The Kangaroo Burger

IMG_4790I’ve eaten a lot of odd things in my life, but up until Friday, I had never eaten kangaroo. That includes a trip to Australia 10 years ago when I ate emu and crocodile, but not kangaroo.

Then came the BBQ Saloon in St. Louis.

I recently read a review about this new restaurant that said they featured some interesting meats. I’m always looking for something unique to try, so when the review mentioned off-the-menu kangaroo burgers, I knew I wanted to try one. Especially since I hardly ever think to order off the menu. So secret and special!

Much to my surprise (and both delight and chagrin), when I arrived at the restaurant, their lunch special was kangaroo burger. It wasn’t off the menu at all, but I still got one.

I wish I had a profound story about how the meat was the best thing I ever had, and now I can jump higher and run faster. But really, it was just a solid burger. It tasted almost identical to beef. It was juicy and delicious, and I felt a little bad that I was eating a kangaroo, an animal that’s only found in zoos in the US.

In fact, the main dish to note was the chorizo dip I had as an appetizer. I’m still thinking about it. It’s expensive for an appetizer–$11–but I would get it as a meal next time. It’s that good.

Have you tried kangaroo? What’s the oddest burger you’ve ever eaten?

9 thoughts on “The Kangaroo Burger”

  1. We used to eat Roo meat fairly often. The meat is cheap and in minced form, it is hard to distinguish from beef mince. Being Australian, it’s not really that much of a rarity and like you said, the taste isn’t anything special.

    It tastes like a tougher, a little more gamy version of beef with less fat.

    Reply
  2. I’m guessing that burger was $15 or more… that’s the best lettuce they can come up with? Pathetic. I will eat meat from nearly any animal that lives on land, as long as it’s not threatened or endangered. The weirdest? I dunno. Wild boar? (Delicious! Wild boar: pork as free-range chicken thighs: grocery-store chicken breast) Venison, black bear, pheasant, rattlesnake, emu, ostrich, bison. All pretty pedestrian. Alligator is OK but a little too seafood for me. I had horse in France and thought it was tasty; I don’t see what the big deal is, and I ride horses… it’s not offensive to me. In Taiwan, I tried a domestic animal meat that I’m sure would make some of you very angry with me. It wasn’t unusual or different in texture, so I didn’t eat it again. I’ve eaten squirrel, rabbit, pigeon (delicious!), and reindeer. (Santa did not strike me with lightning).

    So as adventurous as I am about eating things that lived on the land, I am squeamish about eating things that lived in the ocean. There are some fishy things that I’ll eat, like wild-caught salmon and tuna steak (cooked, thank you), but otherwise can mostly live happily without any of it.

    Reply
    • Julia: I think the burger was pretty reasonable–around $10?

      You’ve eaten some really interesting meat! I now have a much longer list of meat to try. 🙂

      Reply

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