Having recently written about how different cuts of meat can be the make or break for someone with dysphagia, I’ve had a look into how we can gain access to a wider variety of meats but still make them manageable enough to share. Economically, there are also ways to gain access to more affordable meats that tend to be more tough. Yes, I’m talking about tenderising meat. Whether you’ve asked your local butcher to pass it through the tenderising machine or pounded out your steak with a mallet, there are many ways to skin a cat, so to speak. However, todays solution is brought to you by Natural Meat Tenderisers such as Paw Paw and Pineapple. This technique is typically reserved for the red meats such as beef, lamb, duck, rabbit and goat, however I have seen it used on white meats such as pork, chicken and turkey.
PAW PAW
Paw Paw, also known as Papaya, is a melon-like fruit that originated in the Americas although is widely used in Southeast Asian cuisines and also now grown and available in most western countries. Paw paw is a sweet summer fruit that contains lots of nutrients and antioxidants, but in this case, most importantly it contains Papain. Papain is an enzyme in Paw Paw that is key in the meat tenderising process. It breaks down the fibres, known as collagen, that hold the meat together and give it shape. Papain can be found in the flesh, the leaves and also the skin, where it is most concentrate. But most importantly, green Paw Paw has a much higher concentrate of Papain than orange, making it more effective to tenderise meat.
There are also a myriad of ways to apply paw paw to the meat. One common way is to create a paste consistency with both the white flesh and the skin and then coat the meat, leaving it to marinade for about 30-45 minutes. You can check yourself by simply poking or pressing the meat every 15 minutes to check the consistency. However ⛔️ proceed with caution ⛔️. Depending on the cut and type of meat, any longer than this can make the meat disintegrate when cooking, effectively turning the meat to mush which speaks volumes about the ✨ Power of Papain ✨. Different cuts of meat will require different amounts of paste however there is a general rule of approximately 1 tablespoon per kilo of meat. The trick? Cook immediately afterwards. The Papain will continue to eat away the collagen even if the meat is rinsed and the only way to stop this monster is to apply heat..or just cook the meat.
Another way to apply the paw paw, especially if you’re using thin slices of meat, is to cover the meat in thinly sliced paw paw, creating a sheet-like coating over the surface. Alternatively, whack a couple of cubes in the pot with your meat while it slow cooks and you should have the same effect. The wonderful thing about green paw paw is that it doesn’t really have a taste, unlike ripe, orange paw paw. So you can add it to your pot or even leave the marinade on to cook and no one will be the wiser.
PINEAPPLE 🍍
Pineapple is our other tenderising monster and probably more accessible and affordable here in Australia. Pineapple is a tropical fruit, native to South America that is also full of wonderful nutrients including our little friend called Bromelain- another hungry little enzyme that breaks down the fibres in meat to make it nice a tender to eat.
Bromelain can be found in the freshly squeezed juice and the flesh of pineapple so you can use either to marinade your meat. However, the highest concentrate of bromelain can be found in the stem. So… snack on the juicy flesh in the meantime?? Best to cut the skin off too if you are going to use the flesh so the hard and spindly parts don’t get stuck in your meat.
The catch with using pineapple as a meat tenderiser is that in does in fact have a gorgeous and sweet flavour so that will come through in your cooking. It is less of a catch if you’re going to use it to add flavour to your dish but if not, you’ll need to rinse your meat and pat dry before cooking it.
In my vast (google) studies, I found less information around the timeframe required for the meat to marinade although generally it was around the same time as the paw paw, approximately 45 minutes. I would presume it might be longer with freshly squeezed pineapple juice given there is less Bromelain than puree made with the stem. However, I did note all the same principles as paw paw; assess the meat every 15 minutes by poking with a fork or your finger, cook straight away otherwise the meat will continue to tenderise, and marinading for too long will result in mushy meat when cooking.
STORAGE 🫙
If you’re wanting to store your pineapple and paw paw paste, it’s recommended that you keep it sealed and in the fridge as warm temperature can compromise the properties of the enzyme, or their effectiveness to break down meat. It’s also recommended that you don’t keep it for longer than a week, unless you are freezing it.
If you are freezing it, you can do so in snap lock bags or ice cube trays so that you can defrost it in serves. Best to measure out each “serving” before freezing so you can track the 1 tbsp:1 kg ratio.
Some recipes also use oil instead of water to create a paw paw puree which may help to preserve the puree for longer if not being frozen.
RECIPES
Ingredients
1 green paw paw, deseeded OR ½-1 pineapple, skinned.
Water or oil as indicated
Method
De-seed the paw paw or skin the pineapple, and dice.
Add to the blender and add oil or water as needed so the blades move smoothly.
Blend until it reaches a smooth paste.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge or freeze in serving of approximately 2 tablespoons.
Get tropical and get tenderising ✨🍍🌴✨
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