Emu, full rump, raw

Emu is a dark, fine-grained red meat that cooks and tastes closer to lean beef or venison than to chicken or turkey despite coming from a bird, and the rump is a lean, tender roasting cut that holds its shape well on the grill or in a hot skillet. Because it carries so little fat, it is best seared quickly over high heat and served rare to medium rare, or slow-roasted with a marinade to keep it from drying out. It pairs naturally with flavors used for other red meats: red wine reductions, juniper and black pepper, roasted root vegetables, or a simple char-grilled treatment with just salt and oil. Thin slices also work cured or smoked in the style of bresaola, since the low fat content lets the meat's flavor come through clearly.

Emu meat should look deep red and moist, similar to beef, and is usually sold vacuum-packed and frozen since it is a specialty item; keep it refrigerated and use within a couple of days of thawing, or freeze for longer storage. An 85-gram serving of the rump comes in at just 112 calories with 22.8 grams of protein, 46 percent of the daily value, and only 1.64 grams of fat, making it a lean cut to build a dinner plate around when the goal is a high-protein main without much fat. Its 28 percent DV of iron per 100 grams also makes it worth considering when rotating red-meat protein sources through the week.