Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Game hunting and large prey. Deer stalking, hunting with hounds. Boar, pigs etc., large prey, culling, hunting large feral animals.

Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by TassieTiger » 30 Dec 2018, 8:17 pm

A friend of mine has for some time now, waxed lyrical (what ever that really means) about the table quality merits of a particular and certain type of roo in Tassie...now, growing up with a couple old bushies in the family, I’ve tried most game meats, cooked various ways so I kind of took this with a grain of salt.
It was only when I offered up a leg of deer, and he said no thanks - I can’t eat thaT crap, did I really wonder...was he serious.

So the other night I received a call, advising he was on his way round with a couple of small, but legitimately culled/tagged forester kangaroos. He had gutted them and skinned them.

I took a couple steak, legs, back straps, etc - pretty much massacred the meat compared to a pro but - tonight I cooked a few pieces and OMG.
This is the first game meat I can honestly compare to beef - it’s bloody beautiful!!!
I let a few others try the meat and same reaction...the medium cooked meat just melted in the mouth - nothing likewallaby and nothing like deer...bloody amazing!

Anyone else come across something unexpected like this?
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Stoney » 30 Dec 2018, 8:31 pm

TassieTiger wrote:A friend of mine has for some time now, waxed lyrical (what ever that really means) about the table quality merits of a particular and certain type of roo in Tassie...now, growing up with a couple old bushies in the family, I’ve tried most game meats, cooked various ways so I kind of took this with a grain of salt.
It was only when I offered up a leg of deer, and he said no thanks - I can’t eat thaT crap, did I really wonder...was he serious.

So the other night I received a call, advising he was on his way round with a couple of small, but legitimately culled/tagged forester kangaroos. He had gutted them and skinned them.

I took a couple steak, legs, back straps, etc - pretty much massacred the meat compared to a pro but - tonight I cooked a few pieces and OMG.
This is the first game meat I can honestly compare to beef - it’s bloody beautiful!!!
I let a few others try the meat and same reaction...the medium cooked meat just melted in the mouth - nothing likewallaby and nothing like deer...bloody amazing!

Anyone else come across something unexpected like this?



Yes I have, as an absolute devout lover of NZ bush venison. I got a pleasant surprise when I tried wild goat for the first time ( from Tenterfield ). Absolutely fantastic. As good as venison? Well...….But none the less. Very, very good. I took a pot of goat curry to work and explained to the non-understanding that it was wild harvested hunted goat blah blah and they ate it all and then had the audacity to ask me if I could supply them more. :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by TassieTiger » 30 Dec 2018, 9:30 pm

Goat has this far eluded me - but from all accounts it’s right up there.
I’ve never tasted anything like this forester though - venison to me is somewhere in between wallaby and beef and my friend won’t eat venison unless it’s minced and mixed...but it depends a lot RE the way venison is cooked.
I genuinely like clean and fresh rabbit, in foil, butter and on open fire...but nothing like this forester.
Just so I was comparing the same with same - I cook my game (the first time round), in nothing but some light pepper and salt with a canola spray. Very, very basic - so I can tell if it’s worth progressing further with the meat.

I’d love to try venison from NZ to see if it’s similar. I think it would be quite different...
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by No1Mk3 » 31 Dec 2018, 5:41 am

Zebra, soft and sweet like lamb, juicy, more-ish to the nth degree. I grew up in NZ and the only real difference is the higher prevalence of Reds and Wapiti, so most Kiwi's eat venison from Red Deer. I like goat, but very bony, Would like to try whatever species TassieTiger is on about, tried a couple of wallaby in Tas, good stuff but not spectacular, so it must be a seldom hunted variety? Would have to be really up there to beat Zebra though, Cheers.
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by bigfellascott » 31 Dec 2018, 6:31 am

It’s all good if you know how to prepare and cook it right. Goat is one of my favourites along with fresh road kill venison.
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Blutius Maximus » 31 Dec 2018, 3:01 pm

TassieTiger wrote: forester kangaroos.


I had to look it up as I wasn't familiar with that name, but it seems to be a subspecies of the Eastern Grey.
We're not allowed to eat Eastern Grey here in Vic.

In my young days I got a roo and cooked some. It was quite pungent while cooking, but did taste nice.
It didn't wow me, but in those days I didn't know how to properly cook lean meat like those from a roo so I'm sure it would be different now.

Was it a young or old animal you ate?
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by TassieTiger » 31 Dec 2018, 5:26 pm

Hard to say the age of the forester, as I only received carcasses but they were large animals. The Bennett’s wallaby in tassie is really large at 3 ft and more common at 2. These forester were at least 5 ft.
These can only be taken on permit - tagged animals on crop protection permits.
There is no way I would have anticipated that a sub species could be so different...
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by bigpete » 31 Dec 2018, 5:33 pm

Sea urchin roe is mint
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by deye243 » 31 Dec 2018, 5:37 pm

Jäger wrote:
TassieTiger wrote: forester kangaroos.


I had to look it up as I wasn't familiar with that name, but it seems to be a subspecies of the Eastern Grey.
We're not allowed to eat Eastern Grey here in Vic.


Who told you that rubbish I can have up to 80kg of eastern grey roo
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by TassieTiger » 31 Dec 2018, 6:15 pm

bigpete wrote:Sea urchin roe is mint


Sea cucumber / turned 100% inside out, strips cut from flesh = calamari of very close.
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Blutius Maximus » 02 Jan 2019, 1:25 pm

deye243 wrote:
Jäger wrote:
TassieTiger wrote: forester kangaroos.


I had to look it up as I wasn't familiar with that name, but it seems to be a subspecies of the Eastern Grey.
We're not allowed to eat Eastern Grey here in Vic.


Who told you that rubbish I can have up to 80kg of eastern grey roo


I'm happy for you to prove me wrong.
Given you've stated a very specific quantity (80Kg), I'm sure you've got the link handy to share that shows it's legal.

You see, they are a protected species and while you can get a permit to cull them, my understanding was that in Vic you are not allowed to utilise the meat, that they had to be buried. In fact, it was only a few years ago they had the trial where the culled roo meat could be given or sold to a processor for pet food.

Please share your source.
It's going to be awkward if it turns out you've been illegally harvesting roo meat for who knows how long. :oops:
Seriously though, show me. I have an empty spot in my freezer to fill and I'm sure many others do too. :thumbsup:
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by deye243 » 02 Jan 2019, 2:03 pm

There is no link but it is on the permits and I also tells you what you have to right on the bag .
Sometimes you just have too get off your butt and check things out as not everything is in a link .
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Blutius Maximus » 02 Jan 2019, 2:24 pm

rofl. So I'm supposed to somehow magically know that the information is on the permit, that I haven't applied for and have never seen?

As it's a protected species, presumably it's in a regulation somewhere, so there should be a link.

can you translate this part for me "and I also tells you what you have to right on the bag"
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by bigpete » 02 Jan 2019, 4:35 pm

And take a photo of where it says it on the permit,I'd be interested to see that too for a mates sake
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by duncan61 » 03 Jan 2019, 7:31 pm

Red roo from the Gascoyne is good meat if it is small and has not birthed.The does go a blue colour for some reason and tourists think they are grey roos.Coolroom hang time is essential.Goat is the only meat I have had fresh and declared edible again immature females are the go
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by TassieTiger » 03 Jan 2019, 8:17 pm

I had someone else drop off some tassie cray fish today and some abalone...the roo meat is still bloody close to no1.
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by duncan61 » 03 Jan 2019, 8:48 pm

The factory stopped taking roos under 14Kg dressed for pet food however I could get $26 for a butt end if sold as $5 legs $5 loin $5 girdle and $6 tail.I had a few butt ends hanging in the coolroom for about 20 days so I decided to skin and cube it out.We made a stew that night and it was so good tourists were commenting on the smell drifting over the campground so we put it on the menu and sold out.Did the same the next day and the next became a bit of a chore for me till we run out but all good fun.I did barbeque Roo at another venue up that way and did it with onion and capsicum again $5 a go.some people only took a few pieces for a bread roll.I could commit suicide off the stack of $5 notes I had and could not carry the coins in one go.Happy days
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by TassieTiger » 03 Jan 2019, 10:48 pm

duncan61 wrote:The factory stopped taking roos under 14Kg dressed for pet food however I could get $26 for a butt end if sold as $5 legs $5 loin $5 girdle and $6 tail.I had a few butt ends hanging in the coolroom for about 20 days so I decided to skin and cube it out.We made a stew that night and it was so good tourists were commenting on the smell drifting over the campground so we put it on the menu and sold out.Did the same the next day and the next became a bit of a chore for me till we run out but all good fun.I did barbeque Roo at another venue up that way and did it with onion and capsicum again $5 a go.some people only took a few pieces for a bread roll.I could commit suicide off the stack of $5 notes I had and could not carry the coins in one go.Happy days


Should be more of it!!!!
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jan 2019, 12:20 am

The second place I was doing it was a caravan park as well and people would come over to my area and watch me skin and bone out as part of the experience.The boss supplied the capsicum and onion and was happy I was entertaining people.I did so well I never asked for a pay day again
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Bigjobss » 04 Jan 2019, 8:01 am

I would definitely target roo and wallabies if I could their meat is fantastic, generic roo mince makes a great bolognese and I remember buying some King Island wallaby fillet that grilled up a treat.

Ashamed to say but I had giant sea turtle once and it was delicious.
It was harvested legit by indigenous people during Nadoc week in a remote community I was staying in.
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by TassieTiger » 04 Jan 2019, 8:12 am

I think from memory - king island and Flinders island roo / wallaby was one of the few locations where restaurants could legally obtain the game meat for human consumption...
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Daddybang » 04 Jan 2019, 8:39 am

Bigjobss wrote:Ashamed to say but I had giant sea turtle once and it was delicious.
It was harvested legit by indigenous people during Nadoc week in a remote community I was staying in.


Nothing to be ashamed of. ..I love turtle but a little bit of it goes along way same for dugong. One that surprised me was possum quite a dark meat that has a fairly mild flavor :D :drinks:
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Blutius Maximus » 12 Jan 2019, 3:28 pm

Yes, that is something to be ashamed of.
They are endangered.
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Archie » 12 Jan 2019, 4:09 pm

If you want something really unimpressive for the hype, try whale. Fatty and boring, I tried it in Japan and why they bother with all the drama I have no idea. And to be honest I felt a bit guilty about it as well.

Not too surprised by the wallaby though. One of the best things I’ve ever made myself was wallaby bolognese, and one of the best things I’ve ever had at a restaurant was a braised wallaby pie. And that was in Australia but made by a chef from Sweden, so it’s a shame we don’t see more of it on local menus. Good to know also that there is difference between the types of roo.

The other thing which I reckon is underrated, but not really game and we’ll never get much of it, is horse.
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Daddybang » 12 Jan 2019, 4:34 pm

Jäger wrote:Yes, that is something to be ashamed of.
They are endangered.


First off not all species are endangered (turtles)second when its handed to ya as part of a celebration of indigenous and islander heritage in the spirit of reconciliation and inclusive community thetes f@#kall to be ashamed of . If YOU choose to be ashamed of something thats your right but please don't tell me what I should be ashamed of when ya know jack about my life and how it's lived. :thumbsup: :drinks:
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Re: Best damn game meat ever ?!?!?

Post by Bill » 12 Jan 2019, 6:45 pm

cant disagree with the sentiment, I make skippy kebabs for oversea's guests that get cooked on the webber.

pineapple get put beside the cubes of roo and melt in ya mouth is an understatement, I always let the crowd demolish the 'beef kebabs' before letting them know theyve just eaten skippy B-)
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