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Best methods from the pros for how to defrost meat

last update date 2023-09-19 | release date 2021-01-04

BEST METHODS FROM THE PROS FOR HOW TO DEFROST MEAT

Most of the meat you order from The Meat Guy will be delivered frozen. If you’re used to ordering frozen meat online, then you should find it fairly easy to thaw and cook the meat. However, if you’re new to the frozen meat world, it can be a bit overwhelming or even confusing to know what the correct methods are.

Thawing frozen meat is an important deciding factor as to how delicious the meat will be, so you have to be careful and do it right! So today, we’re here to introduce our recommendations for thawing frozen meat, as well as the thawing times required for the thickness of the meat you get.

IS IT BAD TO THAW AT ROOM TEMPERATURE? HOW TO DEFROST MEAT

IS IT BAD TO THAW AT ROOM TEMPERATURE?

In order to get the most out of your frozen meats, it’s important to reduce the amount of “drip” that comes out when thawed as much as possible. This is basically where all the umami gets flushed out. You want all that umami goodness to stay in your meat, so you have to be careful!

Thawing meat in a hot place will shock the cells in the meat and will cause unwanted damage. You may also notice that the amount of “drip” that comes out of the meat is significantly higher when thawing this way than if you thaw it slowly.

The key to thawing frozen meats or fish is to thaw slowly and at the lowest temperature possible.

Why does it matter if a bunch of drip comes out? Well, along with the moisture comes the umami and nutrients contained in the meat. Losing this moisture will lead to dry and pretty unpleasant meat. Now, if you thaw the meat slowly, the cells will have a chance to reabsorb the moisture. This means that there won’t be as much damage to the meat cells, and the amount of drip will be reduced!

DON’T LET THAT UMAMI ESCAPE! HOW TO DEFROST MEAT THE RIGHT WAY

DON’T LET THAT UMAMI ESCAPE! THAWING MEAT THE RIGHT WAY

THE BEST WAY TO THAWING FROZEN MEAT: ICE WATER THAWING

THE BEST WAY TO THAWING FROZEN MEAT: ICE WATER THAWING

Ice melts at 0 °C or higher. By thawing the meat at around this temperature until the very end, you can significantly reduce the amount of drip.

To thaw in ice water, place the meat in a plastic bag twice to make sure that water doesn’t seep in. Place the bag of meat in a large bowl or basin, and add enough ice to cover the meat fully. You can also add a bit of water to cover the meat. If the plastic bag is not sealed at the top, you can use a clip or clothespin to secure it to the rim of the bowl so water won’t leak inside.

DON’T LET THAT UMAMI ESCAPE! THAWING MEAT THE RIGHT WAY

All that’s left to do now is to place the bowl in the fridge and wait. If the amount of ice in the bowl runs low, make sure to refill it. The original bag that the meat is packaged in may have developed small holes during shipping, so make sure to wrap it twice in a new plastic bag just in case. A steak that’s about 2cm-thick will take about 2 days to thaw in the fridge. This method takes quite a bit of time, so it’s best to do this when you have some extra time to spare.

HOW TO DEFROST MEAT: AN EASY WAY TO THAW MEAT SLOWLY IS IN THE CHILLER

HOW TO DEFROST MEAT: AN EASY WAY TO THAW MEAT SLOWLY IS IN THE CHILLER

Some refrigerators have a dedicated “chilled room” or chiller with temperatures around 0 °C. Placing meat in this area of the fridge will allow you to thaw the meat easily, while keeping the quality high.

HOW TO DEFROST MEAT: AN EASY WAY TO THAW MEAT SLOWLY IS IN THE CHILLER

Place the meat in a bowl or tray after wrapping twice in a plastic bag, then place in the chiller. For steaks that are about 1cm-thick, you can leave it in there overnight and it’ll be good to go. Of course, the thicker the meat, the longer it’ll take to thaw.

The temperature of the refrigerator will depend on the brand or manufacturer, but it’s usually around 2-6°C. On another note, the temperature in the vegetable drawer or crisper ranges at about 5-8°C, so we don’t recommend thawing meat there.

Temperatures can be different between the upper and lower levels of the fridge, so make sure to place the meat in an area of the refrigerator with the lowest temperature. Refrigerators with the freezer at the top tend to have lower temperatures on the upper levels, while those that have the freezer at the bottom tend to have lower temperatures towards the bottom levels of the fridge.

【TIME SAVER】IF YOU’RE IN A HURRY, THAW UNDER RUNNING WATER (CONTINUOUS WATER FLOW IS REQUIRED)

TIME SAVER

Thawing under running water is a great option for those who are in a hurry. Simply place the double-wrapped meat in a bowl or basin and run water over it continuously. Make sure that the water won’t get into the plastic bag!

Meat with a thickness of about 1 cm can be thawed fully in about 30 minutes. The downside to this method is that you’ll get more drip than in ice water thawing, and you’ll also need to use a lot of water in the process. So, we only recommend this method if you’re absolutely in a hurry!

【TIME SAVER】IF YOU WANT TO THAW IN THE MICROWAVE, FLIP CONTINUALLY AND USE LOW TEMEPRATURE!

USE LOW TEMEPRATURE

There may be times when you get an unexpected visitor, and you have to get food on the table QUICK! In these cases, you may have no choice but to use the microwave thawing method. If you choose to do this, use the lowest possible wattage (100-200w) and flip the meat over every 4-5 minutes until thawed. If you thaw in the microwave without flipping, you’ll end up with unevenly thawed out meat.

Some microwave ovens have a defrosting mode, but the time required varies depending on the manufacturer and the weight of the meat, so please check the instruction manual of the microwave oven before proceeding.

WIPE THE DRIP OFF WITH PAPER TOWELS TO REMOVE THE MEAT ODOR

The drip is also where the peculiar odors of the meat can come from. In order to get more delicious meat, make sure to wipe the drip off before cooking.

IS IT SAFE TO REFREEZE THAWED MEAT? HOW LONG IS FROZEN MEAT GOOD FOR?

We generally don’t recommend refreezing thawed out meat. Meat produced by The Meat Guy is frozen through a special quick-freezing method making it safe to consume thawed meat after being purchased. If you thaw the meat out and freeze it with the normal home freezers, the amount of drip will increase when thawed the second time around. This is why we recommend using up the meat within a few days after it is thawed.
Even if the meat remains frozen, we still recommend using it within about a month after purchase. This is because the temperature of a normal freezer is slightly higher than that of a commercial one. This makes it more difficult to maintain freshness and quality.

　　　

RECOMMENDED THAWING TIMES AND METHODS FOR THICK-CUT STEAKS AND WHOLE MEATS

STEAKS AND WHOLE MEATS

Thawing times may vary depending on the type and thickness of the meat you purchased. Here are the estimated times required for thawing in the designated chiller of the refrigerator:

・Thick-cut steaks (2cm) 2 days
・Meat chunks, suckling pig, etc.（2kg～3kg）2～3 days
・Turkey（2～3kg 2 days～、3～5kg 2.5～3 days、5～7kg 3.5 days～、7kg～4～5 days）
・Sausages 4 hours（If you are in a hurry, soak it in a bowl filled with water for about 10 minutes）

Obviously, a whole turkey or suckling pig may not fit in the refrigerator or chiller. In that case, we recommend filling up the sink with ice water and thawing there. You can also use a large styrofoam container or cooler box to thaw the bigger meat in. If the internal temperature of the meat rises too high, the risk of developing food poisoning causing bacteria rises, so please make sure to thaw in a cool place as much as possible.

　　　

THAW FROZEN MEAT THE RIGHT WAY, AND GET DELICIOUS MEAT!

THAW FROZEN MEAT THE RIGHT WAY, AND GET DELICIOUS MEAT!

So there you have it, folks! Those are The Meat Guy’s top picks for thawing frozen meat. Remember never to thaw in room temperature! You can get more delicious meat by simple thawing the right way!

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