I don't believe online defrost times


 
Len Dennis

Len Dennis

TVWBB Diamond Member
Just so far off. I have never ever had a bird defrost in the time posted in online "help" forums.

They suggest 24 hr per 4/5 lb so about 6 Hr per pound.

I've had a 11.5 bird in the fridge since Monday evening. So about 100 hours. Should have been done about 65 hr (2 1/2 days). SIX days later, it's still frozen in parts (including the "tail end" where the skin folds under--it's only covered by plastic wrap).

Redicklious.
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And photobucket still won't keep me signed in.
 
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Agree with you Len I did a 15# turkey yesterday that went from freezer to fridge a full 7 days before and it was 29 degrees when I check the thigh and just 30 at the breast. Fortunately I brined it for 24 hours and that got it to about 35 at the thigh and 39 at the breast.
The last two I did were raw at the thigh joint after it was 170 at the breast. So now I check before I smoke the bird.
 
Turkey is the slowest thawing thing I know. I usually put it in the sink the night before and let it thaw overnight. Granted, this is only done in the winter time when the house is about 65 degrees. I know it's not right, but it's never failed me
 
Yea, I usually put them in a sink of cold water to help em along. Last 2 I did for turk day were bought on Sunday and still had some ice in the cavities.
I use the middle shelf on the beer fridge.
Tim
 
If I need to jump start the defrost I'll set it out on the counter directly or sometimes on a wire rack. So long as the outer part is still below refrigerated temps (mine's adjustable between 33 & 42 I think) and surrounding an ice cube it should be safe. Kind of a reverse sear for thawing, if you will. I do this with most anything I need to defrost quickly....just don't forget about it for too long.
 
I looked at the CDC (or whatever government agency tells you how to cook stuff) and followed their instructions on the turkey last year and it wasn't even close. Needed another 3 days. Had to really hustle to not have an irate family.
 
General defrosting tip that will work for most anything -- turn an aluminum baking sheet upside down and put the frozen item on it. The aluminum pulls the cold from the frozen item and dissipates it into the room. It will probably help if you can figure a way to prop up the baking sheet off the counter while still maintaining stability. This will allow air to circulate underneath and carry more of the cold away. Maybe chopsticks angled across the corners. If you want to turbocharge it, place a fan where it will blow air around the baking sheet. This should be particularly effective paired with the chopsticks under the corners. One of those squirrel cage fans designed for drying floors would be excellent for this. I have one of those I use when defrosting the freezer. It makes incredibly quick work of it. I usually spend more time emptying, cleaning up, and restocking than I do waiting for the ice to melt.

Also, running cold water will work a lot faster than a non-moving sink full of water. Put the turkey in the sink and adjust the faucet to a just a tiny stream of water cascading over the turkey.

For most things I've taken to giving it a head start in the microwave. The Panasonic "inverter" microwave I have has levels that actually reduce the power rather than simply cycling full power on and off. It's great for defrosting. I figure a minute on level 3 (of 10) is equivalent to about an hour of sitting on the counter. I'm not sure how well this would work in a conventional microwave where it really has only one speed. At the very least you should be able to leave it in there for 10 minutes on the defrost setting without cooking the extremities and then move it to the refrigerator. I wouldn't aim to fully defrost it in the micro, just to give it a head start.
 
Logged in to connect a few dots smoking my first turkey and found this post. Couldn't resist sharing: a lady I work with told her husband to put a bird in the fridge to thaw while she did a triple call shift at the hospital (staying at the hospital). Well, he "never got around to it" and, three days later when she was driving home, threw the bird in the hot tub to hasten things along and cover his tracks. Didn't end well for the bird, the hot tub, or the husband!

This is why I buy just the fresh thawed birds and, even then, still dip them in a sink full of cool water for maybe a couple hours before injecting. I think brining can solve this, too with the salt and 40 deg water. Happy Thanksgiving, folks!
 
I want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. I have 2 14'ish pound turkeys on the bottom shelf of the fridge that MUST be thawed by early Thursday morning.
I'm glad I decided to browse this thread, good conversation about thawing! :cool:
 
I worked for Walmart for 8 years and I can’t remember one single year I didn’t watch someone buying a frozen turkey on Thanksgiving morning. I often wondered what they were thinking?
 
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