The Secret To Juicy And Tender Meat Starts With One Unexpected Fruit

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It feels like a crime to spend money on a pricey meat like steak and then end up with a finished texture that requires more chewing than dinner conversation. To avoid this unhappy fate, look no further than papaya, which doubles as an amazing natural meat tenderizer. While this might be an unexpected way to use the fruit, it is an excellent and effective method. Even better, you don't have to worry about how to choose a ripe papaya at the store, as the fruit works best for tenderizing even when it is unripe.

Papaya contains an enzyme called papain that is a wonder at breaking down proteins, like the collagen in connective tissue. Coating your meat with papaya is a nifty chemistry trick that makes you seem like a chef extraordinaire and it could not be simpler. All it takes is about a tablespoon of pureed papaya per pound of meat to do the trick. For tougher cuts of red meat, like skirt steak or flank steak, you will need to let the papaya work its magic for about two hours, but more tender cuts like ribeye or filet will transform in as little as half an hour. This is definitely a case of more is not always better. If you leave the meat coated in papaya for too long, it can lose its structure and become mushy.

If you've grabbed an unripe green papaya, you can create a quick paste by cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds, giving it a rough dice, and throwing it in the blender. You can even leave the skin on. If you do end up with a papaya that is already ripe, no worries. Just use double the amount and follow these tips for cutting so you can enjoy the extra fruit, perhaps even serving it on top of the meat. The next step is a choose-your-own-adventure situation. You can slather the paste directly on the meat or add it directly into a marinade and combine two steps at once: adding flavor and tenderizing the meat. After letting the papaya tenderize the meat, wipe off the excess paste and continue with your cooking method of choice. 

Papaya works wonders on red meat, but you could also try it with proteins like pork or chicken. Just watch the marinating time so that the proteins don't break down too much. An added benefit of the papain enzyme is that it can make meat easier to digest in addition to making it easier to chew. Talk about a natural wonder. If you don't have access to fresh papaya, you could also sub in papaya powder. If all of this talk of fruits has you itching to branch out, you can also try using kiwi for its own ability to tenderize meat.