rib defrosting issue

[S. Fink]

I have a couple of racks of babybacks in the freezer that I'd like to cook on Monday. Problem is, I'm leaving town tomorrow and won't be back until the morning of the cook.

If I put them in the fridge to defrost tomorrow before I leave, will they still be OK to smoke Monday? Not defrosted for too long?

 

[Doug D]

Were they frozen in cryovac packaging when you bought them? If so, you're most likely alright. If they were in cryovac but not frozen, and there was more than just a few days between the sell-by date and the date you froze them, you should really not have a problem, given two things: a good, cold refrigerator temp, and a cryovac that's not already compromised (read: punctured). The first you can do something about, the second, you wouldn't necessarily know about until after the fact. If you bought them fresh in styro trays, and froze them yourself, I would wait 'til I could use them under better supervised circumstances.