Game

Game meat — venison, kangaroo, wild boar and goat — carries less fat than feedlot beef and a stronger, more mineral flavour, so a proper game rub is built with backbone rather than sugar and salt alone. That's why lamb and wild game share a shelf here: both are lean, strong-flavoured meats that punish a light hand.

This is the shelf for anything wilder than a supermarket roast — venison backstrap, kangaroo fillet, wild boar shoulder, a leg of goat or a rack of lamb, especially where the meat runs the risk of drying out fast over direct heat.

Start with Butchers Axe's Hunter Lamb and Game Rub for a savoury, herby blend with a whisper of coffee, Rum and Que's Ram Rod Game Rub for a garlic-and-thyme New Zealand competition blend, or Smoky Pastures' Game On Rub for a Middle Eastern-leaning, aromatic hit on kangaroo and venison.

What ties the range together is restraint on the sugar — game meat scorches fast over open heat, so these blends lean on pepper, herbs and earthiness rather than a sweet crust that burns before the meat's through. Lean meat, stronger flavour, less margin for error — this is the seasoning built to respect all three. Wild game, seasoned right.

Explore more: our venison and beef collections.