Frozen Brine

[Eric2662]

Does dry brining a frozen piece of meat, any kind of meat, have the same effect as brining a thawed out piece of meat?

[MBMorgan]

No. Salt molecules can't move into or within what amounts to a block of ice.

[Huskee]

I agree with the above. However, if the salt sticks to the frozen meat, then we can assume that when thawed some will get inside as it thaws....however thawing creates purge, when the muscle cells rupture and lose moisture, so likely won't be very efficient. Best to dry brine before freezing or once thawed, not while frozen.

[Eric2662]

Hmm.. interesting. I guess its probably fair to say then that, it is just optimal to brine an already thawed piece of meat. But if it is frozen it might still have some effect just not nearly as efficient.

[jfmorris]

Having smoked Boston butts and brisket and chuck roasts from frozen, while not ideal, I wet them slightly to make my kosher salt and rub stick, and went right to the smoker. The results were good, and I figure some level of salt penetrated as the meat thawed and cooked.