i need to thaw a butt fast and furious

[crusty ol salt]

i have a friend that asked if i could bring some pulled pork to a cook out tomorrow afternoon. the problem is the only butt that i have is currently a 10x10x8 block of ice... any ideas on a quick thaw solution?

ps i do have a couple of yardbirds in the fridge for plan B. good ol' pulled chicken, the other white meat

[ptt49er]

Cold water soak...either constantly running or changed every half hour or so...

Good luck!!

[L20A]

Cold water soak...either constantly running or changed every half hour or so...

Good luck!!

Like he said.

[SMOKE FREAK]

Microwave?
OK Im sorry....

Yes under running water is yer best bet...

[Fishawn]

I've never done this, but have been thinking it would work..... Defrost 1/2 way to 3/4 way in microwave & finish thawing with the cold water soak as mentioned.

I think you could cut down the thawing time by using the microwave. I have owned a few different microwaves & each has had its own characteristics with the defrost cycle.

Any thoughts on this?

[ptt49er]

I've never had something thaw in the micro gently enough to trust smoking it afterwards....but ymmv

[SMOKE FREAK]

There may just be enough ice mass in a frozen butt to keep the wave from actually heating up the meat...

But still...I dunno...

[GrueLurks]

Cold running water has always done the trick for me. I defrosted a solid butt in a couple hours this way.

[Fishawn]

Cold running water has always done the trick for me. I defrosted a solid butt in a couple hours this way.

...... A couple hours is pretty damn fast .....

[Mark R]

As Nancy said, "just say no"! If I count the hours correctly there is not enough time.

[THE ICEMAN]

There may just be enough ice mass in a frozen butt to keep the wave from actually heating up the meat...

But still...I dunno...

It's been my experience when defrosting a frozen whatever in the microwave that it is a bit uneven & will start to cook one small corner of the food. It may just be a quirk of my microwave but still. I have learned to turn & flip a couple of times during the process.

I would go with the cold water soak as others have said.

[GrueLurks]

...... A couple hours is pretty damn fast .....

Ok, a few hours, bad choice of words. I thawed a 9 pound pork butt from 8am until around noon under running water, let it sit on the counter for an hour, then smoked it for around 18 hours at 225°. It was at perfect temp the next morning when I pulled it out. Well within a 24 hour time limit. YMMV.

[braymadd]

Working in the restaurant industry for years, and having to be certified by the health department to manage a kitchen, cold running water is the fastest, safest method to thaw a frozen chunk of meat. Any other option with that size of cut you run the risk of contamination. Just flip it over every half hour or so to keep it consistent.

[curious aardvark]

microwave.

Ignore the defrost setting and use the lowest power.
30 mins, turn, 30 mins.

As soon as you can Cut it in half.

Give each half another 30 mins. Then place in ziplock bags in sink of luke-cold water (not warm but not very cold.)

Change water as soon as it gets really cold.

Depending on size of butt you should be able to get it done in 2-3 hours.

Also don't forget cutting it in half means it'll cook quicker - so you save alittle time that end as well.

I have no idea what most of you have against microwaves, just another tool in the cooks toolbox. Use it right and they are extremely useful.

Just bear in mind that defrost settings are much too high for defrosting large items.
I pretty much never use built in automatic settings on microwaves. Like everything else, learn how to use it properly and they are great bits of kit.

[crusty ol salt]

thank you for all the input. it does appear the majority believes running water is the safe way to go and i have thawed turkeys that way. i think the best bet is to move on with plan B, pulled chicken...

again thank you for all the help.