Tips on defrosting frozen spare ribs?

Tricky · Jun 30, 2011

Want to throw on some spares for dinner tonight, but all I have is the ones in my freezer (average size Farmer John individually frozen racks). If I put in sink with some warm water, how long until I can throw them on the UDS?

Woodmonkey · Jun 30, 2011

Got a swimming pool or spa? 1 hour in either will do. Or a couple of hours in the sink full of water. I like to pull the membrane when they are still partially frozen.

Ron_L · Jun 30, 2011

thawing frozen meats in warm water is not recommended. Put them in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes. If you have a 5 gallon bucket you can put them in the bucket full of cold water and put it in the bathtub with a trickle of water going into the bucket.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Big_Thaw/

kcmike · Jun 30, 2011

Yeah, what ^^^ Ron L said...

ymmiT · Jun 30, 2011

This article/study argues you CAN thaw meat in warm water bath or even hot water without heath risks. Although probably not large cuts of meat. I usually thaw ground beef, pork chops, steaks and chicken in warm water in a clean empty sink. Never got sick.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/d...-for-thawing-meats-the-curious-cook.html?_r=2

TN_BBQ · Jul 1, 2011

use running water

Hub · Jul 1, 2011

This only works if you've got granite or some other stone or concrete counter tops: Just place the rack, still wrapped, on the stone counter. It will sink away the cold rather quickly. I can thaw baby backs in less than an hour this way. Flip 'em at about 30 minutes. Spares take a little longer.

Haven't tried it, but I've been told a large cast iron or aluminum pan will do the same thing.

caliking · Jul 1, 2011

cast iron supposedly works better than stone counters... I think Cook's Illustrated checked this out some time ago.

bigabyte · Jul 1, 2011

You won't be cooking them tonight. The fastest method (and may be frowned upon in some circles) is to leave the out on a rack at room temp where they will immediately cover themselves up with frost, then the frost thaws but the meat is still hard and frozen and very cool, until the outer part of the meat hits 40* (infrared thermo is nice here) at which point you continue thawing in the fridge or in cold water. This takes about 12 to 18 hours still, but about the best you can do unless you want cold running water over them for hours upon hours (lots of water usage and it still won't be ready tonight).

Or, you can cook them frozen. Not the best results, but it is an option, and no food ninnies will complain.

caseydog · Jul 1, 2011

Tricky said:
Want to throw on some spares for dinner tonight, but all I have is the ones in my freezer (average size Farmer John individually frozen racks). If I put in sink with some warm water, how long until I can throw them on the UDS?

Don't use warm water. Room temperature or cooler is best. The larger the body of water, the better. Ribs shouldn't take that long -- I'd guess 30 minutes to an hour.

You don't need running water, although it doesn't hurt. It just wastes water.

I have a huge stock pot that I use for large pieces of meat. I fill it up. drop in the meat (sealed in plastic, of course), and check on it from time to time.

CD

caseydog · Jul 1, 2011

caliking said:
cast iron supposedly works better than stone counters... I think Cook's Illustrated checked this out some time ago.

Any substance that works as a heat sink will work. That's what the water does in a water bath.

If the meat is not sealed in plastic, preventing the under water thaw methods, using a big iron pan will work. Just get the meat as flat on the surface as possible. Surface contact is what makes the heat sink work.

Ain't physics phun? :laugh:

CD

Meat Burner · Jul 1, 2011

Tricky, are you confused yet? LOL I'm with Ron L on this but sounds like others haven't died from their techniques yet.

ZouBBQ · Jul 1, 2011

Stick em in a bucket of room temp water and switch out the water when it gets really cold. If you can get the water moving, thats even better (trickle of water from sink or stir a few times).

I would be really surprised if it took more than an hour or two to fully thaw this way. Also, any packaging should be removed first as it will only insulate the meat.

Warm water is fine as long as it doesnt sit at that temp for an extended amount of time. As long as it isnt sitting in the "danger zone" of roughly 40-140 for an extended period of time, bacteria won't have enough time to multiply to dangerous levels. If you thaw your food and let it sit in these temps for 3 hours, you could get pretty sick.

LoneStarMojo · Jul 1, 2011

running water has been proven to thaw meat faster than standing water'

Tips on defrosting frozen spare ribs?

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