There are certain fruits that you can use to make your steak more tender. These fruits contain protease enzymes.
Kiwi is one of several fruits that has protease enzymes. These protease enzymes break down protein and more importantly collagen protein. Collagen protein is what makes steaks tough, so they become more tender when this protein is broken down.
I have written about a couple of other fruits that you can use to tenderize steak which have protease and enzymes as well. Fruits such as pineapples and mangoes. I also talk more about ways to make steak more tender in a previously published post.
Collagen protein is something that is incredibly good for you. I don’t believe the average person gets enough of it and I did a previous post about bone broth which talks a lot more about collagen.
Why is Kiwi a good steak tenderizer?
Kiwi is a good steak tenderizer because it has a protease enzyme in it called actinidin. This enzyme is supposed to break down protein in meat without turning it into mush. It is a helpful thing in case you forgot about how long you were tenderizing.
The actinidin found in kiwifruit — specifically green-variety kiwifruit — is highly effective in breaking down the protein and connective tissues of meat without turning the it into mush.
zespri.com
Mushy is the last thing that you want to turn your steak into. You simply want to make it more tender and avoid the mush. This is easier said than done.
How does Kiwi tenderize steak?
Protease enzymes in kiwi weaken the structure of the meat and break down the protein into smaller segments. When the protein gets broken down into smaller segments then the meat becomes tender.
This is exactly what proteases do as shown in a quote from discoveryexpresskids.com:
A proteolytic enzyme (aka protease) is a protein that digests other proteins by breaking them down into smaller pieces.
discoveryexpresskids.com
How to tenderize steak with kiwi?
To tenderize steak with kiwi you will have to blend the kiwi. Then use the blended kiwi to marinate the steak for the right amount of time to tenderize the steak enough but not too much.
Here is a list so that you can easily see the steps:
- Blend kiwi
- Marinate steak
- Wash off the kiwi from the steak
- Salt brine steak
- Cook
- Let rest
I used the skin on a pineapple when I used it to marinate steak because the skin contains enzymes. Although, I will no longer use the skin on fruit anymore because it was terrible to get it off of the steak before cooking it.
The skin on the kiwi is easy to get off. I usually slice one in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. You can use a peeler to get off the skin of the kiwi as well.
For my steak, I used a flat iron steak which is lean and tender. It doesn’t need to be tenderized but I wanted to do it anyways and see how it comes out.
I blended only two kiwis and it was enough for my steak. After they were blended I put the steak in a container and poured over the kiwi. I made sure that the kiwi covered the entire surface of the steak.
If the kiwi did not touch the entire surface of the steak then that part of the steak will not get tenderized.
I tenderized the with the kiwi for about 25-30 minutes. You don’t want to let it marinate for too long otherwise it has a good chance of becoming mushy.
After that, I rinsed off the kiwi so that it didn’t leave any funky aftertaste. Doing this step well is a must. You want to get off all of the Kiwi.
The next step is to add a lot of salt to the steak. Salt is what gives the steak that flavor and without it, you will have a very bland steak.
To learn more about the importance of salt on steak check out my post.
I let the salt sit on the steak and salt brine for about ten minutes. This allows the salt to get absorbed into the steak and will give the steak a better flavor.
Next, I used a cast iron pan to cook the steak. A cast iron pan is a great way to cook a steak because it retains heat and will sear the steak really well. Check out more info about cast iron pans in my post.
I cooked the steak until it was a good medium rare and then I pulled it out of the pan and let it rest. This is another crucial step and it allows the steak to reabsorb the juices. I’ve noticed by doing this step that the steak is less bloody afterward as well.
How long can you tenderize steak with kiwi?
Tenderizing steak with kiwi for about 30 minutes is the best practice. If you do it for much longer, the steak will probably be too mushy. Although with a steak that has less connective tissue like a flat iron, the risk of it becoming too mushy is lower.
Can you use kiwi juice to tenderize steak?
Yes, you can use kiwi juice to tenderize steak. Kiwi juice should have enzymes in it to break down the proteins in the steak. You want to use fresh kiwi juice which should have the highest amount of enzymes.
Conclusion
After tasting the steak, I was sadly disappointed. I expected it to come out more tender but it wasn’t. I think it was the type of steak that I used.
Flat iron steak is a very lean steak and has very little connective tissue. It is a steak that is already tender. So I think that tenderizing it with kiwi did not make it much more tender than it already was.
The best steak I have had that I tenderized with fruit was a ribeye with mango. It was probably the best steak I have ever had. I encourage you to check out my post.
