Thread: Goanna Cooking

We recently travelled the Canning Stock Route from Wiluna to Billulina and spent several days at well 6 waiting for the track to dry out. Whilst there a group of locals pulled up in Landcruisers. They were from two mobs actually, the Jiggalong mob and another mob whose name we didn't catch.

Here's some of Kayes journal entry of the visit (and some pics)...................



Step 1. First catch your Goanna (and an emu egg for desert)

After inspecting our nice coals in the fire place, they asked if they could use the fire. By now some boys came over with a second dead goanna they had just chased down, a little bigger than the first. We were happily given a very interesting lesson on how to gut and cook goanna.



First take a green acacia stick bend/break it to create a small hook, place down the goanna’s mouth into its belly, give the stick a bit of a twist and pull out the entrails. Do exactly the same from the other orifice and he presto, gutted goanna without having made an incision. Place sticks on fire to create flame and gently sear the skin of the goanna.



Carefully and diligently scrape off this burnt layer of skin, leaving a very pale skinned goanna. Another green piece of stick is placed between the back legs which are bent up over its back to keep it straight while it is being cooked.



The goanna is then placed in the warm coals (not hot), for about an hour turning once.



When they were taken out of the fire after the required time and poked in the belly steam shooting out of the mouth determined they were cooked.



They were brushed and cleaned thoroughly with leafy twigs to rid them of all the ash. The very hot goannas were taken off to be eaten for afternoon tea after they cooled. The boys all had meat sandwiches for lunch. We didn’t get to taste the goanna but were told it tastes a little like chicken.

A very interesting and educational experience.

Deano

Thanks for the pics!

Very interesting.