# Thawing in a Cooler



## DrewJ

I have a question and I hoping this is the right place to ask. 

I have a freezer full of pork butt that I have stocked up on while on sale. I am off work next week due to sinus surgery recovery and am hoping to fill my MES 30 with all of that pork to make enough pulled pork to last through the winter. We have a small fridge at home and if I thaw all the frozen meat in the fridge there will be no room for anything else. Can I thaw from frozen in a large cooler packed with ice and water? I realize it will probably take longer but I have plenty of time and not enough fridge space. 

Thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! 

-drew-


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## gmc2003

My gut feeling is you'll be fine if you watch it closely, but my gut feelings have been wrong before. Sorry I couldn't give you a more definitive answer. One of the food safety experts will shed more insight into this. Sinus surgery well I guess you won't be smelling the fruits of your labor anytime soon.

Chris


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## smokin218r

Hi Drew, I noticed you recently joined... Welcome!
Like Chris, I am not a food safety expert.
I have read a lot about it here from guys with a ton of knowledge.
Someone like Dave can give you better technical info.
I thawed four butts in a cooler with running water.
Read about this method on here I believe....
Was amazed at how fast it worked!!!
I see you are a fellow Minni, kinda hard to run a hose right now.
A cooler with ice water should be just fine.
I believe as long as the meat stays below 40 degrees...


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## browneyesvictim

Don't see why not. Why would it be any different than when you go camping and put frozen meats in the cooler? They will thaw out just fine that way.

If you want to hedge your bet, put a therm in your cooler to keep an eye on where it is at. Try to keep it as close to 38' as possible. Inspect the packaging on your butts carefully for punctures or otherwise loss of cryovac seal. If you have any that are compromised, then I would perhaps handle thawing those a little more judiciously.

That's my 2 "Scents". Now I will keep my nose to my own business... Good luck with the surgery!


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## DrewJ

Thanks for the thoughts! I was thinking I'd probably double bag in case the original packaging is compromised. I'd probably do ice and water into the cooler, drop all the butts in a trash bag, drop said bag into ice water. Then I have a dual probe wireless thermometer that I'd just dunk one probe in the water ice bath and stab one into the smallest butt to keep an eye on temps from the comfort of my sofa where I'll be binge watching Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.


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## smokin218r

Drew, I wanted to double check my numbers before being sure.
Cold foods need to be kept at 41° or under. Obviously under 32° is frozen. 
There is a rule of 40-140 in 4. 
A search here will tell you more.
This is for meats like a steak that might not hit the 160ish° mark...
Your butts will go to 190-205°.
Your plan sounds good, just keep the meat under 41°.
Since you are going to have a long smoke, (10-16 hrs), you will be WAY above the time and temp to kill anything.
There are a bunch of people on here that know more than me but,...
I'm hoping @daveomak  will jump in here.


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## chef jimmyj

Seeing you are in MN, are temp there even getting above 40 this time of year? You may not need a cooler, just a critter free garage. In any event a cooler is fine as long as the water temp stays below 41 degrees. Here is some helpful info I support as being safe...JJ
http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/safely-thawing-a-frozen-turkey-in-a-cooler.262746/

@smoking 218r...The 40 to 140 in 4 rule ONLY applies to Ground, Injected, Multiple Punctured or Boned, Rolled and Tied, meat. Whole Intact Muscle is sterile and therefore can take up to 72 hours to come to an Internal Temp of 130+...JJ


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## pc farmer

chef jimmyj said:


> Seeing you are in MN, are temp there even getting above 40 this time of year? You may not need a cooler, just a critter free garage. In any event a cooler is fine as long as the water temp stays below 41 degrees. Here is some helpful info I support as being safe...JJ
> http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/safely-thawing-a-frozen-turkey-in-a-cooler.262746/
> 
> @smoking 218r...The 40 to 140 in 4 rule ONLY applies to Ground, Injected, Multiple Punctured or Boned, Rolled and Tied, meat. Whole Intact Muscle is sterile and therefore can take up to 72 hours to come to an Internal Temp of 130+...JJ




Glad to see you back.    I was hoping you would see this.


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## chef jimmyj

Thanks Adam. Good to be back and keeping folks Safe. Dave did a good job as usual and while I was away...J J


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