Moving on from our debates :)
I need to do something about dinner tonight. I have a conference call in 15 minutes and a 1-1.5 lb chunk of frozen chuck roast. If I throw it frozen into my crock pot will it be cooked by dinner time tonight? Or should I defrost it in the microwave first?
I am going to toss fajita seasoning and some veggies in with it, shred it and roll up in flour tortillas with cheese.
Yes, I should have done something with it before my phone call - but obviously got caught up in our discussions. Which was soooo much better than chores - thank you all. :)
@ Leigh - dang - I may be defrosting that container of red beans for dinner tonight instead.
But, I have to admit I did just throw it in the crock pot. I promise to stick a food thermo in it. But I plan to cook it until it is falling apart and broken down completely before I serve it.
Love to you all - I got to go do some work now. LOL
I am going to assume that you're going to be home all day and say this: Throw that puppy in there with all the seasoning and turn it on high for about 6 hours and you'll be fine.
I've been crockpotting for about 239048209 years and I haven't met a meat that I haven't cooked in one yet.
Happy cooking. And THANK YOU for moving on... ;)
Sending good thoughts your way.
I put meat frozen in the crock pot all of the time. Like the others said, add a little liquid. When I put things in the crockpot frozen I put it on high for the first hour or so then switch to low. And, definitely, if you put it in there now it will be cooked for dinner time.
Hi there! If this roast is raw, you must, must defrost it completely and safely. If you toss it in and cook from frozen., the center won't be safe though the meat may appear cooked and feel hot enough. Personally I don't like microwave defrosting, though if you have experience in doing it, go ahead. The safest defrosting is in the fridge but a roast would take probably at least overnight or even a full day to defrost completely. If it were me I'd do veggie fajitas instead and put the roast in the fridge to defrost for another dish in about 24 hours.
This is near and dear to my heart just now -- My daughter is in a science competiiton and one of her events is all about foodborne diseases, so we've learned a LOT about food handling and foodborne illnesses in recent months. What you describe -- putting frozen raw meat directly in a crock pot -- is exactly what no one should do. Thawing in a fridge and slowly is critical to ensuring the meat is ready to cook thoroughly.
Even if you put it in liquids like others are saying, by dinnertime tonight it will be really only defrosted, not truly cooked to a safe temperature for the correct amount of time at that temperature. The cooking takes place AFTER the defrosting is thoroughly done; the two things can't happen at the same time. You can't tell by looking or tasting whether meat is safe; only the right internal temperature for the right amount of time will definitely make it safe to eat. I just wouldn't chance it, knowing what I now know about food handling.
I always start my chuck roasts frozen with my normal sauce. A little bit of liquid may help.
It should cook just fine. Technically, the crock pot companies say to never put anything frozen (like big hunks of meat) in but the concern is that it could crack the crock at the change in temperature.
There is also the concern about the center of the meat not getting thoroughly cooked, but I've never had a problem from it. I also tend to cook mine for 10-11 hours, only because of my work schedule. So, you need to make sure you cook it long enough if you're going to start it frozen.
If you cook it on low, you should be fine.
I'd put some beef stock in the crockput it on high for a while then on low once you know it's defrosted. I'm pretty sure it will defrost fine. I put frozen stuff in the crockpot all the time. After your call you can add some onions or garlic or mushrooms or whatever you like.
I would make sure and add some water to the bottom of the pot. Maybe 1/2 cup. That will help it steam and get warmer faster. Maybe you could defrost is some first too but I think it would be done, if not tonight then for sure tomorrow.
if you put it on high for a few hours it will probably cook. but why take a chance? be safe and defrost it in the microwave first.
i'm not a big fan of mikes and rarely use 'em, but this is just the sort of thing it's good for.
khairete
S.
You can throw it in frozen, just be sure to add water so that the temperature difference doesn't crack the pot when it starts heating up.
