# Had to try this! FROZEN RIBS???



## SmokinAl (Feb 15, 2022)

OK, last night I watched a video on YouTube that did a comparison cook.
They took 3 filet mignons & 1 was room temp, 1 was refrigerated, & 1 was frozen.
They cooked them exactly the same & took them to the same IT. The takeaway was that the frozen steak was more tender & juicy than the other 2, and the room temp steak was a bit dry & chewy. So I thought why not pull out a rack of ribs from Wild Fork Foods that I had in the freezer & put it in the smoker frozen. I thought if this works it would sure be a lot more convenient if you had a spur of the moment idea to smoke something. No thawing out, just fire up the smoker & throw it on right out of the freezer. Now I know your saying that there won’t be any flavor from the rub cause I’m putting it on a frozen piece of meat, but you’d be wrong. There was plenty of flavor! So here we go!!
Here is the rack I have:








And here it is out of the cryovac, notice these ribs DON'T have that big piece of loin meat on top.








I put mustard on the ribs, because I thought the S&P wouldn’t stick to frozen meat. And S&P is the only seasoning I used.








Went on the Lang sitting around 250, with mesquite & hickory splits.








Two hours in.








Checked the temp & the IT is around 160 degrees.







Another few degrees & into the foil they go. It's Valentines Day & Judy likes her ribs FOTB, so today we wrap them.
I'm using a combo of Apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, honey, bbq sauce, and butter.







OK, meat side down, and since it a cold day down here we decided to do the foil part in the oven, so we could heat the house up.
And yes I left the membrane on, because IMHO, the ribs retain more juices.







Out of the oven. nice color!







Now to sauce them & then onto the gasser at around 600 degrees to burn the membrane off & set the sauce.












All done & ready to slice!







Man o man, just look at that smoke ring!!
I only had the ribs in the smoker for about 3 hours, so the conclusion that I have come to is the meat takes on a lot more smoke when it's cold.







Judy said they were the best ribs she has ever had. I agree, they were very good. And there was a noticeable difference in the tenderness & juiciness.
Have at it girl!!







We ate a few ribs at the cutting board, but finally made up a couple of plates & sat outside to enjoy our Valentines dinner.  Judy made our favorite coleslaw, and  some handheld cherry pies ( I do like extra icing on mine ) 







Well as I have said throughout this thread, I was amazed at how tender, juicy, and what a smoke ring that I got from a totally frozen piece of meat.
I can't wait to try this on some other cuts!!
Thanks for looking guys & I hope you all had as wonderful a Valentines Day as Judy & I did!!
Al


----------



## GrumpyGriller (Feb 15, 2022)

Dayam - I may have to try that.  Am I reading it right in that it was about 4 hours total time?  Do you think having it frozen initially kept things tender, almost like a water bath  while it was smoking?


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 15, 2022)

TheGrumpyGriller said:


> Dayam - I may have to try that.  Am I reading it right in that it was about 4 hours total time?  Do you think having it frozen initially kept things tender, almost like a water bath  while it was smoking?



Yes you were reading it right, it was about 4 hours total time. I don't know how it is possible to take a piece of meat that was frozen solid & have it cook as fast or faster than a room temp piece! But that is what happened. It may have been that the smoker was running a bit hotter than normal, I really don't pay that much attention to the pit temp anymore, I just let it run wherever it likes to.
Al


----------



## justplainbob (Feb 15, 2022)

looks great
i never thought about re using a ketchup bottle


----------



## uncle eddie (Feb 15, 2022)

Hmmm…this is going to happen.  
Would you please share the YouTube link?


----------



## GonnaSmoke (Feb 15, 2022)

Very interesting, Al, thanks for posting this. By the way, the ribs look great...


----------



## yankee2bbq (Feb 15, 2022)

That is interesting. I may try this. But, only thing that concerns me is not getting up to the proper IT in time and not getting sick. So, smoker pit temperature is probably 275?
Thanks for sharing AL!!


----------



## JLeonard (Feb 15, 2022)

Good looking ribs! Kinda blows the "Let it get to room temp" thoughts out of the water.
Jim


----------



## BurntWeenie (Feb 15, 2022)

You have things like convection currents that play a role in this process








						Why would frozen sausages defrost faster in water?
					

My mom uses frozen sausages for a soup. She defrosts frozen sausages by submerging them in water (room temperature I believe). She claims this makes them defrost faster. She learned this from some




					physics.stackexchange.com
				







			https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/9781853129322/9781853129322003FU1.pdf


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 15, 2022)

Way to go Al!  Those look incredible.


----------



## Hockeydudde (Feb 15, 2022)

Looks great! 
This made me think of steaks I grilled 2 weeks ago. They were still partially frozen when I started them on the smoker for a reverse sear. Multiple people including myself thought they were the juiciest streaks they ever had. Never thought it was possibly because they're frozen to start. Thanks for posting!


----------



## robrpb (Feb 15, 2022)

Al, they look great. I've never thought of cooking them frozen. The only meat that I have cooked frozen are hamburgers.

Rob


----------



## schlotz (Feb 15, 2022)

Very interesting Al. They look fantastic!  You mentioned in the smoker about 3 hours. How long in the oven wrapped, 1 hour maybe? Assuming oven was at 250º?


----------



## BGKYSmoker (Feb 15, 2022)

WOWSERS

Those look real good there skippy.

And yes leave the membrane on.


----------



## GrumpyGriller (Feb 15, 2022)

yankee2bbq said:


> That is interesting. I may try this. But, only thing that concerns me is not getting up to the proper IT in time and not getting sick. So, smoker pit temperature is probably 275?
> Thanks for sharing AL!!


The time to temp is < 4 hours, right?


----------



## SmokinVOLfan (Feb 15, 2022)

Great cook Al! Those ribs look amazing. Thank you for sharing this. Like you said, this will be great for a spur of the moment smoke!


----------



## Cabo (Feb 15, 2022)

Thanks for sharing Al.  I have cooked partially thawed butts before, but never totally frozen.

I've been happy with Wild fork ribs also.  And they have been a LOT cheaper than Publix


----------



## ravenclan (Feb 15, 2022)

Al, those looks great!

I have never done ribs from frozen But I have done chicken, steaks, pork chops and pork steaks with no problems. Guess now I can do the ribs also!

Thanks for sharing!


----------



## bauchjw (Feb 15, 2022)

Wow! Those look amazing and there is no way that I ever would have thought that is a technique? Would that work for a bigger cut of meat too? Like a Butt or brisket? If you didnt show it I would have same concern as 

 yankee2bbq
 about getting to the right IT in a safe amount of time. Its crazy! Very cool, thank you for sharing an amazing plate!


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 15, 2022)

justplainbob said:


> looks great
> i never thought about re using a ketchup bottle



Ha ha!
I was out of squeeze bottles & started using ketchup bottles. Actually they work better. Thanks for the compliment!
Al



uncle eddie said:


> Hmmm…this is going to happen.
> Would you please share the YouTube link?



Sorry Eddie I couldn’t find it again, I’ll keep looking & if I find it I will send the link to you!
Al




GonnaSmoke said:


> Very interesting, Al, thanks for posting this. By the way, the ribs look great...



Thank-you!!
Al


yankee2bbq said:


> That is interesting. I may try this. But, only thing that concerns me is not getting up to the proper IT in time and not getting sick. So, smoker pit temperature is probably 275?
> Thanks for sharing AL!!



No worries with the temp, it took less than 4 hours to cook.
Al


JLeonard said:


> Good looking ribs! Kinda blows the "Let it get to room temp" thoughts out of the water.
> Jim



Thank-you, and your right!!
Al


jliddil said:


> You have things like convection currents that play a role in this process
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thank-you!!
Al


BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Way to go Al!  Those look incredible.



Thanks Brian!!
Al


Hockeydudde said:


> Looks great!
> This made me think of steaks I grilled 2 weeks ago. They were still partially frozen when I started them on the smoker for a reverse sear. Multiple people including myself thought they were the juiciest streaks they ever had. Never thought it was possibly because they're frozen to start. Thanks for posting!


Thank-you, it’s crazy, but it sure seems to work
Al




robrpb said:


> Al, they look great. I've never thought of cooking them frozen. The only meat that I have cooked frozen are hamburgers.
> 
> Rob



Thanks Rob!
Who would have thought?
Al


schlotz said:


> Very interesting Al. They look fantastic!  You mentioned in the smoker about 3 hours. How long in the oven wrapped, 1 hour maybe? Assuming oven was at 250º?



Thank-you, yes it was about 1 hour in the oven
Al


BGKYSmoker said:


> WOWSERS
> 
> Those look real good there skippy.
> 
> And yes leave the membrane on.



Thanks Rick, yep the membrane always stays on around here~!
Al


TheGrumpyGriller said:


> The time to temp is < 4 hours, right?



Yes that is correct!
Al


----------



## xray (Feb 15, 2022)

Those ribs look great Al and this would be a gamechanger for me. A lot of my smokes happen on weekends were I time defrosting so it’s ready for Saturday/Sunday. 

I’m not sure if I would try this on frozen thick pieces of meat like a pork butt…but for ribs and the convenience of having them go from freezer to plate in the same day would be huge for me.

Thank you for sharing this.


----------



## sandyut (Feb 15, 2022)

Wow that crazy!  I have read of this process but was hesitant to try it.  Sure makes it easy to have a rack in the freezer ready to go with little planning ahead.

great work 

 SmokinAl


----------



## fxsales1959 (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> OK, last night I watched a video on YouTube that did a comparison cook.
> They took 3 filet mignons & 1 was room temp, 1 was refrigerated, & 1 was frozen.
> They cooked them exactly the same & took them to the same IT. The takeaway was that the frozen steak was more tender & juicy than the other 2, and the room temp steak was a bit dry & chewy. So I thought why not pull out a rack of ribs from Wild Fork Foods that I had in the freezer & put it in the smoker frozen. I thought if this works it would sure be a lot more convenient if you had a spur of the moment idea to smoke something. No thawing out, just fire up the smoker & throw it on right out of the freezer. Now I know your saying that there won’t be any flavor from the rub cause I’m putting it on a frozen piece of meat, but you’d be wrong. There was plenty of flavor! So here we go!!
> Here is the rack I have:
> ...


Nice ribs..... l don't think too much, unless I'm on the clock, but that can be good for impromptu cooks.


----------



## sawhorseray (Feb 15, 2022)

Wow, those spares came out beautiful Al, who'd a thunk it! I always leave the membrane on and don't wrap or spritz, this looks like something I just might have to take a shot at, thanks for posting! RAY


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> Great cook Al! Those ribs look amazing. Thank you for sharing this. Like you said, this will be great for a spur of the moment smoke!



Thank you!
Yes your right, it is a game changer!!
Al




Cabo said:


> Thanks for sharing Al.  I have cooked partially thawed butts before, but never totally frozen.
> 
> I've been happy with Wild fork ribs also.  And they have been a LOT cheaper than Publix



Thank-you!
I’m not sure I would try a fully frozen butt, however for smaller cuts, I would definitely try this again! May try a fully frozen butt, just for giggles!
Al




ravenclan said:


> Al, those looks great!
> 
> I have never done ribs from frozen But I have done chicken, steaks, pork chops and pork steaks with no problems. Guess now I can do the ribs also!
> 
> Thanks for sharing!



Thank-you, I will have to try some of the other cuts too. Did you find that the frozen ones were more tender & juicy?
Al


bauchjw said:


> Wow! Those look amazing and there is no way that I ever would have thought that is a technique? Would that work for a bigger cut of meat too? Like a Butt or brisket? If you didnt show it I would have same concern as @yankee2bbq about getting to the right IT in a safe amount of time. Its crazy! Very cool, thank you for sharing an amazing plate!



Thank-you!
I will have to try it on a butt, I’m pretty sure it would work with a brisket, but a butt may be too thick, but we will see!
Al


----------



## clifish (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> OK, last night I watched a video on YouTube that did a comparison cook.
> They took 3 filet mignons & 1 was room temp, 1 was refrigerated, & 1 was frozen.
> They cooked them exactly the same & took them to the same IT. The takeaway was that the frozen steak was more tender & juicy than the other 2, and the room temp steak was a bit dry & chewy. So I thought why not pull out a rack of ribs from Wild Fork Foods that I had in the freezer & put it in the smoker frozen. I thought if this works it would sure be a lot more convenient if you had a spur of the moment idea to smoke something. No thawing out, just fire up the smoker & throw it on right out of the freezer. Now I know your saying that there won’t be any flavor from the rub cause I’m putting it on a frozen piece of meat, but you’d be wrong. There was plenty of flavor! So here we go!!
> Here is the rack I have:
> ...


Looks great Al!  I will have to try this,  anything that can gain time is great.  Wildfork is a FL place correct?  I don't think they are in NY


----------



## chopsaw (Feb 15, 2022)

I have no doubt those were great , and that cooking from frozen helped that .
Nicely done .



SmokinAl said:


> No worries with the temp, it took less than 4 hours to cook.


And they are intact and sterile on the inside . So doesn't matter either way .


----------



## HalfSmoked (Feb 15, 2022)

Wow who would ever have thought this would work. Sure, is a game changer.
Thanks Al.
Be your way again 1st 2 weeks of March.
Warren


----------



## BurntWeenie (Feb 15, 2022)

And Wild Fork looks great. Decent prices


----------



## Winterrider (Feb 15, 2022)

Thanks Al, that is great to know if a quick need were to arise.


----------



## jcam222 (Feb 15, 2022)

Awesome post Al! The end result speaks for itself for sure. On the steaks how did they cook? We’re they thick or thin cut? I’ll likely try this on ribs but the steak really intrigues me. Often I get the urge for a steak and have a lot of 2 packs of filets bacon packed in the freezer.


----------



## indaswamp (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> takes on a lot more smoke when it's cold.


Yep. 100% correct!


----------



## jcam222 (Feb 15, 2022)

jliddil said:


> And Wild Fork looks great. Decent prices


I’m going to give them a go here soon. I see quite a few things to order with fair prices.


----------



## Sven Svensson (Feb 15, 2022)

That’s an incredible discovery. I’ve passed on smoking ribs a couple of times in the last month because I forgot to thaw them. I’m pretty sure this is going to go SMF viral as we’re all going to try it. Thanks so much for risking those beautiful ribs on a method that’s been contrary to what we’ve been told.


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 15, 2022)

xray said:


> Those ribs look great Al and this would be a gamechanger for me. A lot of my smokes happen on weekends were I time defrosting so it’s ready for Saturday/Sunday.
> 
> I’m not sure if I would try this on frozen thick pieces of meat like a pork butt…but for ribs and the convenience of having them go from freezer to plate in the same day would be huge for me.
> 
> Thank you for sharing this.



Thank-you & your welcome. I am waiting to hear what you guys think of this, when you try it. I agree it is a game changer for me for sure!! I also agree with you on the big pieces of meat, but will probably give it a try anyway!
Al




sandyut said:


> Wow that crazy!  I have read of this process but was hesitant to try it.  Sure makes it easy to have a rack in the freezer ready to go with little planning ahead.
> 
> great work
> 
> SmokinAl



Thank-you!
Give it a try, I don’t think you will be disappointed!
Al




fxsales1959 said:


> Nice ribs..... l don't think too much, unless I'm on the clock, but that can be good for impromptu cooks.



Ha ha, that’s good, your very laid back!! 
Al




sawhorseray said:


> Wow, those spares came out beautiful Al, who'd a thunk it! I always leave the membrane on and don't wrap or spritz, this looks like something I just might have to take a shot at, thanks for posting! RAY



Thanks Ray!
You gotta try it!
Al




clifish said:


> Looks great Al!  I will have to try this,  anything that can gain time is great.  Wildfork is a FL place correct?  I don't think they are in NY



Thank-you!
It sure worked good for me!
And yes WildFork is in Fl, but they do ship around the country. Actually I think they may deliver to NY. Check out their site, and type in your zip. They will tell you if they deliver to that zip.
Al



chopsaw said:


> I have no doubt those were great , and that cooking from frozen helped that .
> Nicely done .
> 
> 
> And they are intact and sterile on the inside . So doesn't matter either way .



Thanks Chop!!
And thanks for clarifying the safety issue, I agree!
Al


HalfSmoked said:


> Wow who would ever have thought this would work. Sure, is a game changer.
> Thanks Al.
> Be your way again 1st 2 weeks of March.
> Warren



I agree Warren, I was just bored & wanted to have something to do. Honestly I wasn’t too sure this would work either. But I was pleasantly surprised!
Hope you get some good weather when you come down in March, this has been a crazy winter.
Al




jliddil said:


> And Wild Fork looks great. Decent prices



You got that right Brother!
Al


Winter-rider said:


> Thanks Al, that is great to know if a quick need were to arise.



Yep, your right, I think this will help a lot of people out.
Al




jcam222 said:


> Awesome post Al! The end result speaks for itself for sure. On the steaks how did they cook? We’re they thick or thin cut? I’ll likely try this on ribs but the steak really intrigues me. Often I get the urge for a steak and have a lot of 2 packs of filets bacon packed in the freezer.



Thank-you!
The steaks he used were about 1 1/2“ thick. You just have to keep checking with a Thermapen. They really get a nice crust on them, and there is not much grey on the edges. Definitely what I will be doing next!



jcam222 said:


> I’m going to give them a go here soon. I see quite a few things to order with fair prices.



I have never had anything that wasn’t top notch from them.
Al




Sven Svensson said:


> That’s an incredible discovery. I’ve passed on smoking ribs a couple of times in the last month because I forgot to thaw them. I’m pretty sure this is going to go SMF viral as we’re all going to try it. Thanks so much for risking those beautiful ribs on a method that’s been contrary to what we’ve been told.



Your very welcome!
I can’t wait to see how you guys like this method!
Al


----------



## Nefarious (Feb 15, 2022)

This is remarkable.  I now only cook at refrigerator temperature meat, gives more time to acquire smoke. 

I have a New York roast in the freezer and as soon as my smoker is back in operation I will do this.

Question, with a roast, should I wait until an hour into the cook to add the probe to the meat?


----------



## clifish (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Thank-you!
> It sure worked good for me!
> And yes WildFork is in Fl, but they do ship around the country. Actually I think they may deliver to NY. Check out their site, and type in your zip. They will tell you if they deliver to that zip.
> Al


Wow they do deliver to my zip in NY, cool.  I imagine you are an unlimited member?


----------



## clifish (Feb 15, 2022)

OK,  not to turn this into a wild fork thread but what has anyone ordered that they would keep ordering....this might cost me as much as my Jeep parts...lol


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 15, 2022)

Nefarious said:


> This is remarkable.  I now only cook at refrigerator temperature meat, gives more time to acquire smoke.
> 
> I have a New York roast in the freezer and as soon as my smoker is back in operation I will do this.
> 
> Question, with a roast, should I wait until an hour into the cook to add the probe to the meat?



Well, honestly it will be at least an hour or so before a probe will even go into the meat, so yes I would wait.
Al


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 15, 2022)

clifish said:


> Wow they do deliver to my zip in NY, cool.  I imagine you are an unlimited member?





clifish said:


> OK,  not to turn this into a wild fork thread but what has anyone ordered that they would keep ordering....this might cost me as much as my Jeep parts...lol



Yes I am a member. It only costs $30 a year for unlimited free overnight shipping. Also I have ordered 10-15 different items from their site & everything that I have bought was way better than anything I can get locally, including Sam’s & Costco. The quality & price is crazy good!
Al


----------



## BurntWeenie (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yes I am a member. It only costs $30 a year for unlimited free overnight shipping. Also I have ordered 10-15 different items from their site & everything that I have bought was way better than anything I can get locally, including Sam’s & Costco. The quality & price is crazy good!
> Al


I'm close to the Tampa store so delivery is same day. Their prices would save me the $30/year.


----------



## clifish (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yes I am a member. It only costs $30 a year for unlimited free overnight shipping. Also I have ordered 10-15 different items from their site & everything that I have bought was way better than anything I can get locally, including Sam’s & Costco. The quality & price is crazy good!
> Al


putting a cart together now,  I am getting a couple pieces of Tuna,  but in general we are so close to the ocean that great seafood is always around.


----------



## MJB05615 (Feb 15, 2022)

This is a great method, Al!  Thanks for sharing, I , like all others am definitely gonna be doing this asap.  Can't see any downside, and the idea of being able to do ribs at a moment's notice is amazing.  I have also been using Wild Fork since Al mentioned a few years ago.  I find their prices very good, and 95% of the foods are top notch.


----------



## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 15, 2022)

Al,  those ribs look absolutely great.  I am certainly giving this method a try.  I've always been in the leave the membrane on camp too.


----------



## jcam222 (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yes I am a member. It only costs $30 a year for unlimited free overnight shipping. Also I have ordered 10-15 different items from their site & everything that I have bought was way better than anything I can get locally, including Sam’s & Costco. The quality & price is crazy good!
> Al


Have you ever ordered their ground prime rib?


----------



## Steve H (Feb 15, 2022)

They look delicious! I'm wondering. I've cooked hamburgers from frozen. And thought they were. Juicer and better. Could it be what others have mentioned that perhaps by starting out frozen it gives it a souse vide effect?


----------



## crazymoon (Feb 15, 2022)

AL, Wow, Awesome experiment and it is great to know that I can have last minute ribs from the freezer! Thanks !


----------



## BurntWeenie (Feb 15, 2022)

Frozen Steaks Cook Better Than Thawed Steaks
					

Frozen Steaks Cook Better Than Thawed Steaks




					www.iflscience.com


----------



## goldendogs (Feb 15, 2022)

Thanks a lot Al, after viewing all this I had to go to the wildfork site and drop $100.00.Boy they have some nice stuff there. I can't wait to try your frozen rib method on the camp chef.


----------



## denny (Feb 15, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> OK, last night I watched a video on YouTube that did a comparison cook.
> They took 3 filet mignons & 1 was room temp, 1 was refrigerated, & 1 was frozen.
> They cooked them exactly the same & took them to the same IT. The takeaway was that the frozen steak was more tender & juicy than the other 2, and the room temp steak was a bit dry & chewy. So I thought why not pull out a rack of ribs from Wild Fork Foods that I had in the freezer & put it in the smoker frozen. I thought if this works it would sure be a lot more convenient if you had a spur of the moment idea to smoke something. No thawing out, just fire up the smoker & throw it on right out of the freezer. Now I know your saying that there won’t be any flavor from the rub cause I’m putting it on a frozen piece of meat, but you’d be wrong. There was plenty of flavor! So here we go!!
> Here is the rack I have:
> ...


Fantastic!  Definitely will try soon.  Thanks for posting!


----------



## Bearcarver (Feb 15, 2022)

Makes sense to me, because those frozen Quarter pound Beef Patties we buy are best when made right from frozen.
They don't dry up---Plenty juicy!!
And they don't even stick to the grill, like they can if you thaw them first.

Bear


----------



## DRKsmoking (Feb 15, 2022)

Al , The ribs look great. Thanks for the new lesson on frozen meats in the smoker

Love Judy's Sweatshirt,   
looks like she is all set for the Ironman Challenge, normally up here
 it is hotdogs and blueberry pies for the competition,   Not ribs, LOL .

Did you go to the competition in Penticton BC, my son was working there when that was going on . 
The town doubled in size for a couple weeks he said.

David


----------



## tanglefoot (Feb 15, 2022)

Thanks Al! I think I just got an education...and better yet, a few ideas!!!


----------



## DougE (Feb 15, 2022)

I never would have considered smoking frozen ribs, but they look like a winner to me, Al. 

On larger cuts, I believe it would be safe, provided it's solid muscle, not previously injected, or otherwise molested. So long as the outside hits 140* in 4hr, it would be safe, unless I'm mistaken, but I believe this is correct.


----------



## civilsmoker (Feb 15, 2022)

Very cool Al.  I do partially frozen ribs, bird parts, and burger quite often but never done them solid frozen as I usually set them on the kitchen granite for 30 min while the smoker is getting hot and that sucks the cold out quick, then on the smoker or grill.


----------



## Lawyer Bob (Feb 15, 2022)

jliddil said:


> You have things like convection currents that play a role in this process
> 
> 
> 
> ...


With posts like that you should change your handle from smoke blower to mind blower.  I did find an error in the equation on page 15, however.


----------



## OldSchoolWTB (Feb 16, 2022)

Great thread and info (on Wildfork as well!) Will be trying!


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 16, 2022)

jliddil said:


> I'm close to the Tampa store so delivery is same day. Their prices would save me the $30/year.



That’s great!
Wish we had a local store!
But I’m close enough to the S. Florida store, so we get overnight shipping, and it is always still fully frozen when it arrives.
Al




clifish said:


> putting a cart together now,  I am getting a couple pieces of Tuna,  but in general we are so close to the ocean that great seafood is always around.



I understand, I lived in Ft. Lauderdale for 35 years, and you do get spoiled with the fresh seafood.
Al




MJB05615 said:


> This is a great method, Al!  Thanks for sharing, I , like all others am definitely gonna be doing this asap.  Can't see any downside, and the idea of being able to do ribs at a moment's notice is amazing.  I have also been using Wild Fork since Al mentioned a few years ago.  I find their prices very good, and 95% of the foods are top notch.



Thank-you, and your welcome!
And I think you are right, this will catch on and become mainstream!
Al




SecondHandSmoker said:


> Al,  those ribs look absolutely great.  I am certainly giving this method a try.  I've always been in the leave the membrane on camp too.



Thank you, and more & more of us are leaving the membrane on. Once you try it you find there is a distinct difference in the moisture content of the ribs with the membrane left on.
Al




jcam222 said:


> Have you ever ordered their ground prime rib?



No I have not, however I do buy several PR roasts during the holiday sales, and always grind a couple of them up. Great for burgers or beef sausage.
Al




Steve H said:


> They look delicious! I'm wondering. I've cooked hamburgers from frozen. And thought they were. Juicer and better. Could it be what others have mentioned that perhaps by starting out frozen it gives it a souse vide effect?



Thank-you Steve!
I’m not sure why it works, I am just convinced that it works & will continue to experiment with different cuts of meat.
Al




crazymoon said:


> AL, Wow, Awesome experiment and it is great to know that I can have last minute ribs from the freezer! Thanks !



Thank-you CM, and yes I’m still excited about the results I got, I’m about ready to pull something else out of the freezer!
Al




jliddil said:


> Frozen Steaks Cook Better Than Thawed Steaks
> 
> 
> Frozen Steaks Cook Better Than Thawed Steaks
> ...



Thank-you!!
Al




goldendogs said:


> Thanks a lot Al, after viewing all this I had to go to the wildfork site and drop $100.00.Boy they have some nice stuff there. I can't wait to try your frozen rib method on the camp chef.



Your welcome, and be sure to let me know how those ribs turn out!
Al




denny said:


> Fantastic!  Definitely will try soon.  Thanks for posting!



Thank-you Denny!!
Al


----------



## Brokenhandle (Feb 16, 2022)

Thanks for sharing Al! Will definitely try this! You haven't led me astray yet!  . We vac seal steaks 2 per bag...might have to season them before freezing and try it out.

Ryan


----------



## TNJAKE (Feb 16, 2022)

Tasty looking ribs Al


----------



## HalfSmoked (Feb 16, 2022)

Al Thanks for the like I appreciate it.

That is what so great about this forum someone is always trying something new and sharing it with everyone.

Yea weather been crazy here too. I have friends in Naples, and they report being in the 30's.

Warren


----------



## noboundaries (Feb 16, 2022)

Definitely going to try this, AL! Thawing a whole untrimmed rack of spare ribs is a bit of a pain with my setup here at home. This would solve that problem. Thanks for posting.

BTW, I've done grilled frozen steaks. I prefer them thawed or right from the grocer, which are basically pre-thawed.






						Grilling  Frozen Steaks?
					

I had someone tell me that he grills his steaks frozen, and they turn out perfect. I've never heard of this.  I would think it would develop a pretty good crust while waiting to bring up the internal temp.  Although you probably can't season your meat initially.  Has anyone done this?  Whats...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


----------



## 912smoker (Feb 16, 2022)

Interesting experiment with a great result Al!
It'll make the process a lot easier in the future. Thanks for sharing

Keith


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 16, 2022)

Bearcarver said:


> Makes sense to me, because those frozen Quarter pound Beef Patties we buy are best when made right from frozen.
> They don't dry up---Plenty juicy!!
> And they don't even stick to the grill, like they can if you thaw them first.
> 
> Bear



Thanks John!
It was an experiment that actually worked! There have been plenty that weren’t so good!
Al




DRKsmoking said:


> Al , The ribs look great. Thanks for the new lesson on frozen meats in the smoker
> 
> Love Judy's Sweatshirt,
> looks like she is all set for the Ironman Challenge, normally up here
> ...



Thanks David!
Actually I did the Ironman up there many years ago, and she still has the sweatshirt. First race I ever was in that had hot tubs at the finish & we drank chicken broth. Other Ironman races down here or in Hawaii were so hot that at the finish we would get a couple of IV’s & drink lots of Gatorade. Lovely country up there in BC.
Al




tanglefoot said:


> Thanks Al! I think I just got an education...and better yet, a few ideas!!!



Your welcome!
Hope you give it a try!
Al




DougE said:


> I never would have considered smoking frozen ribs, but they look like a winner to me, Al.
> 
> On larger cuts, I believe it would be safe, provided it's solid muscle, not previously injected, or otherwise molested. So long as the outside hits 140* in 4hr, it would be safe, unless I'm mistaken, but I believe this is correct.



Thank-you!
And yes you are right, as long as it is intact it would be safe.
Al




civilsmoker said:


> Very cool Al.  I do partially frozen ribs, bird parts, and burger quite often but never done them solid frozen as I usually set them on the kitchen granite for 30 min while the smoker is getting hot and that sucks the cold out quick, then on the smoker or grill.



Thank-you!
Do you find that using partially frozen gives you a better end product?
I wonder what the difference is between partially frozen & fully frozen.
Al




Lawyer Bob said:


> With posts like that you should change your handle from smoke blower to mind blower.  I did find an error in the equation on page 15, however.



Ha Ha that is funny!
I’ll check out the equation
Al


OldSchoolWTB said:


> Great thread and info (on Wildfork as well!) Will be trying!



Thank-you!
You won’t be disappointed with WF!
Al


----------



## civilsmoker (Feb 16, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Do you find that using partially frozen gives you a better end product?
> I wonder what the difference is between partially frozen & fully frozen.



I find that you can get a better sear or bark on bird parts (non marinated) because it starts sooner and therefore less of a chance to over cook the center.  So I actually prefer partially frozen bird parts especially breast for grilling or smoking.

On ribs they tend to be a bit more "smoky" all that said I always like to put cold meat on the grill or smoker, never room temp especially steaks.


----------



## BandCollector (Feb 16, 2022)

SmokinAl


Did you finish the ribs @ 195˚ Internal Temp as you usually do?

Thanks,

John


----------



## DRKsmoking (Feb 16, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Thanks David!
> Actually I did the Ironman up there many years ago, and she still has the sweatshirt. First race I ever was in that had hot tubs at the finish & we drank chicken broth. Other Ironman races down here or in Hawaii were so hot that at the finish we would get a couple of IV’s & drink lots of Gatorade. Lovely country up there in BC.
> Al




That is Very Cool Al,

Did you do well in the competitions. Yes BC is nice . But other side of the country is nicer...lol   

David


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 17, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> Thanks for sharing Al! Will definitely try this! You haven't led me astray yet!  . We vac seal steaks 2 per bag...might have to season them before freezing and try it out.
> 
> Ryan



Thank you Ryan!
I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results, if you try this with steaks!
Al




TNJAKE said:


> Tasty looking ribs Al



Thanks Jake!
I appreciate it!!
Al




HalfSmoked said:


> Al Thanks for the like I appreciate it.
> 
> That is what so great about this forum someone is always trying something new and sharing it with everyone.
> 
> ...



Thanks Warren!
I agree, I sure have learned a lot of stuff on here.
So, now the weather is going to be warm for the next week or so, crazy!!
Al




noboundaries said:


> Definitely going to try this, AL! Thawing a whole untrimmed rack of spare ribs is a bit of a pain with my setup here at home. This would solve that problem. Thanks for posting.
> 
> BTW, I've done grilled frozen steaks. I prefer them thawed or right from the grocer, which are basically pre-thawed.
> 
> ...



Thank-you!
Your right, it does simplify things!!
Al




912smoker said:


> Interesting experiment with a great result Al!
> It'll make the process a lot easier in the future. Thanks for sharing
> 
> Keith



Thanks Keith!
I’m going to try this with several cuts of meat. I know frozen works great in our SV, but smoking or grilling is another deal altogether. It will be fun!!
Al


----------



## BandCollector (Feb 17, 2022)

SmokinAl


The ribs look fantastic!  I love it when members try new techniques and share with the rest of us.

One question though. . .Did you finish the ribs @ 195˚ as you normally do?

Thanks,

John


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 17, 2022)

Just put a PID controller on my MES40.  This might be a good way to try it out!


----------



## clifish (Feb 17, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Just put a PID controller on my MES40.  This might be a good way to try it out!


it is a game changer,  what one did you get?


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 18, 2022)

civilsmoker said:


> I find that you can get a better sear or bark on bird parts (non marinated) because it starts sooner and therefore less of a chance to over cook the center.  So I actually prefer partially frozen bird parts especially breast for grilling or smoking.
> 
> On ribs they tend to be a bit more "smoky" all that said I always like to put cold meat on the grill or smoker, never room temp especially steaks.





BandCollector said:


> SmokinAl
> 
> 
> Did you finish the ribs @ 195˚ Internal Temp as you usually do?
> ...



Thanks John!
I took them to 200 so they would be as close to FOTB as I could get without turning them into pulled pork! I have to admit they were darn good!
Al




DRKsmoking said:


> That is Very Cool Al,
> 
> Did you do well in the competitions. Yes BC is nice . But other side of the country is nicer...lol
> 
> David



I came in second place in BC, which qualified me for the World Championships in Hawaii, great country you guys have up there!
Thanks for asking!
Al



BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Just put a PID controller on my MES40.  This might be a good way to try it out!



Heck yea!
Give it a shot!
Al


----------



## HalfSmoked (Feb 18, 2022)

Al Thanks again for another like I appreciate it.

Warren


----------



## DRKsmoking (Feb 19, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> I came in second place in BC, which qualified me for the World Championships in Hawaii, great country you guys have up there!
> Thanks for asking!
> Al



That's great Al, good for you. Those are very stiff competitions. How did you do at the worlds, if you don't mind me asking

David


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 19, 2022)

HalfSmoked said:


> Al Thanks again for another like I appreciate it.
> 
> Warren



No problem Warren, thank you for the nice comments & the like as well!
Al




DRKsmoking said:


> That's great Al, good for you. Those are very stiff competitions. How did you do at the worlds, if you don't mind me asking
> 
> David



The best I ever did at the Worlds was 10th place. Went there 4 times & my best time was 9:59:23. So I managed to squeak in under 10 hours, which is a pretty big accomplishment when your 43 years old! I sure wish I was 43 again! 
Al


----------



## DRKsmoking (Feb 19, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Worlds was 10th place. Went there 4 times & my best time was 9:59:23



That's fantastic Al. Lots of training and hard work.



SmokinAl said:


> I sure wish I was 43 again



You and me both brother, my son is 43 . I remember in my 20's thinking 40's was old. I wish I was that OLD. lol

David


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 19, 2022)

DRKsmoking said:


> That's fantastic Al. Lots of training and hard work.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Well my Son is 56, and I’m just a has been triathlete. But it was a great ride while it lasted. I trained 8-12 hours a day for about 25 years. Sounds like a lot but I enjoyed every minute of it!!
Al


----------



## DRKsmoking (Feb 19, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Well my Son is 56, and I’m just a has been triathlete. But it was a great ride while it lasted. I trained 8-12 hours a day for about 25 years. Sounds like a lot but I enjoyed every minute of it!!
> Al



Has Been ....No . You had to enjoy it, and for 25 years . I used to love going to the gym everyday when I was younger and in a different profession. Than I got into construction/carpentry. and some days were harder than the gym.  Now they are all herder than the gym....lol

David


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 19, 2022)

DRKsmoking said:


> Has Been ....No . You had to enjoy it, and for 25 years . I used to love going to the gym everyday when I was younger and in a different profession. Than I got into construction/carpentry. and some days were harder than the gym.  Now they are all herder than the gym....lol
> 
> David



I hear you David, you have to really love what you are doing to do what I did.  And like you, I feel that it does seem to get harder to do today, what you did yesterday!
Al


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 19, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Heck yea!
> Give it a shot!
> Al


They going on the smoker tin couple hours.


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 19, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> They going on the smoker tin couple hours.



Awesome Brian!
Please let us know how they turn out, and your opinion of them versus room temp ribs.
Al


----------



## smokerjim (Feb 19, 2022)

interesting, a little late to this party Al but they look delicious.


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 19, 2022)

Done.  Had a hard time getting 3 down as these where meaty.  Did 3 hours at 250.  Temp 165.  Foiled and 1.5 hours.  Temp 195 - 200.  Fired up grill and burnt off membrane and set sauce.  Used a Strawberry Habanero BBQ sauce got at local BBQ restaurant.  These where bite through bone tender.  Did not get any smoke ring? I used MES40 with lumber jack hickory pellets mixed with hickory chips.  Had decent smoke flavor.  These ribs where good just not the prettiest.  Normally I would of used the WSM or RecTec for these but wanted to try out new PID controller.


----------



## MJB05615 (Feb 19, 2022)

Looks real good from here Brian.  And you're right, they're really meaty, nice work!


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 20, 2022)

smokerjim said:


> interesting, a little late to this party Al but they look delicious.



Thanks Jim!
Appreciate it!
Al




BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Done.  Had a hard time getting 3 down as these where meaty.  Did 3 hours at 250.  Temp 165.  Foiled and 1.5 hours.  Temp 195 - 200.  Fired up grill and burnt off membrane and set sauce.  Used a Strawberry Habanero BBQ sauce got at local BBQ restaurant.  These where bite through bone tender.  Did not get any smoke ring? I used MES40 with lumber jack hickory pellets mixed with hickory chips.  Had decent smoke flavor.  These ribs where good just not the prettiest.  Normally I would of used the WSM or RecTec for these but wanted to try out new PID controller.
> 
> View attachment 526301
> View attachment 526300
> ...



Holy cow those look like pork chops. And they sure look good!
Al


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 20, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Holy cow those look like pork chops. And they sure look good!
> Al


These were cheap ribs.  They where good and cooked fast enough but strange no smoke ring?  I be leaving this MES40 for low temp cooks and holding oven.


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 20, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> These were cheap ribs.  They where good and cooked fast enough but strange no smoke ring?  I be leaving this MES40 for low temp cooks and holding oven.



Yea, unfortunately with an electric smoker you won’t get a smoke ring. But it doesn’t affect the flavor, so you should be good to go!
Al


----------



## Nefarious (Feb 20, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yea, unfortunately with an electric smoker you won’t get a smoke ring.
> Al


very interesting, do you know why?


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 20, 2022)

Nefarious said:


> very interesting, do you know why?



Yes, a smoke ring is caused by the combustion of wood or charcoal. A pure wood fire gives you the largest smoke ring. There are guys on here who can break it down & give you the chemical reaction that takes place when meat is cooked with a wood fire, but I can tell you this from experience. I have owned electric, propane, charcoal, & wood smokers. And you get the best ring with a stick burner, next charcoal/wood. The propane produces a slight ring, but the electric has none. However as I said this is just like putting lipstick on a pig, it may change the way it looks, but it doesn’t change the taste.
Al


----------



## Nefarious (Feb 20, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yes, a smoke ring is caused by the combustion of wood or charcoal. A pure wood fire gives you the largest smoke ring. There are guys on here who can break it down & give you the chemical reaction that takes place when meat is cooked with a wood fire, but I can tell you this from experience. I have owned electric, propane, charcoal, & wood smokers. And you get the best ring with a stick burner, next charcoal/wood. The propane produces a slight ring, but the electric has none. However as I said this is just like putting lipstick on a pig, it may change the way it looks, but it doesn’t change the taste.
> Al


I have never thought about this so I really have no idea what I'm talking about.  It is interesting to me because, they all have plenty of smoke in the chamber all generated from the same source, wood.  Then there must be that the is caused by something else in the combustion causes the smoke ring and burning more wood has more of whatever causes the smoke ring.  

Anyway, thanks for your experience, I appreciate it.


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 20, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yes, a smoke ring is caused by the combustion of wood or charcoal. A pure wood fire gives you the largest smoke ring. There are guys on here who can break it down & give you the chemical reaction that takes place when meat is cooked with a wood fire, but I can tell you this from experience. I have owned electric, propane, charcoal, & wood smokers. And you get the best ring with a stick burner, next charcoal/wood. The propane produces a slight ring, but the electric has none. However as I said this is just like putting lipstick on a pig, it may change the way it looks, but it doesn’t change the taste.
> Al


Thanks for that information Al.  Always learning something around here.


----------



## DougE (Feb 20, 2022)

The smoke ring involves the chemistry of nitric oxide from burning wood combining with myoglobin in meat to form nitrosyl hemochromogen, the same pigment found in cured meats. The reason you don't get a smoke ring with electric smokers is that there isn't enough nitric oxide present in the smoke generated from chips, chunks, pellet tubes, etc to have a meaningful effect on the myoglobin in the meat. But, as Al said, it's mainly an appearance thing.


----------



## SmokinAl (Feb 21, 2022)

DougE said:


> The smoke ring involves the chemistry of nitric oxide from burning wood combining with myoglobin in meat to form nitrosyl hemochromogen, the same pigment found in cured meats. The reason you don't get a smoke ring with electric smokers is that there isn't enough nitric oxide present in the smoke generated from chips, chunks, pellet tubes, etc to have a meaningful effect on the myoglobin in the meat. But, as Al said, it's mainly an appearance thing.



Thanks for the technical explanation Doug!
Al


----------



## crclass (Mar 19, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yes, a smoke ring is caused by the combustion of wood or charcoal. A pure wood fire gives you the largest smoke ring. There are guys on here who can break it down & give you the chemical reaction that takes place when meat is cooked with a wood fire, but I can tell you this from experience. I have owned electric, propane, charcoal, & wood smokers. And you get the best ring with a stick burner, next charcoal/wood. The propane produces a slight ring, but the electric has none. However as I said this is just like putting lipstick on a pig, it may change the way it looks, but it doesn’t change the taste.
> Al


Wow is that great news for me! I have had several different MES smokers and a Traeger. Never could get the smoke ring on anything no matter the combination I tried. I still enjoyed most of my "mistakes".


----------



## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 19, 2022)

SmokinAl
 , tried this!  Wow, spot on my friend… not sure I’ll ever do ribs any other way!  Thank you for posting!  







And as my friend Foam used to say…. We did indeed use the fine china….


----------



## SmokinAl (Mar 20, 2022)

crclass said:


> Wow is that great news for me! I have had several different MES smokers and a Traeger. Never could get the smoke ring on anything no matter the combination I tried. I still enjoyed most of my "mistakes".



Well the good news is the smoke ring doesn’t affect the flavor, it just looks cool!
Al


WaterinHoleBrew said:


> SmokinAl
> , tried this!  Wow, spot on my friend… not sure I’ll ever do ribs any other way!  Thank you for posting!
> 
> View attachment 529433
> ...



Thanks Justin, I’m glad this worked for you too. I just did a rack on Friday night, frozen & got the same exact result. So I’m sure it will work every time, and also with other cuts of meat!
Al


----------



## idahopz (Mar 20, 2022)

This is a good example of what I like about this forum - always something new to try! Nice job


----------



## Tiburon (Mar 20, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> Yes you were reading it right, it was about 4 hours total time. I don't know how it is possible to take a piece of meat that was frozen solid & have it cook as fast or faster than a room temp piece! But that is what happened. It may have been that the smoker was running a bit hotter than normal, I really don't pay that much attention to the pit temp anymore, I just let it run wherever it likes to.
> Al


----------



## Tiburon (Mar 20, 2022)

SmokinAl said:


> OK, last night I watched a video on YouTube that did a comparison cook.
> They took 3 filet mignons & 1 was room temp, 1 was refrigerated, & 1 was frozen.
> They cooked them exactly the same & took them to the same IT. The takeaway was that the frozen steak was more tender & juicy than the other 2, and the room temp steak was a bit dry & chewy. So I thought why not pull out a rack of ribs from Wild Fork Foods that I had in the freezer & put it in the smoker frozen. I thought if this works it would sure be a lot more convenient if you had a spur of the moment idea to smoke something. No thawing out, just fire up the smoker & throw it on right out of the freezer. Now I know your saying that there won’t be any flavor from the rub cause I’m putting it on a frozen piece of meat, but you’d be wrong. There was plenty of flavor! So here we go!!
> Here is the rack I have:
> ...


Wow, I read this after a thawed my ribs. I knew I should have jump online first! I will be trying this out. Back at the smoker again after removing a small glitch in my life. The Dog and I are much happier now, I get to smoke more for dinner, she gets to test the tasteing part of cooking, again. Win-win.
Tiburon


----------



## SmokinAl (Mar 20, 2022)

Ha Ha!
Hope you & your dog enjoy your ribs!
Al


----------



## Humo18 (Aug 20, 2022)

Amazing what you've done Al, just got here from Jeff's latest post where he details how to smoke these babies.  What's funny, is that yesterday I was smoking a baby back for dinner but it was in the firdge and still frozen.  So in waiting for them to thaw, we ended up eating the ribs at 8:30 pm (our old tummies :-) can't handle late dinners). Who knew!  Thanks for a great posting with great pics.


----------



## SmokinAl (Aug 20, 2022)

Humo18 said:


> Amazing what you've done Al, just got here from Jeff's latest post where he details how to smoke these babies.  What's funny, is that yesterday I was smoking a baby back for dinner but it was in the firdge and still frozen.  So in waiting for them to thaw, we ended up eating the ribs at 8:30 pm (our old tummies :-) can't handle late dinners). Who knew!  Thanks for a great posting with great pics.



Thank you, it was just a lucky idea that worked out & am happy to share with others!
Al


----------



## Inscrutable (Aug 20, 2022)

Was great seeing Jeff include and credit this in his newsletter. so 

 SmokinAl
 is now a reviewed published author 
Tried this a couple times after seeing original thread … great both times … nice to cut time/steps out of this process. And I usually don’t wrap, and this seems to also develop more or better bark.


----------



## Dabutcher (Aug 20, 2022)

Great looking ribs , I have a couple in the freezer . Im going to invite my son , his wife and grandkids over and give it a try .


----------



## Colin1230 (Aug 20, 2022)

Me too. We haven't had pork ribs in a while.


----------



## SmokinAl (Aug 21, 2022)

Inscrutable said:


> Was great seeing Jeff include and credit this in his newsletter. so
> 
> SmokinAl
> is now a reviewed published author
> Tried this a couple times after seeing original thread … great both times … nice to cut time/steps out of this process. And I usually don’t wrap, and this seems to also develop more or better bark.



It was quite an honor, and I’m sure glad it’s working so well for everyone!
Al



Dabutcher said:


> Great looking ribs , I have a couple in the freezer . Im going to invite my son , his wife and grandkids over and give it a try .



Thank-you, let us know how they turn out!
Al



Colin1230 said:


> Me too. We haven't had pork ribs in a while.



Awesome!!
Al


----------



## HalfSmoked (Sep 7, 2022)

801 Thanks for the like it is appreciated.

Warren


----------

