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Ever used the Papain (Papaya) based meat tenderizer?

tortaboy

tortaboy

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I should know better than experimenting when I have more than 20 people coming over, but what the heck.

Among other meats, I've got 6 tri tips marinading in a mixture of soy, worsh, wine, garlic, onion, and seasoned meat tenderizer. I'm looking for tri tip that will literally melt like butter.

Ever used Papain based meat tenderizer on beef? Your experiences?
 
Marinades don't penetrate nor do acids tenderize,except for making the outer mushy.
Papain, if not time controlled, will turn the meat to mush also.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but at least you have something that will tenderize.
Nothing is going to make tri tip melt literally like butter.
 
I've never experienced mushy meat, using any marinades....ever.

If marinades do not penetrate, why are the consistently used by millions of people?

If they do not penetrate, the taste sure tricks one into into thinking that they do.

I think you are wrong in your generalizations of Marinades Buc.
 
tortaboy said:
I've never experienced mushy meat, using any marinades....ever.

If marinades do not penetrate, why are the consistently used by millions of people?

If they do not penetrate, the taste sure tricks one into into thinking that they do.

I think you are wrong in your generalizations of Marinades Buc.
Click to expand...
Proven food science.
People's perceptions are extremely fallible, scientific testing is not.
Using an MRA on meat marinated for extended periods showed 1/16 penetration, yet the outer had protein collapse from the acids, which is a form of cooking really.
Yet people will use a marinade and eat it, and rave about the penetration and flavor depth.
That is just how it is.

Marinades benefit by lowering flare up, and by searing into the outer of the meat adding a flavor layer.
That's all.
I invite you to put a tri tip in a container of papain enzyme and wait a day or so.
Then tell me if you still have never seen mushy meat?
:twitch:
 
I have used papain with some marinades for goat meat. Personally I do not care much for marinades any more, at least not long ones.

For example, I used to marinate chicken overnight with spices and yogurt when making chicken tikka or tandoori chicken. Guests would rave about how tender and soft the meat was, when to me it was mushy. I didn't care for it that much. I prefer to marinate my chicken for about 4-6hrs now.

The same goes for my goat meat items. I don't marinate overnight anymore. I don't miss the papain, because the meat would turn to mush and I didn't care for the texture. I am speaking in the context of Indian recipes (the country, not Native American) so YMMV.

Having said that, give it a try and report back. What fun would any of this be without experimentation and trying something new now and then?
 
When wet aging a brisket it is supposedly the enzymes that break it down and make it more tender. While Papain and Bromelain are much more aggresive than what naturally occurs in the meat, I wonder if the proper amount would be beneficial in the same way. I'm thinking that injection would have to be involved to evenly distribute the enzymes.
 
The results are in:

I was concerned about trying something new for the family, so, I woke up early and did a test cook (Steak and Eggs for Breakfast...yeah baby).

The Tri Tip felt soft to the touch, but definitely not what I would call mushy at all.

After cooking to 140, resting, and slicing, I ended up with a very tender Tri Tip Roast. Definitely more tender than without using tenderizer. It reminds me of prime rib tenderness. If you consider that mushy....so be it.

Because I used a lot of soy in the marinade, along with seasoned Papaya tenderizer, I thought the meat was a bit too salty. My wife tasted it and said it was perfect.....what did I expect from a soy based marinade?

So, when I cook for the group this afternoon, I'll rub with some Sugar in the Raw brown sugar to balance out the salt.

My thoughts:

1) Regardless of what the science says, marinade makes meat taste more moist and flavorful.
2) Regardless of what the science says, tenderizer makes Tri Tip even more tender, and zero mush even after two days in the marinade.
 
BobBrisket said:
What if you cooked em like a Brisket?
Click to expand...

I did.....

I cooked it indirect at about 300 degrees. I didn't cook to the high internal temp of a brisket, but the method of cooking was identical.

I didn't sear it like a big steak.
 
tortaboy said:
The results are in:

I was concerned about trying something new for the family, so, I woke up early and did a test cook (Steak and Eggs for Breakfast...yeah baby).

The Tri Tip felt soft to the touch, but definitely not what I would call mushy at all.

After cooking to 140, resting, and slicing, I ended up with a very tender Tri Tip Roast. Definitely more tender than without using tenderizer. It reminds me of prime rib tenderness. If you consider that mushy....so be it.

Because I used a lot of soy in the marinade, along with seasoned Papaya tenderizer, I thought the meat was a bit too salty. My wife tasted it and said it was perfect.....what did I expect from a soy based marinade?

So, when I cook for the group this afternoon, I'll rub with some Sugar in the Raw brown sugar to balance out the salt.

My thoughts:

1) Regardless of what the science says, marinade makes meat taste more moist and flavorful.
2) Regardless of what the science says, tenderizer makes Tri Tip even more tender, and zero mush even after two days in the marinade.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't injecting them give you better results? Maybe Knucklehead will chime in on this one.
 
BobBrisket said:
Wouldn't injecting them give you better results? Maybe Knucklehead will chime in on this one.
Click to expand...

The results were just what I was looking for....how to make Tri Tip even more tender. The initial saltiness seemed to dissipate by the time we ate. I'm guessing it went back into the meat after it rested.

The words my sister in law used when I compared it to prime rib consistency was, "Like Butter".

My 23 year old son cut his with only a fork.

They looked at me like, "What are you talking about" when I asked if it seemed mushy at all.
 
buccaneer said:
Marinades don't penetrate nor do acids tenderize,except for making the outer mushy.
Papain, if not time controlled, will turn the meat to mush also.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but at least you have something that will tenderize.
Nothing is going to make tri tip melt literally like butter.
Click to expand...

Acids will tenderize, but they tend to work at surface level like Bucc stated. I've done lot's of chicken with things like lime, orange juices etc. They will turn the outter surface a light gray. It also makes it slimy. It's basically cooked the outter surface. Once you grill it, that outter surface is what gives you the flavor much like a rub. But, unless I jaccard the meat, it won't really go passed the surface and the inside tastes normal. If I inject, there is much more flavor internally, BUT you need to work on a quick time line.
 
BobBrisket said:
Acids will tenderize, but they tend to work at surface level like Bucc stated. I've done lot's of chicken with things like lime, orange juices etc. They will turn the outter surface a light gray. It also makes it slimy. It's basically cooked the outter surface. Once you grill it, that outter surface is what gives you the flavor much like a rub. But, unless I jaccard the meat, it won't really go passed the surface and the inside tastes normal. If I inject, there is much more flavor internally, BUT you need to work on a quick time line.
Click to expand...

Can't say I've ever made meat or chicken slimy.

I'm not looking to totally take away the flavor of the meat. Considering you get surface flavor from a Tri Tip in every bite (Unlike a thicker cut), for me, this combination worked well.

I was nervous yesterday thinking that I farked up six Tri Tips, but didn't need to be.
 
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