Freezing Chicken

[Shady]

I am going to arrive on Friday for Sunday turn ins and I like to prep chicken @ home. Does anyone freeze chicken and thaw on site?

 

[mobow]

When I prep chicken I usually do about 30 at a time and try to get 3 groups of ten that are about the same size. I then freeze and use for comps when I need them. keith

 

[Fatback Joe]

I freeze and start thawing in the fridge a couple of days prior to the contest.

 

[bigabyte]

When I prep chicken I usually do about 30 at a time and try to get 3 groups of ten that are about the same size. I then freeze and use for comps when I need them. keith

This. That way any time you need you can just pull your chicken right there.

 

[Fatback Joe]

This. That way any time you need you can just pull your chicken right there.

Nice to see you over here. :mrgreen:

 

[Brew-B-Q]

I've done frozen and fresh and don't see much of a difference. I actually prefer frozen as I can get it done ahead of time and I don't have to worry about fresh chicken sitting for 2-3 days. But, I'm cooking fresh this weekend as I couldn't get it done ahead of time like I planned. But, everything else this week is frozen.

 

[big matt]

I do it almost all of the time unless I'm rushing to get comp meat..my theory is you stop it from going bad which can happen in a matter of a day or two depending on how fresh it is..also it's not a nice ribeye that we are grilling with just salt and pepper..IMO we do so much to it that in the end you couldn't tell the difference between fresh and frozen.

 

[Divemaster]

First, let me state, I HATE CHICKEN!

Because of this, I start trimming in March an put it in the deep freezer until needed. The judges didn't seem to mind, got 1st a couple of weeks ago.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Scottie]

I always freeze. Even if they have a long date on them. I have not noticed any difference. If anything, i always score higher with frozen.

 

[TheJackal]

Shady- We get a case, use 25-30 of them immediately and then freeze the rest. I do not trim before freezing but I do separate them into groups of 25-30. I usually get 3-4 comps out of a case depending on how many throw aways there are. I trim/cook our chicken and I actually have a preference for the frozen ones over the fresh.

 

[jbrink01]

I always freeze. Even if they have a long date on them. I have not noticed any difference. If anything, i always score higher with frozen.

Yep. My ONLY first in chicken this year was a 180 that had been trimmed and frozen 3 weeks prior.

 

[Just Smokin' Around]

If you prep Thursday night, put the chicken in a zip lock bag and keep it packed in ice, you should be fine. You'll just need to add ice occasionally. I wouldn't want to let it sit more than a couple of days in a frig - not cold enough. I use a small cooler just for chicken (prevents cross contamination) and keep it filled with ice. If you prep many days ahead, freezing is fine.