Del Ray Gets A Bite Of The Outback

"We'll put another shrimp on the barbie for ya," has become the Australian Tourist Board's defacto siren call, beckoning visitors to the exotic island continent with tempting morsels of succulent shrimp and other fruits de mar.  

But if butcher Steve Gatward has anything to say about it, you'll be adding kangaroo to that barbecue very soon. Not a whole kangaroo of course, but filets that the owner and proprietor of Del Ray's Let's Meat on the Avenue receives prepackaged from a purveyor in Australia's Outback in the northern Queensland territory.

Del Ray residents who frequent Gatward's butcher shop are as familiar with his Aussie brogue and the classic rock that's piped in through the stereo system as they are with his unusual selections of meat. Originally an Englishman from Colchester, Gatward made his way to the states via the land of Sheilas and Bruces about 20 years ago (cue Monty Python skit with men brandishing oil cans of Foster's beer, clad in khaki shirts, shorts and hats with the brims buttoned on one side). And it was Gatward, the butcher himself, who decided to start selling the novel meat at his butcher shop in Del Ray. 

"I wanted to have kangaroo because I have a lot of other stuff like wild boar chops; I've got a couple of squab now," Gatward said. "People even come in and order ostrich sometimes."

Some Americans may feel squeamish about eating kangaroo because of its exotic nature, as well as the animal's perceived status as Australia's national mascot (not to mention memories of Winnie the Pooh characters Kanga and Roo). But Gatward assures that in Australia it's really quite common to munch on kangaroo meat; you can even order it as a pizza topping. And the Australian version of ox tail soup is, no surprise here, kangaroo tail soup.

"The  majority of the people are very accepting of it," Gatward said. "Most people that have tried it said they liked it." 

Gatward describes kangaroo as a very dark red meat, with almost the appearance of liver, and has a flavor palate reminiscent of a cross between venison and buffalo, but with a smoother texture than deer meat.

So, how should you serve kangaroo meat? According to Gatward you can do anything with kangaroo that you can do with other more traditional meats, and preparing kangaroo is as easy as cooking or barbecuing beef or pork. Kangaroo is very lean (about 2 percent fat), and on the barbecue Gatward recommends a light sear on both sides because, like preparing any lean piece of protein, your filet will become overcooked quickly.

One thing Gatward cautions against is marinating kangaroo.

"People always ask about marinating," he said. "I always stell them, 'no.' It's got a good flavor. The reason for eating kangaroo is to taste the meat. Why bother to cover it up with a marinade if you want to taste it?" 

There are no kangaroo farms in Australia where kangaroo are bred. Kangaroo are wild, so the meat that Gatward sells comes from animals who live on grasses in the Outback and are hunted and killed humanely.  

A serving of kangaroo meat has about 2 grams of fat and is high in potassium and protein.

"They're all natural, never given any hormones or steroids," Gatward said. "It's a very healthy meat."