Frozen Turkey Question

[copkid]

Just took out a 14lb turkey from the freezer this morning. Do you think it will be thawed enough to cook on Sunday or Monday? Probably Monday, as it's my day off.

[OSD]

Maybe???? But I'd bet you'll have to finish thawing in cold water.

[JamesB]

I agree, cold water, changed often, will allow the bird to thaw quickly and safely...

James.

[copkid]

Thanks guys! I figured as much, especially since my fridge tends to thaw things slowly! I wanted to cook it at least Monday to give us meat to eat for a week until payday, and also cooking the bones for broth.

[JamesB]

If your really in a hurry, put the turk in the tub fill with enough water to float it... change the water every 20-30 mins. Uses a lot of water, but can thaw a bird completely in a couple of hours. (just keep the safe temps in mind!)

So, we gonna be seeing some smoked turkey pics soon???

[copkid]

If your really in a hurry, put the turk in the tub fill with enough water to float it... change the water every 20-30 mins. Uses a lot of water, but can thaw a bird completely in a couple of hours. (just keep the safe temps in mind!)

So, we gonna be seeing some smoked turkey pics soon???

Yeh, I'll take pics, but it's in the fridge right now, so my main concern is getting thawed by Monday morning. I guess I can do the cold water thing Sunday morning until I go to work at 4, stick it in the fridge and get it going Monday!? Not sure about brining; my MIL brined a turkey for Thanksgiving this past November, and it tasted horrible! Like a highly processed piece of meat.. Not sure what kind of brine she used, but mentioned Alton Brown while we were eating.......

[JamesB]

Brining can be a very good thing for sure... can also see how it could turn bad if the wrong flavors etc are used.

Depending on what type of bird ya got, a lot of them already come 'factory enhanced' with up to a % of a solution etc... They are essentially already brined. These are the types of birds I usually do for friends on the holidays since I don't have room to brine all the birds.

Good luck with your turk!

[Allie]

I usually use the cold water thawing for turkey and even chickens if I freeze them after coming home from the grocery store. I'm sure it would be ok to do it when you're home and put it back in the fridge before you leave. One Thanksgiving when it was really cold outside, we finished thawing our turkey in the unheated garage overnight. We didn't have enough space in the fridge so stuck it in a cooler in the back of the truck. lol It worked and we didn't get sick.

[bigwheel]

Great way to thaw any large hunk of meat..or two hunks if you want ..turkey..brisket..butt etc. is you just chunk it in a cooler and fill it up with water from a garden hose. Shut the lid and come back tomorrow. Will be perfectly thawed and the water cold. This be if you want to cook it the next day.

bigwheel