Help with Butt FROZEN!!!


 
M

M Menendez

TVWBB Fan
Hey guys I have a frozen butt in the freezer and have no idea how to thaw it. I want to do a smoke Sunday night. Does anyone have experience with frozen butts?

Thanks
 
Ya throw on some rub and put in on the cooker!

I have done that a few times
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After a few hours you can stick the probe in it if you want.

Good luck M.
 
I just did one this past week and it sure does suck up the fuel. It will lessen your cook time a little as your pit temps will be a little harder to maintain due to the frozen meat, and mine was just barely frozen.The frozen meat will keep the pit temps lower as the frozen meat will keep temps down during the cook until the meat has thawed. You couple that with what I still believe to be some damp charcoal and temperature monitoring will be a full time job. This is not always true with everyone else on this board, but it did happen to me. I typically can get a 22-25 hour cook at 225* in my 22" WSM, but I ran out of fuel this last time after 19 hours. HTH
 
I'm not sure I'd smoke a frozen butt. Too good a chance of overcooked outside with raw inside. I'd wrap tightly it in a plastic bag and put it in a big bucket. Put the bucket in the sink or bathtub with a tiny trickle of cold water running into it. This should thaw fairly quickly, say 3-6 hours... the Alton Brown method.
 
Ed, I understand what you're saying BUT think of the great smoke ring you'll have. I do frozen butts all the time and haven't had any major problems other than my hands getting real cold putting on rub.The butts seem to have lots of color when you pull them due to being in the cold range for so long.
 
I've often wondered this myself. I would have thought along the same lines as what Gary said, that the outside would be cooked and the inside would be raw. But, looks like folks have done it and it worked out fine.

Are you all talking about something that is just a little frozen on the inside, or rock hard frozen?

How far into the cook does the center stay frozen for? Would this work for a shoulder as well?
 
I will be thawing cryovaced butts. I plan on dropping them in a cooler of cold water, and will change the water several times over several hours. I am not so concerned about thawing completely, but I do not want 15 lb ice block on the smoker either.

Gary
 
Jon, mine have all been frozen rock hard. You have to wait awhile till the meat softens up before you can put your temp probe in. I can't remember the last time I actually cooked a butt that wasn't frozen. Now if you wanted to inject, this would not be the way to go. Once again, you can't beat the color of that pork when you shred it. I'd say try this way one or two times,if you don't like it go back to the other way
 
I've cooked 'em both thawed and frozen solid. Both ways come out great. The frozen just takes a tad longer. Wouldn't recommend high heat, but low and slow is fine.
 
take the EZ way out.
go to the store and buy ANOTHER butt, rub it up, toss it in the fridge over night and smokeher tomorrow.
problem solved.
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& you still have a porker in the freezer for the next time WHEN YOU'LL REMEMBER TO TAKE IT OUT SOON ENOUGH TO COOK IT
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimK:
I've cooked 'em both thawed and frozen solid. Both ways come out great. The frozen just takes a tad longer. Wouldn't recommend high heat, but low and slow is fine. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Jim can you define a tad for me? I am thinking about a day time smoke in time for dinner starting early in the morning.
 
Thaw it in the sink with some luke warm water and then rub it and throw on the smoker.
Frozen meat needs more fuel and time so I prefer not to put on the smoker frozen.
 
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