Thawing Processed Meat

[roravetz]

We made the last minute decision to have tacos today and I didn't have any meat thawed, so I grabbed a pound of burger while I was at the store. To avoid this in the future, I was wondering if anyone has a good method to quicky thaw meat, particularly burger. Anytime I use the microwave it seems to cook the edges. I use a lower power level but maybe I need to use a really low one?

Most of my processed meat is in a vacuum sealed bag nowadays if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

 

[LostTexican]

I put mine in a bowl (still sealed) and run tap water on it for a while, not hot just cool tap water. Not as fast as the microwave but doesn’t do the edge cook that you mentioned.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I toss it in a sink full of hot water, as long as it's in a ziploc. But I definitely prefer to thaw at room temp or fridge.

 

[Bambistew]

Unless its for actual hamburgers, microwave is fine. Otherwise I just thaw it in a bowl of hot water, takes about 30 min. Why would it being cooked a little on the edges hurt meat that will be seasoned and mashed up? It all gets cooked the same eventually...

 

[SaskHunter]

If I'm making paddies or meatballs, I'll plan ahead.

For anything like tacos or spag sauce, I toss it in the microwave on thaw.

 

[howl]

We use larger rolls of vacuum sealer bag and mash the ground out thin. It'll thaw out much quicker in hot water in the sink. For taco meat you don't have to thaw it all the way, just enough to break it into block that will fit into your pan. Finish thawing by cooking.

Another benefit of the large thin squares is it stacks neatly in the freezer.

 

[mtmiller]

^^^^

 

[Dsnow9]

Run it under cold water. But we usually take 3-4 days of meat out of the freezer at a time so it rarely comes up

 

[thomas89]

Love the diversity on this site.

“How do I thaw meat?”

To

“What’s the best way to plan for my eventual demise?”

Unreal.

 

[Bob-WY]

For tacos just put it in the frying pan. Scrape it off as able. Eventually you have it all

We've also started pressure cooking meat in jars. If we find ourselves with no thawed meat, we use a jar

 

[gouch]

For tacos just put it in the frying pan. Scrape it off as able. Eventually you have it all

We've also started pressure cooking meat in jars. If we find ourselves with no thawed meat, we use a jar

This ^^
Maybe put a little water in the pan to start, just to keep it from sticking.

 

[RobG]

hot water bath…

Thawing Meat And Busting The Hot Water Thawing Myth

Here's how to thaw or defrost meat safely. Surprisingly, you can do it in hot water! That method works best for thinner cuts of meat. For thicker cuts, find out what works best, including thawing in the refrigerator and in cold water. It's all food safety and preserving precious meat juices.

amazingribs.com

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Our microwave seems to thaw it out just fine. It has a meat setting. From full froze a 2 lb package seems to take like 20 min. Without cooking the edges, the middle will still be slightly frozen, which can be finished in the pan.

Sometimes we use the instant pot. If I have a plan ahead of time I leave it on the counter in the morning.

 

[Boarmaster]

I have a plastic container similar to a vase. I just fill with room temp water and put the package of meat down it. It will thaw a package of loin or steak in about an hour.
Takes a couple hrs to thaw a bag of burger in a meat tube. I used to pack burger flat in vac pack bags that would thaw in my vase in about a half hour. If I am in a hurry for the meat I run warm water in the vase. Then after every ten minutes or so I change out the cooled water with warm. Withbthe quick method I can get the burger tubes (bags) thawed in about a half hour.

 

[Islander]

This works for ground meat, but not formed burgers:

I cook 1.5 pound tubes of frozen venison burger at work every week. Put hot plate on lowest setting and cover with lid. Every few minutes scrape the thawed burger portion and break it up with a spatula. I sometimes move the pan off center so the thawed burger doesn't overcook.

Takes about 10 minutes and you end up with perfect taco meat. Just season and eat. I actually don't even make it into tacos anymore; just add salt, pepper, garlic, and a little water and eat it as a stew. We run 0-5% beef fat in our venison burger. I add a little Wagu tallow to the 0% burger while thawing/cooking.

 

[stevejfarms]

I set my sous vide on 90, took 30 min yesterday to thaw a gallon bag of cut up rabbits frozen in water. (not really processed, but it works great for that too)

 

[Hawk Tuah]

I use hot water

 

[BackofBeyond]

We do the big flat squares, thaws in minutes. Also pressure can some so it’s just pop a top and roll!

 

[LIK2HNT]

Thawing raw ground meat in warm water until thawed enough to fry. Even if center is still frozen it cooks up fast if frozen in flat bags.
The other thing I do is cook my ground meat (let’s say 6 to 10 lbs) and vacuum seal in 1 or 2 lb bags. These can be heated up in microwave when thawed or hot water on the stove from a frozen state. This also works great with pulled pork. We seem to like pulled pork tacos more than ground.

Bags are about 3/4” thick and thaw quickly. Stack very nicely too. Top bag is 2 lbs ground raw (8”x10” vacuum seal bag). Middle bag is cooked ground beef and sausage (my spaghetti sauce mix). Bottom bag is 1 lb pulled pork (6”x8” vacuum seal bag). Butter added to bags of cooked meat really add flavor and makes it juicy. Just seems easier to cook large batches and have ready for meals or recipes.

 

[Robert N]

Sous Vide at 120…

Or, as has been mentioned, put it in a ziploc and toss it in a sink of warm water.