul fat netting, trimming off excess and thicker edge pieces.  Ideally you should have a single, thin layer on all sides, but if you’ve got some bunching on one side from gathering the edges together to seal, that’s ok.

5. Refrigerate the crepinettes for 20 minutes to firm up the caul fat. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

6. Get a thick layer of plain olive oil hot in a large frying pan.  Add the clove of garlic and let it cook for half a minute, then add the kale.

7. Cook the kale over medium heat until it begins to wilt down, then add the chicken stock.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale has completely wilted.  If the pan starts to get too dry, add more chicken stock as needed to keep the kale from burning.

8. In a separate, oven safe frying pan, get plain olive oil hot over medium to medium-low heat.  Season the crepinettes with salt & pepper.

9. Gently lay the crepinettes in the pan with the bunched side up.  Cook slowly to render the caul fat while developing a nice crust.

10. Once the bottom is seared, flip the crepinettes and render the other side.

11. When both sides of the crepinettes are seared, move them to the oven to finish cooking through.

12. Season the kale with lemon juice and salt.

13. Put a layer of the apple puree down on the plate, then a pile of kale to the side.  Place a crepinette (most beautiful side up) on top of the puree.  Sprinkle on a little sea salt & finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  If desired, scatter some Micro Mustard Dijon around the plate.

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Grilled Kangaroo Loin with Rainbow Chard and Romesco
(serves 4-5)

This dish is a great way to showcase the flavor of kangaroo meat.

Ingredients:

Two or three kangaroo loins or deboned kangaroo racks 
              (see How to Debone a Rack for instructions)
Light olive oil to lubricate wok
A half bunch of rainbow chard
1 lemon
Salt

And – Romesco Recipe

1.  Saute rainbow chard in oiled wok over medium heat with salt, pepper for a few minutes until the leaves have wilted. Finish with a little fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Set aside.

2.  Dry and season the kangaroo loins with a little salt, pepper and grill on a clean, well oiled grill to desired internal temperature.

Internal Cooking Temps for Kangaroo:
Rare – 135°
Medium Rare – 140°-150°
Medium – 140°-145°
Medium Well – 160°
Well Done – 165° and above

3.  Slice kangaroo loin and serve over a smear of romesco with the rainbow chard on the side and top with a pinch of finishing salt.

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This recipe accentuates the smoky flavor of kangaroo meat with sage and pancetta.

Ingredients:
1/2 frenched kangaroo rack per two people
3-4 strips, or one sheet per half-rack, pancetta sliced ¼ thick
¼ head of cauliflower per person 
Butcher’s twine or skewers
Oil with a high smoking point (peanut or grapeseed recommended)

And – compound sage butter recipe

Cooking Procedure:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Make the sage butter and store in the fridge.

3. Trim the inedible silverskin from the outside of the racks.  To do this, slip the point of a small knife into the meat directly under the silverskin, grab hold of the silverskin with one hand, and slide the knife across its length with the blade angled up.  If you pull up on the skin, it should start to come off the meat in a strip.  You may have to do this several times to remove all the silverskin. 

4.  Wrap pancetta around the rack to help keep the meat moist during cooking (this is called “barding”).  Attach the pancetta by tying down with butcher’s twine (easier) or via skewers driven through pancetta and into meat towards the bones.

5.  Place the racks in a hot pan on the stove top, bone side down first to render out pancetta fat. Then flip to bottom and other side in turn to finish rendering.

6.  Move to the oven to finish cooking the roo meat.

7.  When finished, let the racks rest five minutes before slicing to allow juices to redistribute through the meat.

8.  Slice the kangaroo meat between ribs (either between each of them or every two ribs for a larger portion).

9.  Remove the skewers or string (the pancetta should stick, and adds flavor but it can be removed at this point if you prefer your guests focus on the flavor of the kangaroo) and serve with cauliflower and topped with a quenelle of compound sage butter.

10. (Optional)  If desired you can melt some more sage butter in the pan the rack was roasted in, using it to deglaze some of the fond (browned bits on the bottom of the pan) and use it to top the kangaroo rack for extra flavor and shine.

Roasted Cauliflower
1.  Trim leaves and stem from the cauliflower. Some of the leaves closest to cauliflower can be kept on. Quarter each cauliflower to get four servings.

2.  Salt heavily, particularly in exposed inner cavities. Most of the salt will fall off in cooking, so put more on than you would like to actually consume.

3.  Heat a seasoned cast iron skillet to medium heat on the stove, add oil (about a ¼ inch deep in the pan). Put 1/4th cauliflower cut side down in the pan for about 20 minutes.

4.  Turn to the other cut side for 4-6 minutes.  The cauliflower will appear blackened, but this is actually caramelization.

5.  Move to the 400 degree oven to finish cooking outer dome (8-10 minutes depending on size of cauliflower) until tender and lightly browned.

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