Defrost Brisket

[DanMancuso]

Anyone have thoughts on how long a 16 pound brisket will take to defrost?

[scottranda]

Fully defrost? Maybe 3 days. But partial will probably be 2 and you can start cooking from a partially defrosted brisket.

[scottranda]

Depends on fridge temps though. Speeding things up include putting it in an ice bath for a day, but that is quite cumbersome.

[STEbbq]

Yup. 3 days is good. However, a few people here cook them straight from frozen with no reported issues.

[CaptainMike]

Yep, just give it another hour or so.

[DanMancuso]

Thank you!

[jpietrantone]

I typically defrost in an ice bath due to limited fridge space. I'm guessing it may take 6 hours or so?

[Troutman]

I agree, throw that puppy on the smoker and let it go. If you want faster results and have a SV setup, you can always run it in a hot bath and get it going that way. A few hours go by then toss it on the smoker.

[Sid P]

How do you handle dry brining if you’re starting from frozen?

[rickgregory]

The issue with cooking from frozen will be trimming. You likely want to trim away most of the fat and if it was frozen untrimmed... you can't (unless you cook enough to thaw the outside, pull it and trim then).

I'd pull it down, that in the fridge for a day or so in order to let you trim and then season and smoke.

[Huskee]

If I'm strapped for time I thaw mine in a cooler in the bathtub (in a couple trash bags tied to not leak) with cold water overnight, by morning it's good to go. If I have the time I fridge it, give it 3 or 4 days at least.

[Clark]

Huskee Don't you trip on it when you shower?

[Huskee]

Clark I shower every Sunday whether I need it nor not. Never have a brisket thawing on Sundays!

[Clark]

DanMancuso I have a 13 lb brisket in the frig thawing now. It is day 3, and it is only now getting soft around the outside.
I am not cooking it until Saturday so I am giving it plenty of time.

[Huskee]

On day 3, but it hasn't been a full 3 days? Sounds about right. Would likely still be a little crispy as you started trimming anything deep. We usually pull them out on Sunday eve or Mon for me to prep on Thurs and cook Fri or Sat.

[Santamarina]

Would it thaw similar to a frozen Turkey?