Emergency thaw for a 16lb brisket??

[warren012]

I've got to cook a brisket on Sunday and it's frozen. What's the best way to defrost it?

[Jerod Broussard]

I once tried to defrost one in warm water and it soured the ever-living crap out of that thing.

"STUNK" ain't the word.

You could try to cold water defrost it. You got time. Put it in an ice chest with cold water and just make sure the water stays under 40 degrees.

[EdF]

And it doesn't need to be completely thawed when you put it in the cooker.

[shify]

Always thaw in cold water. A packer might take an hour or so. Think of how quickly ice melts in a glass of water. Assuming you have a big enough bin, fill with cold water drop in brisket and stick in fridge. It will easily be thawed by Sunday and won't get rancid.

[warren012]

So how would you recommend defrosting without a time constraint?

[jerrybell]

I just thaw mine in the fridge. Usually takes about 4 days to thaw a 14 to 18 pounder.

[RonB]

In your cooker at your normal cookin' temp. It will probably take several hours longer though. Did you dry brine it before freezing? If not, just put your rub on it before throwing it in the cooker. You could also raise the temp as high as 275* without any problems - maybe even a bit higher.

[EdF]

You can also dry brine it while you're thawing it. It works.

[texastweeter]

What edf dsid

[DWCowles]

No problem....just do what Ron and EdF recommended.

[jerrybell]

Can you just buy another fresh (not frozen) brisket and save the frozen one for a later cook when you don't have a time constraint?

[DWCowles]

That make since.