Kezie Foods: Kangaroo Rump Steak [Review by @CaptainKindling]

We got offered a large selection of exotic meats that none of our regular reviewers were brave enough to try so I invited a good friend of mine, and fellow blogger CaptainKindling to give them a try.  If you want to read more of his stuff then head on over to his regular home of Games & Tea and see what you find...

Kezie Foods: Kangaroo Rump Steak

Following on from the rather nice Crocodile burgers, my next dinner choice from exotic meat supplier Kezie Foods was Kangaroo Rump Steak.  I mentioned previously that I've had Kangaroo once before but didn't really do justice to it, so this time around I was determined to do things properly and make a decent meal out of it!  Fortunately the cooking guide on Kezie's website tells you everything you need to know about making the most out of your exotic meats, and so I was only to happy to put the fate of my dinner in their hands.

After three days of defrosting the steak in the fridge, I removed it from the vacuum packaging, patted it dry with some kitchen roll, and then left it on the chopping board for 20 minutes to reach room temperature.  The product page, cooking guide and how-to video all suggest that exotic steaks are best cooked medium-rare.  Having chosen to pan fry the 'Roo I followed the guide, heated a little olive oil in the frying pan, and seared the meat all over before cooking it for 1 1/2 minutes on each side.  Afterwards I placed it on a wire rack to keep it from sitting in its juices, covered it with some foil to keep the heat in, and plated up the rest of the meal ready for the big taste test!  The Kezie guides suggested serving the steak with a little side-salad, but I decided to follow the traditional pub-grub approach of having it with chips and peas.

Initial thoughts?  Well Kangaroo definitely tastes much better having been lightly fried than it did having been half-cremated on a barbeque!  The gamey flavour comes through strongly, but it isn't overpowering.  I refrained from seasoning the steak as I didn't want to risk losing the 'Roo's flavour, but it's definitely a meat which could be lightly seasoned without losing its identity.  There was a small amount of gristle in the steak, but not nearly as much as you'll find in beef, so cutting around it requires only minimal effort.

One thing I would suggest is that if you like your steak medium-rare then it's probably better to cook it for slightly longer than the 1 1/2 minutes on each side suggested.  Using those guidelines mine came out rare which is actually my usual steak preference, but may not have been to my liking if I'd preferred my meat a little less red.  Having said that, even cooked rare it did come out pretty tough, so overcooking with Kangaroo is definitely something to be avoided!  I've spoken to a few friends who have tried 'Roo steaks, and they all agree that it's a meat that needs strong jaw muscles!  But tough or not, it was nicely juicy, and the flavour was a definite winner with me.  I'd thoroughly recommend them to any steak eater!

Kangaroo rump steaks from Kezie will set you back £4.95 for a 225g steak (as shown here), or £5.50 for a pack of 2 smaller steaks (250g combined), which means there's not a great deal of price difference between these and good-quality beef steaks.