Kangaroo is as local as I can get it. If you want to use the term sustainable, I reckon this animal is my best sustainable option. They’re native, which is important, as it means they’ve evolved to live in harmony with the natural environment and the conditions of where they live.
Kangaroos have an ability to live within the carrying capacity of their ecosystem. They tend to reproduce based on the current supply of resources. This is a fantastic system for them, but it’s not so rad for the farmers trying to grow grain crops, which the kangaroos love to feast on. There are more kangaroos in Victoria now than there were before European settlement, because the landscape has been altered through land-clearing for agricultural purposes. More fields of green tended for sheep or cattle means more food for kangaroos, which ultimately means a healthy roo population. The roos have become an agricultural pest, and are therefore shot by the farmers in an effort to manage their numbers.
In reality, we could dispense with the sheep and the cattle and simply harvest the kangaroos. Their meat is lean, they don’t require fences (they simply jump over them), they don’t need vet visits, drenching or mustering to fresh pastures. They just need to be harvested, butchered and packaged. But it’s against the law to hunt them for my family, so when I find a roadkill I check it for freshness – which is probably also illegal, but hey, we can’t all be perfect citizens, can we? Kangaroo isn’t available everywhere, but wherever we live, there are some more sustainable forms of protein for us. It’s just a matter of identifying them and tapping into the supply.
Kangaroo tail is a great cut. It’s gelatinous and tender, and if treated the right way it makes for an amazing meal. I’ve had a tail cooked with Chinese flavours and it was mind-blowing, so I guess the general gist is to experiment and find what works best for you.