Defrosting Butts


 
Mac LA

Mac LA

TVWBB Super Fan
Hello Team!

First off, I typically do not like freezing my meats but I got a deal on some butts 2 weeks ago (.99 per lbs) and now have roughly 18-19 lbs I need to thaw by Friday, am I screwed? Did some searching and read 3 days should be enough, but I dunno, my refrigerator still stays pretty cold. I need to rub and inject by Friday at the latest. Do I have some time or just go get some fresh ones and do these at another time?


Thanks in advance

Johnny O.
 
I rarely cook a butt that I haven't frozen first.
In fact, I've cooked a few that were still mostly frozen and used mustard to get the rub to stick.
As good as thawed? Maybe not quite, but still very good, just a longer cook time.
But I don't inject, so I suggest wrapping it in newspapers or towels, and placing it in a small cooler for a day, then into the fridge to finish thawing.
Hopefully it will be inject-able by Friday.
 
If they're still sealed in their freezer bags (or even if they're not), you can defrost them (in the bag) in your tub. Just refresh with cold water once an hour. Should only take 4-5 hours to get them fully defrosted (assuming all 19 lb are in the tub at the same time). Less weight=less time.
 
Well for Thanksgiving we thawed a 20 lb. Turkey in the fridge in four days so I wouldn't think you will have any problem at all.
 
I've done plenty of frozen butts and as Bob mentioned, just slather them in mustard and rub and throw 'em on the cooker. Takes an hour or two longer, but that's less than a 3 day thaw. Sure you can't inject them, but they still come out just fine. I would think 3 days should be fine for thawing though.
 
As long as you have room to keep them separated in the fridge (ie: they're not piled on top of one another) and there's space for air to circulate around them, they should be thawed enough for injecting by Friday. Check them Thursday night and if they're still pretty hard, you can do the speed thaw in a cooler of cold water; just change the water every few hours. On one episode of Good Eats, Alton Brown rigged up a speed thawing setup using a cooler, bucket, small water pump and some hose. Basically the thing to be thawed went into the cooler with some water. The drain on the cooler was open with the bucket below and the pump recirculated the drained water back into the cooler. I keep meaning to try this myself as it seems like it would be the most efficient way to do it.
 
Johnny...

How about putting it all off for this weekend and visiting Santa Anita instead ;)

Then you'd have ample time to thaw for the following weekend...
 
Bob Correll said:
I rarely cook a butt that I haven't frozen first.
In fact, I've cooked a few that were still mostly frozen and used mustard to get the rub to stick.
As good as thawed? Maybe not quite, but still very good, just a longer cook time.
But I don't inject, so I suggest wrapping it in newspapers or towels, and placing it in a small cooler for a day, then into the fridge to finish thawing.
Hopefully it will be inject-able by Friday.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply Bob. I've done previous frozen cooks before and haven't noticed much of a difference, I just try to avoid it if I can. It's mostly a mental thing, I don't like variables in my cooks. :eek: ahha I know, I'm kinda weird like that. Call it superstition?

Len Dennis said:
If they're still sealed in their freezer bags (or even if they're not), you can defrost them (in the bag) in your tub. Just refresh with cold water once an hour. Should only take 4-5 hours to get them fully defrosted (assuming all 19 lb are in the tub at the same time). Less weight=less time.
Click to expand...

Yup, still in cryova bag, and I even wrapped a small amount of saranwrap to avoid any chance of freezer burn. Not sure if this was right to do but we shall see. Worst comes to worst, I'll try the water on Thursday. Thanks again!

Robert T said:
Well for Thanksgiving we thawed a 20 lb. Turkey in the fridge in four days so I wouldn't think you will have any problem at all.
Click to expand...

I certainly hope so Rob. I'll check on em tonight to see how far they are. I'm might be worrying over nothing.

JimK said:
I've done plenty of frozen butts and as Bob mentioned, just slather them in mustard and rub and throw 'em on the cooker. Takes an hour or two longer, but that's less than a 3 day thaw. Sure you can't inject them, but they still come out just fine. I would think 3 days should be fine for thawing though.
Click to expand...

Hey Jim, the way I was taught and have always done them has been to inject so I'd like not to change that now. This will be for a pretty decently sized bbq crowd so I'd like to produce the flavor folks have come to expect from one of these, at least from me. :) I might try that in a pinch though.

ChadVKealey said:
As long as you have room to keep them separated in the fridge (ie: they're not piled on top of one another) and there's space for air to circulate around them, they should be thawed enough for injecting by Friday. Check them Thursday night and if they're still pretty hard, you can do the speed thaw in a cooler of cold water; just change the water every few hours. On one episode of Good Eats, Alton Brown rigged up a speed thawing setup using a cooler, bucket, small water pump and some hose. Basically the thing to be thawed went into the cooler with some water. The drain on the cooler was open with the bucket below and the pump recirculated the drained water back into the cooler. I keep meaning to try this myself as it seems like it would be the most efficient way to do it.
Click to expand...

Hey Chad

Yeah, I may have to switch them into a not so cold refrigerator. The refrigerator I have them in now is pretty cold (beer fridge mostly) so we shall see. Tonight or tomorrow should give me a good indicator how they are coming along, I hope...

Bob Bass said:
Johnny...

How about putting it all off for this weekend and visiting Santa Anita instead ;)

Then you'd have ample time to thaw for the following weekend...
Click to expand...

Bob! Hey!

Oh, I will for sure be there! This will be for serving on Sunday, smoking Saturday night (after I get home from Santa Anita) I can't wait!!!


Thanks again for all the replies fellas!

Much appreciated. I feel slightly better about this now. :wsm22:
 
JimK said:
I've done plenty of frozen butts and as Bob mentioned, just slather them in mustard and rub and throw 'em on the cooker. Takes an hour or two longer, but that's less than a 3 day thaw. Sure you can't inject them, but they still come out just fine. I would think 3 days should be fine for thawing though.
Click to expand...

So you go from Freezer to Rub to Smoker ?
 
Matthew said:
So you go from Freezer to Rub to Smoker ?
Click to expand...

If I have to. My preference is to start them thawed, but I've bought and frozen in the past when I've seen good deals. And if I don't plan ahead, I don't let that stop me.
 
It will be fine!
I have a friend that says I say that all the time about just about everything! For the most part, it's true!
 
Interesting thread.

Never thought about tossing a frozen butt onto a smoker, but I think I'd prefer dealing with a thawed butt myself.

Beginning to wonder if I need a second fridge - like a dorm model.

For what it's worth, I keep a thermometer in my fridge to ensure the temps stay in the upper 30s.
 
Thanks everyone!

The butts thawed perfectly in 4 days, roughly 18-19 lbs. I did have to move then into another refrigerator day 2 as they were pretty much staying frozen in my beer fridge (I run it on the verge of freezing).

I had an aquarium thermometer in my beer fridge, as it's not digital, but, like a fool dropped it and broke it...smh. Need to get another. Good thing they are no longer made with mercury. lol
 
Rusty James said:
Beginning to wonder if I need a second fridge - like a dorm model.
Click to expand...

The problem is that most "compact" fridges (except probably those special wine chillers) are junk. I had one of these which worked OK and held temps pretty well, but was short on space. I wanted it specifically for thawing or storing meats for BBQ and it wasn't wide enough for briskets or ribs without bending them. I bought an Igloo "Retro" 7.5 CF fridge last Black Friday. It's got plenty of space for what I need, but on a daily basis, the temp can vary up to 10 degrees! Trying to keep it cold enough for really cold drinks has already caused a few soda can explosions. Now the whole think reeks of Diet Pepsi. Granted, this fridge is located in an enclosed "three seasons" porch, so the temps in there can vary widely and I'm sure that has some effect on the fridge's operation, but it's still a PITA.
 
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