Hi everybody!
I've got a brisket and a pork shoulder in the freezer that I want to BBQ
next weekend.
What's the best way you've found to thaw these, and how long does it take?
I usually don't start with frozen meat, but I stocked up when there was a
sale.
Thanks !

Good buys on meat are hard to come by and I am sure many here stock up
on ribs, brisket and butts/picnics when the price is right.

I usually thaw in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. Sometimes the
cryo bags leak or create condensation, so I put the the meat on a
towel, or better yet, in a lipped baking sheet to catch moisture.

I leave a 13 -14 pound piece of meat in about 5 days, and it is thawed
and ready to rub. Pork or beef cuts, ribs, or the famous monster bag
of leg quarters, no matter. Turkeys of the same size don't take more
than four days.

When I have a big boy brisket like an 18# find (hope they come in soon
- the weather is upon us!) I have to thaw it in my cooler as there
isn't enough room on in the fridge.

In this case, I don't care if it leaks. I put the brisket in the
Igloo about 5 days before rub day. The cooler doesn't hold temps like
the fridge for obvious reasons, so I like to put the solid block of
brisket in and leave it overnight. Then I put a bag of ice over it
and go to work. When the ice is half melted, I put another bag in the
cooler with it. About day four you should almost be out of ice and
your brisket/butt should be thawed enough to check. Check your
brisket by seeing if it will bend. Butts... you just have to trust
the pliability.

According to my butcher buddies at Sam's, you can keep the unfrozen
cryovac meat for a couple of weeks IF you don't break the seal
(brisket up to six weeks!!), AND you keep the temps very cool.

Last year's turkey smoke involved a 26 pound monster I couldn't
resist. The bird was huge. I thawed it in the cooler as described
above, and it took five days to get to thawed to about 40 degrees.

The point to all this is to let the meat thaw slowly and evenly,
letting the inside thaw while keeping the outside of the meat very
cool. For big meat, no hot water baths, no microwave jump starts, and
no leaving it out on the counter overnight or any of that stuff.

So keep the meat cool, and allow as much time as you need, maybe a
couple of extra days, as your mileage >will< vary when you do it with
your own equipment.

Robert

> wrote

> When I have a big boy brisket like an 18# find (hope they come in soon
> - the weather is upon us!) I have to thaw it in my cooler as there
> isn't enough room on in the fridge.


I like the cooler idea. It's a "why didn't I think of that?" thing.

We never have room in the fridge to thaw anything big.


TFM®

TFM® wrote:
>
>
> > wrote
>
>> When I have a big boy brisket like an 18# find (hope they come in soon
>> - the weather is upon us!) I have to thaw it in my cooler as there
>> isn't enough room on in the fridge.
>
>
> I like the cooler idea.

In the garage, no doubt. Kent - is that you?

-sw

"J Stevens" > wrote in
message news:K1HAk.673$Pv5.85@edtnps83...
> Hi everybody!
> I've got a brisket and a pork shoulder in the freezer that I want to BBQ
> next weekend.
> What's the best way you've found to thaw these, and how long does it take?
> I usually don't start with frozen meat, but I stocked up when there was a
> sale.
> Thanks !

There are several ways to thaw any meat. The best method is to Temper the
food being defrosted. Tempering simply means to thaw in the refrigerator or
any other cold environment over a long period of time.

It is known in the freezing process the water within the food freezes first
forming ice crystals which separate from and damage the cells. It is
believed the tempering process allows the cells to reabsorb the separated
liquid (Water).

I have in the past simply I have put a very large piece of meat into a
cooler which will act like a self generating refrigerator. Obviously the
cooler will eventually warm up and the food will defrost. If you use the
cooler method place an instant read thermometer into the cooler and check
the temperature at least daily.

Dimitri

"Dimitri" > wrote in message
...
>
> "J Stevens" > wrote in
> message news:K1HAk.673$Pv5.85@edtnps83...
>> Hi everybody!
>> I've got a brisket and a pork shoulder in the freezer that I want to BBQ
>> next weekend.
>> What's the best way you've found to thaw these, and how long does it
>> take?
>> I usually don't start with frozen meat, but I stocked up when there was a
>> sale.
>> Thanks !
>
> There are several ways to thaw any meat. The best method is to Temper the
> food being defrosted. Tempering simply means to thaw in the refrigerator
> or any other cold environment over a long period of time.
>
> It is known in the freezing process the water within the food freezes
> first forming ice crystals which separate from and damage the cells. It is
> believed the tempering process allows the cells to reabsorb the separated
> liquid (Water).
>
> I have in the past simply I have put a very large piece of meat into a
> cooler which will act like a self generating refrigerator. Obviously the
> cooler will eventually warm up and the food will defrost. If you use the
> cooler method place an instant read thermometer into the cooler and check
> the temperature at least daily.

The temp should be kept below 40 degrees, right?

"Gil Faver" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Dimitri" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "J Stevens" > wrote in
>> message news:K1HAk.673$Pv5.85@edtnps83...
>>> Hi everybody!
>>> I've got a brisket and a pork shoulder in the freezer that I want to BBQ
>>> next weekend.
>>> What's the best way you've found to thaw these, and how long does it
>>> take?
>>> I usually don't start with frozen meat, but I stocked up when there was
>>> a sale.
>>> Thanks !
>>
>> There are several ways to thaw any meat. The best method is to Temper
>> the food being defrosted. Tempering simply means to thaw in the
>> refrigerator or any other cold environment over a long period of time.
>>
>> It is known in the freezing process the water within the food freezes
>> first forming ice crystals which separate from and damage the cells. It
>> is believed the tempering process allows the cells to reabsorb the
>> separated liquid (Water).
>>
>> I have in the past simply I have put a very large piece of meat into a
>> cooler which will act like a self generating refrigerator. Obviously the
>> cooler will eventually warm up and the food will defrost. If you use the
>> cooler method place an instant read thermometer into the cooler and check
>> the temperature at least daily.
>
> The temp should be kept below 40 degrees, right?


Very good you're right on.

Here is what the USDA says:

Dimitri

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/...Food/index.asp



The Danger zone for spoilage The "Danger Zone" (40 °F-140 °F)
Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 ° and 140
°F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of
temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." That's why the Meat and
Poultry Hotline advises consumers to never leave food out of refrigeration
over 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F, food should not be left out
more than 1 hour.

If you are traveling with cold foods, bring a cooler with a cold source. If
you are cooking, use a hot campfire or portable stove. It is difficult to
keep foods hot without a heat source when traveling, so it’s best to cook
foods before leaving home, cool them, and transport them cold.

Gil Faver wrote:
>> I have in the past simply I have put a very large piece of meat into a
>> cooler which will act like a self generating refrigerator. Obviously the
>> cooler will eventually warm up and the food will defrost. If you use the
>> cooler method place an instant read thermometer into the cooler and check
>> the temperature at least daily.
>
> The temp should be kept below 40 degrees, right?
>

Absolutely! Which is why doing it in the refrigerator is the recommended
procedure.

--
Steve

"Gil Faver" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Dimitri" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "J Stevens" > wrote in
>> message news:K1HAk.673$Pv5.85@edtnps83...
>>> Hi everybody!
>>> I've got a brisket and a pork shoulder in the freezer that I want to BBQ
>>> next weekend.
>>> What's the best way you've found to thaw these, and how long does it
>>> take?
>>> I usually don't start with frozen meat, but I stocked up when there was
>>> a sale.
>>> Thanks !
>>
>> There are several ways to thaw any meat. The best method is to Temper
>> the food being defrosted. Tempering simply means to thaw in the
>> refrigerator or any other cold environment over a long period of time.
>>
>> It is known in the freezing process the water within the food freezes
>> first forming ice crystals which separate from and damage the cells. It
>> is believed the tempering process allows the cells to reabsorb the
>> separated liquid (Water).
>>
>> I have in the past simply I have put a very large piece of meat into a
>> cooler which will act like a self generating refrigerator. Obviously the
>> cooler will eventually warm up and the food will defrost. If you use the
>> cooler method place an instant read thermometer into the cooler and check
>> the temperature at least daily.
>
> The temp should be kept below 40 degrees, right?
>

Well duh. At or below 40.

DANGER ZONE = 40-140 - Never forget it, it's easy.


TFM®

"TFM®" > wrote in message
. com...
>
>
> "Gil Faver" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Dimitri" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> "J Stevens" > wrote in
>>> message news:K1HAk.673$Pv5.85@edtnps83...
>>>> Hi everybody!
>>>> I've got a brisket and a pork shoulder in the freezer that I want to
>>>> BBQ next weekend.
>>>> What's the best way you've found to thaw these, and how long does it
>>>> take?
>>>> I usually don't start with frozen meat, but I stocked up when there was
>>>> a sale.
>>>> Thanks !
>>>
>>> There are several ways to thaw any meat. The best method is to Temper
>>> the food being defrosted. Tempering simply means to thaw in the
>>> refrigerator or any other cold environment over a long period of time.
>>>
>>> It is known in the freezing process the water within the food freezes
>>> first forming ice crystals which separate from and damage the cells. It
>>> is believed the tempering process allows the cells to reabsorb the
>>> separated liquid (Water).
>>>
>>> I have in the past simply I have put a very large piece of meat into a
>>> cooler which will act like a self generating refrigerator. Obviously
>>> the cooler will eventually warm up and the food will defrost. If you
>>> use the cooler method place an instant read thermometer into the cooler
>>> and check the temperature at least daily.
>>
>> The temp should be kept below 40 degrees, right?
>>
>
> Well duh. At or below 40.
>
> DANGER ZONE = 40-140 - Never forget it, it's easy.

yep, I just thought I would include it in the thread for future readers.

"Nunya Bidnits" > wrote in message
>> If you are traveling with cold foods, bring a cooler with a cold
>> source. If you are cooking, use a hot campfire or portable stove. It
>> is difficult to keep foods hot without a heat source when traveling,
>> so it’s best to cook foods before leaving home, cool them, and
>> transport them cold.
>
> But what about the time honored technique of wrapping it in foil and
> setting
> it on the engine while toodling down the road? You can cook a whole meal
> that way, like a mobile crock pot!
>
> heh......
>
> MartyB in KC
>

For the youngsters here, that is the purpose of the cookbook, Manifold
Destiny