To tenderize mutton for BBQ I use fresh papaya paste, but it is not available in some areas. Are there any alternatives to papaya paste that could be easily found?
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related: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/89212/chemical-meat-tenderizers – rumtscho Oct 30 '18 at 15:44
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2Possible duplicate of [Chemical meat tenderizers](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/89212/chemical-meat-tenderizers) – Ess Kay Oct 30 '18 at 17:13
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Not an exact duplicate, though, so I'll post an answer with a link to that question. – FuzzyChef Oct 30 '18 at 19:47
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Your closest substitute will be pineapple, either juice or puree, which is much more widely available worldwide than green papaya.
Papaya contains a natural tenderizer called papain; pineapple contains a different one called bromelain. While the actions of the two fruit-based tenderizers won't be exactly the same, they will be very similar. Plus both will impart a tropical-fruit-flavor.
Your other alternative is to find dried paypaya powder. While still hard to find in many places, you could order it over the internet, and it would keep for a long time. The enzyme Papain survives drying*, and thus can still be used in powder form, although you'd have to experiment with quantities.
If none of that suits, see this answer for other ideas.
(* there are multiple references to this but they're all spammy, so no links included)
FuzzyChef
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