Steak, the greatest of all grill meats… But what steak to choose? Well Ribeye is my all time favourite steak to BBQ on top of the grill but I had a great deal on 2 big rump steaks this week and wanted to try something different 🤔
It only took me a few minutes to figure out what I wanted to try! Papaya marinade with pineapple and Exodust jerk seasoning supplied by Angus and Oink ( https://angusandoink.com/products/exodust-jamaican-jerk-seasoning )
Papaya is an excellent natural meat tenderizer. Use papaya (ripe or unripe) on tough cuts of red meat and the enzymes in the fruit will help break down the collagen, leaving you with a tender steak.
Papaya is rich in an enzyme known as Papain and this is the compound which has the ability to break down meat fibers.
So, Papain basically breaks down collagen, which is the main protein that connects tissues.
For the marinade:
1 X Papaya (ripe or unripe)
1/2 X Fresh pineapple
1 X Jerk seasoning (1 tbsp)
1 X Chilli (I used scotch bonnet)
1 X Fresh lime juice
1 X Freah Thyme (1 tsp)
You can add/subtract ingredients to taste, this is just a guide to compliment the papaya.
Less is more with this marinade, it surprised me how quick this tenderiser got to work on the steak. Just brush both sides of the steak with a thin layer of marinade and leave in the fridge for an hour (I found that any longer lead’s to the meat becoming a bit too soft, it may benefit tougher cuts)
Wipe off the marinade with a paper towel, brush lightly with oil and apply more of your jerk seasonings. Get your grill nice and hot (approx 250oC / 480oF) and make sure you clean and oil your grate to provide the best possible cooking surface for your steaks! And on they go… 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Grill over direct heat for 3 minutes per side and then move over indirect heat for approx 10 minutes for medium rare (depending on the thickness)
Now, we’ve treated ourselves to the steak, may as well go whole hogg 🐗 and finish the job… I used the top of the pineapple, brushed it with oil, ginger, garlic and thyme and then made a spicy coconut sugar rub 🥥 incorporating my man Chilli Of The Valley “Fluffy Little Kittens” Dust 🤯🔥🤯🔥 liberally coated the pineapple and popped it in the grill along with some whole tomatoes 🍅 and aubergine 🍆
Finally, I got the cast iron skillet out, crisped up some smoked pancetta 🥓, boiled some elbow macaroni, made a cheese sauce with a roux, milk, mustard, nutmeg and grated a mix of mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and gouda 🧀🧀🧀🧀 and let that tick over on the grill, lid down to melt all that beautiful cheese 😍
And there you go! Slice it all up on a board, let people dig in and plate up whatever they like 🤤🤤🤤🧀👍🥓🍆🔥🤯🍖🍅🍍
Flamin' Joe's BBQ Co. 