Defrosting

[Sweaty Paul]

I know ideally the best way to defrost something is in the fridge, however, my 17lb full packer brisket was still frozen after being in the fridge for 4 days. We have guests coming this weekend and was beginning to panic that the brisket would be thawed.

Was watching J. Kenji Lopez-Alt videos on YouTube and fortuitously came across an interesting solution for speeding defrosting. His solution is to put the item on an aluminum pan. It really worked well with the brisket finally being thawed in about 6 hours.

If y’all knew this I humbly apologize, however, I’d never heard of this and will attest that it works well. Given my proclivity for not planning far ahead I think it’ll be a trick I will employ plenty in the future.

Sweaty Paul

[Red Man]

Thanks for the tip! I also tend to take meat out of the freezer too late.

Must be the high conductivity of the aluminum that caused it to defrost faster.

[Sweaty Paul]

That’s exactly why it works per Kenji. Pretty cool idea and sad I didn’t think of it. Thought it worth sharing.

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt has some really great YouTube videos.

[NapMaster]

Curiously , was your brisket still in the fridge with the pan, or out on the counter?

yes, the aluminum will help. Essentially , your using the aluminum to the opposite effect as griilgrates.

Rhett

[Sweaty Paul]

I left it on the counter. It was a large jelly roll pan. The whole Pan became ice cold. Once I saw Kenji’s video it seemed worth trying and sharing once I found how well it works and it makes perfect sense once I thought about it (and I had never thought about it).

[SparkDog]

A few years back, there was this item called the"miracle thaw". In the end, it turned out to be an expensive block of aluminum. One thing I recall reading is that you could "precharge" the device by warming it on the stove. I never bought one but I throw smaller pieces in my stainless sink and periodically run hot water in the sink to warm the sink. I need to see if any of my sheet pans are aluminum and try that. Thawing in the refrigerator never works for me

[Steve B]

Good info Paul. Thanks
SparkDog I remember that contraption. I’m sure that guy/girl made a fortune off of it.

[Red Man]

I like to thaw on the counter for a few hours, then move into the fridge. I feel like, from a food safety standpoint, this is an acceptable way to speed things along. It’s still frozen when I move it to the fridge, it’s just got a head start on thawing. If I put something frozen solid in the fridge it takes forever.

[treesmacker]

I like to use the granite counter. I let it sit on the counter, flip it and move to a new spot, flip it again and move to new spot, etc... each new spot sinks some cold out of the meat. I only do this while the meat is cold and will be eaten right away. Sometimes start that way and then into fridge.

[RonB]

We have an old beat up aluminum half sheet pan that is very thick. I don't use it for cookin', but it really speeds thawing. I place it on a wire rack for good air circulation.

[texastweeter]

Cooler with the drain spout open on the counter draining into to sink. Adjust the output of the spigot emptying into the cooler to match. Keep the water on cold. Take stuff crazy fast and keeps it colt at the same time.

[JimLinebarger]

They are selling "miracle thawing trays", some upwards of $100 but that $15 half tray works well. We almost always have issues with thawing in the frig even for 2x the recommended time. I have been thinking about using the sous vide at low temp for fast thawing.

[Sweaty Paul]

The aluminum jelly roll pan was money.

[JeffJ]

I like putting meat into the cooker at least partially frozen.

[Henrik]

Good to know! I never bother with thawing in the fridge. I take the brisket out in the morning, place it in the sink and 8-9 hours later I can trim and apply rub. Overnight in the fridge, and then into the smoker.