I Tried Kangaroo...

There are often mixed opinions when it comes to wild game. Some people love it and some people get awfully squeamish at the idea of eating Bambi or roo.

I grew up in a family that hunted. I've been around wild game for most of my life, whether it is deer, moose, bear, fish, or grouse. I've helped skin and butcher hunted game. I've helped cook it. And I've most definitely helped eat it.

And, as someone who enjoys wild game, I am always up for trying something that I haven't had before. I still want to try snake and crocodile and emu. Whether it is hunted or farmed, I'm always open to trying new meats.

Recently I took a vacation to Australia, and since I was in the Land Down Under I knew that during my time there I needed to try kangaroo meat. I knew that I would be sad if I traveled all that way and didn't get a chance to try it.

Now, for some people, they see a kangaroo and can't imagine eating it. They are such beautiful creatures. And that can be said about many of the animals that we consume on a regular basis.

Some people equate cows to dogs. Some people love pigs and keep them as pets in their homes. And others are enamored by chickens. There are plenty of people who will not eat meat. But I am not one of those people.

It was quite the experience to be able to walk through the grocery store in Australia and see kangaroo meat so readily available on the shelves in the meat section. There were all kinds of options to choose from. There were burgers and steaks and mince and kababs and sausages. If you could think it up, there was an option for you to consume it that way.

You can't walk through a grocery store in Canda and find game meat. You'll get pork and beef and lamb and chicken, but you won't find bear or moose or deer on the shelves. So, it was interesting to see kangaroo being sold in large supermarkets. It was actually pretty cool.

We went with kangaroo fillets and did them up on the barbeque to a nice medium rare. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the meat. I had no clue what to expect from it, but I hoped it would be delicious.

I wasn't disappointed. It had a pleasantly gamey taste, much like venison does, but it was not as dry. Some people say it tastes a bit like buffalo but leaner. I can't say much on that fact, as I've never had buffalo. It was a nice lean meat that had a wonderful flavor to it.

Warm or cold it was still delicious. Unlike venison, which when it cools down gets the bitter tasting deer fat, kangaroo is still yummy to eat when it cools down.

This all being said, it is important that your meat is cooked properly. There are many ways to screw up a piece of meat and eating something for the first time when it is cooked poorly can ruin your opinion of the meat forever.

I have seen and heard this many times in relation to venison. So many people that I meet say that they don't like deer meat. But the real problem is that they have not had it cooked properly. Sure, there are some people who genuinely do not like it, but food preparation plays a large role in our enjoyment of food.

So, if you're looking for a new meat to try and are unsure of which one, I recommend trying kangaroo meat when you get the chance. I was not disappointed with my experience.