Spiced Kangaroo

Slices of braised kangaroo with carrots, onions, parsley, and gravy

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City/Region: Australia

Time Period: 1943

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Rationing began in Australia in 1942, and meat was one of the foods that had the biggest difference in pre-ration and rationed amounts in the Australian diet. Out in the country, you could hunt to supplement your meat ration, which often meant wallaby and kangaroo, which had fallen out of popularity in the early 20th century, and to be honest, I can see why.

This recipe, from an Australian wartime ration cookbook, is actually for spiced beef, and if you don’t have kangaroo in the back of your freezer or are hunting to supplement your wartime ration, I’d use the beef. The texture of the kangaroo wasn’t bad, but the flavor was not my favorite. I usually like gamey meats, but this was too gamey even for me with an earthy taste that I wasn’t a fan of.

“Spiced Beef:
Method: Mix sugar, mustard, vinegar and salt together and rub over meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Place meat in a dish with bay leaves, cloves and peppercorns - leave for 12 hours. Turn occasionally. Place meat with juices, herbs, etc., sliced carrots, onion and parsley in a saucepan. Just cover with water and simmer for 2 - 3 hours. Serve hot with liquid thickened as gravy or cold with liquid thickened and served as cold sauce. If the oven is in use, cook the meat in a casserole - 2 1/2 - 3 hours in a slow oven (325°F). ”

— Planning Meat Ration Meals by the Commonwealth Rationing Commission and the Commonwealth Department of Health, 1943

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Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 lb (1/2 kg) kangaroo meat*, I used steaks
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, more or less as needed

*Feel free to use brisket or flank as the original recipe called for.

Instructions:

1. Mix the sugar and salt together, then mix in the vinegar and mustard.
2. Lay the meat in a baking dish that has a lid, then coat the meat with the mustard mixture, making sure the meat gets well covered on both sides.
3. Break up the bay leaves and sprinkle them, the cloves, and the pepper evenly over the meat. Cover the dish and set it in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
4. After the meat has marinated, preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Slice the onion. Leave the carrot unpeeled and chop it up. Roughly chop the parsley. Scatter the onion, carrot, and parsley evenly over the meat, then add just enough water to cover everything.
5. Set the lid on the dish and place it in the oven. For beef, use the original recipe’s time of 2 1/2 to 3 hours, but if you’re using kangaroo, 45 to 60 minutes is plenty.
6. After the meat has cooked, pour off the liquid into a measuring cup and let the meat rest while you make the gravy.
7. Using 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for every 2 cups (475 ml) of liquid, pour the liquid into a saucepan and whisk the cornstarch in. Heat the gravy on medium low until it has thickened, whisking frequently.
8. Slice the kangaroo and serve it forth with the vegetables and gravy.

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