Can I thaw and smoke frozen meat?

by Tommy
(Hegdesville,WV, USA)

Can I thaw and smoke frozen meat with good results? Or should I only smoke "fresh" meat?

I have heard that smoking frozen meat does not turn out well. I have never tried this.

Answer:-

The simple answer is yes you can, but it's not as good. For sure fresh is always best but provided you properly thaw out the meat before you start smoking then you're set, just don't expect wonders.

Water is the main constituent of any animal (including us humans) with the majority of water being found in the cytoplasm or cellular fluid of the cells that make up the meat that we eat.

Consider this point:
What happens if you put unopened cans of soda in the freezer? They all expand and lose their shape while some explode and that's because water expands when it freezes.

Imagine that those cans of soda are cells in a piece of meat and you can guess that pretty much the same is happening. OK, cell walls are more flexible and will return to shape unlike an aluminum can but the principle still follows and those cells that have ruptured will leak.

Whether it's meat or vegetables, freezing does degenerate some of the cellular structure so when it comes to cooking or smoking the effects of freezing will show up in the final results. Where cells have ruptured, the cellular fluid will be more difficult to retain in the meat during a long cookout and so your final result may be less moist.

To summarize this point, the greater effect will be dependent on how low and slow you go. If doing a beer can chicken for example at a higher heat so that you get a crispy skin, well it's like roasting a chicken in the oven, you won't notice the difference.

The absolute no no though is to smoke frozen meat. Put simply, this is a health hazard always make sure that your meat is fully defrosted before any type of cooking and preferably your meat should be at room temperature.

Note: - Having dissed freezing it is worth pointing out that commercial blast chilling technology used to freeze fish when caught and vegetables etc. has come on and in many instances, frozen food is pretty good these days.

See Also:-

Smoked Beef Recipes
Smoked Pork Recipes
Smoked Chicken Recipes
Smoked Turkey Recipes
Smoked Fish Recipes
Smoked Lamb Recipes

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