Had to try this! FROZEN RIBS???

[sandyut]

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]

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:

View attachment 525801

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


View attachment 525800

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.


View attachment 525799

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


View attachment 525797

Two hours in.


View attachment 525795

Checked the temp & the IT is around 160 degrees.

View attachment 525795

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.

View attachment 525798

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.

View attachment 525796

Out of the oven. nice color!

View attachment 525794

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

View attachment 525792
View attachment 525791

All done & ready to slice!

View attachment 525787

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.

View attachment 525788

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!!

View attachment 525790

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 )

View attachment 525789

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

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

 

[sawhorseray]

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]

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

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

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

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]

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:

View attachment 525801

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


View attachment 525800

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.


View attachment 525799

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


View attachment 525797

Two hours in.


View attachment 525795

Checked the temp & the IT is around 160 degrees.

View attachment 525795

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.

View attachment 525798

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.

View attachment 525796

Out of the oven. nice color!

View attachment 525794

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

View attachment 525792
View attachment 525791

All done & ready to slice!

View attachment 525787

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.

View attachment 525788

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!!

View attachment 525790

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 )

View attachment 525789

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

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]

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

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]

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

 

[Winterrider]

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

 

[jcam222]

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]

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

Yep. 100% correct!

 

[jcam222]

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]

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]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And Wild Fork looks great. Decent prices

You got that right Brother!
Al

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

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!

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

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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

 

[clifish]

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]

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.