We’ve all done this. It’s time to begin smoking or cooking your food, but it is still completely frozen. Now you’re left with the question, can I smoke frozen meat?
It’s possible to smoke frozen meat, but you shouldn’t if it’s still completely frozen. Eating this food could be dangerous if left in the “danger zone” temperatures too long during the smoking process. The USDA puts this between 40°F (4.44°C) and 140°F (60 °C), where harmful bacteria can multiply.
Like using an oven, meat can’t be adequately smoked or cooked from frozen. It could be left dry on the outside when the inside is ready. However, some smoking experts do this regularly and swear by it.
Those who smoke frozen meat find more smoke penetration by starting it frozen. I believe they most likely don’t begin smoking their meat wholly frozen. They will typically season or brine the meat before placing it in the freezer to partially freeze it. This may or may not create a more fabulous smoke flavor.
Now that you know you technically can smoke frozen meat but shouldn’t, I’m going to dive deeper into specific types of meat. Along with the further analysis, I’ll answer commonly asked questions.
Can you smoke semi-frozen meat?
Yes, you can smoke meat partly frozen, but like smoking utterly frozen meat, any freezing of the protein fibers damages your finished product.
Imagine the millions of protein fibers in your meat are like cans of soda. What would happen if you left them too long in your freezer? Just like soda, the meat is mainly made up of water. When water freezes, it expands, breaking the cell walls. After thawing, liquid leaks out, causing what’s called “the purge.” This is the liquid you discover after thawing your meat.
The less time it takes to freeze the meat, the better your smoked end product will taste. This is because smaller ice crystals will form.
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Can You Smoke Meat That Has Been Thawed?
Yes, you can smoke meat that was once frozen, which is a common practice in many homes. It’s easy to buy meat at the grocery store in bulk that’s frozen or freeze the meat yourself. However, since you lose moisture from inside the meat after thawing, you prefer to smoke fresh food.
Even buying “fresh” from your grocery store doesn’t mean the meat was never frozen. Many processing plants will flash freeze the meat. This will allow fewer and smaller ice crystals to form within the protein fibers allowing less purge and moisture loss.
How About on a Pellet Grill?
This is a common question with an answer that doesn’t change depending on your smoking method. Smoking frozen meat on a pellet grill isn’t recommended as cooking meat on any smoker.
Suppose you’ve run out of time and have to, don’t. You can always spare a few minutes or an hour quickly thawing your meat. Unless it’s a large item like a turkey or ham, then you should adjust your plans so you’re not smoking something so large from a frozen state.
What Frozen Foods Can You Smoke?
Technically you shouldn’t smoke any food that’s completely frozen. However, the smaller the item, the faster it will thaw in your smoker. This will push you more quickly past the lower temperatures that your meat shouldn’t linger in for too long.
As mentioned previously, those temperatures are between 40°F and 140°F.
Can You Smoke Frozen Chicken?
Like any frozen meat, frozen chicken thighs or breasts are convenient to have in large quantities in your freezer. It doesn’t have to take long to thaw these smaller poultry pieces, but you can smoke them from frozen if you have no other option.
Be warned that smoking frozen meat comes with a warning from the USDA, as outlined at the beginning of this article. However, I’m more concerned with it drying out when it’s ready to come out of the smoker with a smaller piece of meat.
How long does it take to smoke frozen chicken?
Since you really shouldn’t be smoking frozen chicken parts like breasts or thighs and especially nothing more significant like a whole chicken, I can’t give you a reasonable estimate. I suggest adding the time it takes to thaw the meat and the time it takes to smoke it. Then you’ll have your total cook time from freezer to table.
Leaving your chicken in cold water for a quick thaw will take about an hour. Depending on your piece of chicken and your cooking temperature, your chicken should be smoked in about 30 minutes to a few hours.
How do you defrost chicken in a hurry?
When you’re in a hurry, place the chicken in frigid water. This will allow the chicken to quickly thaw while keeping the meat’s temperature from going above 40°F for too long. If you don’t have the chicken in a vacuum-sealed bag or some plastic bag already, place it in a zip lock bag before placing it in the water.
Can you smoke frozen chicken wings?
Chicken wings are tiny so smoking them from frozen is safer than smoking a whole chicken that’s frozen. However, these are quickly thawed in cold water if you’re in a pinch.
Can you smoke a frozen turkey?
No, I don’t recommend smoking a frozen turkey. First, you’ll need to leave it whole since you can’t spatchcock a frozen turkey. This means your turkey will take a long time to get the internal breast temperature to 165°F. Not only leaving the outside meat be incredibly dry, but the meat will have stayed too long between 40°F and 140°F, causing dangerous bacteria to form.
Thawing your turkey in the refrigerator is a great option, but you have to plan. Allow 24 hours in the fridge for every 4 pounds. For example, if you have a 15-pound turkey, it will take four days to thaw. I like to give an extra day or two to be on the safe side.
Read “How to Smoke a Turkey on a Pellet Grill – Total Guide” for more information.”
Can you smoke frozen brisket?
Like other large cuts of meat, a whole packer brisket will take a long time to smoke. Using a fully frozen brisket, you will inevitably have a dry piece of meat when the center reaches the internal temperature of 203°F.
When planning to smoke something as delicious as a brisket, make a plan in advance. Buy your meat a day or two before you plan to smoke it, so it’s fresh.
Can you smoke frozen ribs?
You can cook frozen or partly frozen ribs in the oven or grill, but I wouldn’t suggest using a slow cooker or smoker. This method takes too long to get your ribs to your desired temperature, risking the multiplication of harmful bacteria.
Can You Smoke a Frozen Pork Loin?
When smoking a pork tenderloin or loin roast, you risk this medium-sized cut of meat taking too long to cook. If it takes too long to get the internal temperature to 145°F, and it probably will, you will have harmful bacteria in your food.
Plan and leave it in your fridge for a day. This should thaw your meat. If it doesn’t, take it out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before you need to prep.
Can You Smoke Frozen Pork Shoulder?
Trying to smoke a frozen pork shoulder, Boston butt, or pork butt to make pulled pork is similar to you asking to eat an incredibly dry pulled pork sandwich. You’ll need to use a lot of sauce when trying to get it down. Not only that but like other large pieces of meat, if you smoke it from frozen, you will risk eating harmful bacteria.
Can You Smoke Frozen Sausage?
Yes, you can get away with this since sausage is a smaller piece of meat. They will smoke faster than a large cut of meat, so you are less likely to cultivate anything harmful; however, your finished product will taste much better if you thawed the meat first. The thawing process will be quicker with smaller meat than with something larger.
Can You Freeze Smoked Meat?
Yes, you can! Your smoked meat can be kept in the refrigerator for up to four days. If properly wrapped, you can freeze your smoked meat for up to three months. I use a vacuum sealer to remove all the air before placing the meat in the deep freezer. The less air, the better your meat will freeze.
In Summary
Can you smoke completely frozen meat? No, you really shouldn’t. Not only will you be eating dry meat, but also risking your health since harmful bacteria could multiply when the meat is left too long in the danger zone of 40°F (4.44°C) to 140°F (60 °C).
To learn more about the safe internal temperatures you need to know when smoking your meat, read: SAFE FOOD INTERNAL TEMPERATURES FOR COOKING.
Also, check out 12 COMMON BRISKET MISTAKES EVERYONE SHOULD AVOID.
Below is a Pinterest-friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Smoking Food Board!!
