Corned Beef Flat (14# plus)


 
D

Dan N.

TVWBB Pro
OK, a chef friend of mine gave me a frozen corn beef brisket flat that is huge. It actually measure about 12" wide and 14" long (maybe from an elephant?) Has to weigh at least 14#). It is from Brookfield Farms (Illinois) and labeled as Tommy Murphy's Corned Beef Brisket. But, that is not my question. It says "tenderized with papain". A brief perusal on Google tells me that this is from the papaya and is used used to break down protein. There a bunch of other sites (which I haven't looked at yet) which warn of various bodily consequences. Has anyone (Kevin?) ever heard of meat injected with PAPAIN?

By the way, I'm making this into pastrami. Will definitely have to cut in half because it will not fit into WSM. Thanks - Dan
 
Papain is an enzyme and the active ingredient in meat tenderizers like Adolph's. Derived from the papaya plant. Fresh, unpasteurized pineapple juice will have a similar meat-tenderizing effect due to an enzyme called bromelain. With a corned beef, I would have hoped they'd have used a more traditional cure, which should also have had a tenderizing effect, rather than resort to an injection.
 
I beleive that most corned beef brisket is tenderized with papain - and it makes a good product.

thaw it, rinse it, rub it, smoke it, ENJOY IT
 
Oh I will enjoy - just have never seen a label with papain before. I'll search the other "papain" sites tomorrow. Must be some concentrated form thats bad for ya.

Ready tonight to do the soaking process in water. Kinda tuff to do with the temps up here around 90 though. Wish I had a bigger fridge for this bad boy.
 
WOW! that is a HUGE flat. Most packers I cook are not that big.

As far as adverse effect of papain, if you are allergic to tropical fruits you may have a reaction to the papain, or if you eat a ton of it (or papaya) you could develope soars in your mouth or esophagus. That's about it.

This site sees to have quite a bit of info on it. Don't know about the credibility of it though.
link

Kirk
 
Dan--

Enzymatic tenderizers often tenderize meat to the point of mushiness, especially when used in their dry forms as a sprinkle and especially as time passes. In fact, most often there is no point where the meat might be described as tender. Once applied, enzymes are very effective at breaking down muscle fibers and collagen and the meat simply goes from tough to mushy without ever passing through tender. Too much applied or on too long and the meat hits the dry/tough stage fast as the 'tender' meat is so broken down it cannot hold moisture or rendered collagen effectively at all.

Commercial injections usually fare better because the manufacturer can cut way back on the papain (or bromelain) and add other stuff to help the meat retain moisture/fat (with varying degrees of success potential) however--let's call a spade a spade--it's done because packers know that a) there is a good chance that consumers will overcook the meat, and b) most consumers will equate mushy with tender. If the consumer overcooks but the meat stays 'tender' they'll be more likely to purchase it again.

Kirk is spot-on about the negative effects. And they are rare.

It was nice of your friend to give you the meat. Hopefully the packer knew what they were doing and combined with your soaking and smoking process you'll end up with terrific pastrami. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.

(Nice that it's cooler. I'm below you, in Baraboo, as I type.)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kirk Hetzel:
WOW! that is a HUGE flat. Most packers I cook are not that big.

As far as adverse effect of papain, if you are allergic to tropical fruits you may have a reaction to the papain, or if you eat a ton of it (or papaya) you could develope soars in your mouth or esophagus. That's about it.

This site sees to have quite a bit of info on it. Don't know about the credibility of it though.
link

Kirk </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Really? In Texas that is normal size... or they come bigger for our packers. Y'all must be cooking mini-meat up there!
 
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