When I cook shanks, my kids ask me, ‘What’s that we can smell cooking?’ For years I’d reply with ‘Shanks’, and I’d always get a blank look in return. So I started pointing to my ankles. This seemed to get the message across. The kids would then bugger off to whatever it was they were doing, and I’d return to my earthly role as chief food-delivery service for my offspring. I’m sure most countries would have some animal with a few ankles worthy of cooking. In lieu of kangaroo you could use lamb, deer, goat and even wallaby – feel free to experiment. The beaut thing with ankles (shanks) is that all mammals share the same basic anatomy. These are muscles that work hard for the animal, so they need to be cooked slow and low. They also have a few gelatinous bits, which makes them super-delicious.
If you’re going to use this recipe as a suggestion only and you’re not using roo meat (especially if you live in Wyoming and don’t have kangaroos hopping around), I suggest you use the base spice that works well with that meat. Cloves or juniper berries work well with venison, rosemary and thyme work well with lamb, etc. I like to use cumin. It’s great with kangaroo and goat. Hell, it’s good with almost anything.