I ordered a brisket for my husband to use with his new smoker we got him for Father’s Day. He wants to start smoking it tonight, what is the safest, fastest way to defrost it to have it be ready for this evening to go in the smoker?
Or is that just not enough time?
I was thinking of filling the sink with cool water and letting it be until this evening (it’s 9:15 am my time now) but I’m not sure if that’s enough time for that method.
Any tips appreciated, thank you. 🙂
by The_Happy_Camper_88
46 Comments
vacuum seal.
put it in water.
leave it thawing in between 2 empty stainless steel pots (on the counter or in the sink, not on the stove with heat). or if you only have one, leave it out with the pot’s flat side on top of the meat (still in plastic). metal absorbs cold just like it also conducts heat and will help thaw it out quicker.
Cold water is the safest method. Really you can’t safely thaw a big chunk like that in the time you want to. Even if the outside and the edges might feel to thawed the center of the meat could still be close to freezing if not frozen.
Sure warm water works, but it’s playing dice with nasty things. (My friend is a chef and they called it German brine when they had to thaw something in warm water)
I’d wait until tomorrow or the day after.
Buy something else to smoke today and thaw that brisket slowly in the fridge to cook in a few days or next week
Just fill your kitchen sink with cool water. Just run the cold tap til the sink is 80%. I see your meat is vacuum sealed in plastic. Leave it sealed. Immerse in the water. Don’t worry about circulation. Just leave it immersed for a couple hours. Go watch a movie.
This isn’t rocket surgery. I’ve done it a million times.
You have the right idea, fill your sink with cool water and toss it in there. Brisket is a ton of fat, so it actually will dethaw in a few hours using this method. The problem is, you want trim and season the meat the night before and let it sit in your fridge to dry brine for at least 8 hours, this way you get good crust.
I think 8 hrs is plenty of time for it to thaw if it’s in enough water. You might try a clean ice chest or something like that. It looks like the vacuum seal is broken so water will likely leak into the plastic. The more volume of water you have, the quicker it will thaw.
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Put it in the sink and let cool water run over it for a few hours
Bath tub with Luke warm water. An eight pound ice cube in the sink with lower the water temperature too much and you don’t want to use hot water.
sous vide in a tote
If you want it on Father’s Day why put it on the smoker 2 days in advance? You’ll be eating reheated brisket which is never as good
Whoever is telling you to use warm or hot water, ignore them. That is a food safety issue and unless you want to possibly have brisket diarrhea then use cold water over a period of time. Replace the water every 30 minutes or so with new cold water.
Do not use warm or hot water. Again, people telling you that are absolutely wrong. By using hot or warm water you are giving harmful bacteria a chance to grow.
Good luck!
Definitely don’t freeze it if you’re looking to defrost it. Hope this helps 👍
It’ll probably thaw fully sitting in cold water in an hour, maybe 2
Throw it in the fridge three days ago and let it thaw. It should be ready by tonight.
Just put it on semi frozen, it’ll be fine
Leave it sealed in the packet. Put a bucket or container big enough in the sink with the sink left unplugged. Put it in the container and let cold water run continuously over it, just make sure that the water overflowing from the container is able to freely drain down the sink, you don’t want water all over your floor.
This is the only food safe way to get it defrosted without spoiling the meat in say a microwave (defrosting function in any microwave I’ve ever used has always and ever just fucked whatever I was trying to defrost).
It may take a few hours but it will get her done
Put it in the sink full of cold water still in the package and change the water every half hour or hour
Pee on it
Fr tho I just leave my shit out on the counter
Just put it in frozen/semi thawed.
I dont know if it’s true, or just an old wives tale. But supposedly starting ribs, BRISKET, etc frozen creates a more prominent smoke ring
Run under cold water / cold water bath changed often. Usually thaws meat within an hour or two. Just keep water cold.
You could Leave it on the counter. Itll be thawed by tonight.
This is not proper practice for food safety but it is what I would do
Put it in the sink filled with cool water
Just a heads up, you’ll need to smoke that thing for 8+ hours once it is defrosted, so while it should probably thaw “by dinner time”, you’re best bet is to find something else for tonight’s dinner
If you’re starting the smoke to be ready to eat tomorrow, then you’ll be in good shape
If you water thaw it you should maintain a water temp at 40 or below.
Unwrap it and leave it on the back porch
I always smoke them frozen.
Put it in cold water with the tap at a slow stream to keep the water temperature cool.
My.mom used to defrost a thanksgiving turkey by filling the bathtub with cold water and floating it whole, worked well
Lol, screw this sub.
UPDATE: I ended up using the method many suggested by filling a container and submerging the meat in cold water with a cold trickle running over it and changing the water every 30 minutes or so. That sucker thawed FAST. It took 2 hours and I just put him in the fridge since I don’t need it until Honey gets home. 😳 Thank you everyone for your advice and help!
Stick it in a cooler or your sink with cool water
if you have a sous vide cooker, put it in a tub of water, run the the sous vide device at its lowest temp, mine can run at 32 degrees. not that it will cool the water, it just doesn’t run the heating element. it does the same thing as running water over it, but you aren’t dumping a hundred gallons of water down the sink
Slap it on the concrete and let it sit in the sun for a few hours
Take it out the freezer like 48hrz before you posted this.
Run to Costco and buy a fresh on use this one later
Put it in a bowl in the sink with running COLD water. Leave it in the package. Should thaw in less than an hour
There are three safe ways to thaw something. In the refrigerator, under cold running water or in the process of cooking. I would get it in some water to get it going than go ahead and smoke it whenever you wanted to start.
Look up between two pans method.
Water bath.
Microwave just lower the weight on the microwave so it doesn’t cook it
If it needs to be done quickly then under running cold water. If you have time stick it in the fridge overnight.
Clench it betwixt your thighs
Water bath is best. However, to properly smoke a brisket you’re looking at an hours long cook. If it’s not completely thawed I don’t think it’s really an issue.
First of all fuckin’ rights getting a smoker for your husband. Awesome gift, there.
You’re already on the right track because you’re thinking cool water and slow thawing.
I got a smoker a couple years ago, still learning, but I agree with some other commenters here saying you’re good. It’ll thaw and cook during the process. It’s gonna take hours to cook anyway.
I’d wrap it whike cooking and temp it to check when it’s done. Not completely thawed is fine. Moisture level in the meat will change the cooking time and everything will thaw anyway, it’s not a problem.