Corned beef point "contains papayin"?

[Mosca]

I know what papayin is. I passed on buying one mostly because we're in the middle of getting the deck replaced and I have nowhere to cook it and nowhere to store it.

But I am also concerned about a product that has already been treated with a meat tenderizer. Th rational part of me says that who cares? Papayin is a natural enzyme, and tender meat is good! The irrational side says that additives are bad, bad! And I should avoid them.

I mean, it's been cut and pickled. Should anyone really care about papayin?

[Jerod Broussard]

I was told if you're going to sous-vide that papayin will make a gelatinous mess of some sort.

[richinlbrg]

What is papayin?

[Jerod Broussard]

Natural meat tenderizer found in Papaya.

[Tim Clark]

I think it's probably just papain spelled wrong. Papaya enzyme. If you're going to eat corned beef, you're going to eat additives, even if you make it yourself. The only thing you have to worry about with papaya is if you eat too much of it. It can actually tenderize your tongue.

[Strat50]

According to a search I just did at Web MD, Papayin enzyme is safe at most concentrations found in food. I would prefer papayin use to MSG, but I'm not too keen on either. Having said that, when I make quick pastrami, I just grab the corned beef I find and cook it. I guess I need to pay closer attention.

[Huskee]

I think you hit the nail on the head when you rationalized everything it's already been through... the carcass has been skinned, sprayed with antimicrobials, aged, cut, pickled, smoked with wood that's been in contact with what.... Then Prague powder (nitrite), salt, pickling agents, more salt, rubs, what do all of these become when they intermingle for a week, what chemical compounds are created when it's all cooked, yada yada... There's probably so much of that going on it would boggle our minds if we knew every little molecular detail.

[W.A.]

Everything is made of chemicals. Sorry

[DeusDingo]

i'm not. no chemicals here, no sir!