There's nothing worse than getting ready to cook dinner only to realize that you forgot to thaw the meat. Suddenly, your dinner of grilled skirt steak or the baked BBQ pork chops you had planned is ruined. Or is it? To find out the best ways to thaw steak and pork — including in those moments when you don't have much time — Daily Meal spoke with an expert: Ryan "Tuck" Tuchscherer, a fifth generation rancher and the owner of Rugby Scott .
Tuchscherer says, "My tried and true best way to thaw a frozen steak is to put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours and let it slowly thaw. Slow thawing helps maintain the steak's texture and quality. This ensures the most amount of fluid and moisture is retained for the cooking process.
" This method also works for pork, as well as most other meats. However, sometimes we forget to plan ahead and need to resort to other thawing methods. So, which ones are best? The answer is thawing the meat in cold water.
Thawing in cold water is the next best option If you forgot to thaw your steak or pork overnight, then it's time to submerge it in a container of cold water instead, which will thaw it in about 30 minutes to one hour, depending on how thick the cut of meat is. Whether or not the steak has a bone will also affect the timing, as the bone "acts like a barrier," Ryan Tuchscherer says, leading to a longer thawing time. Tuchscherer adds, "If you are in a major hurry, let the faucet continue to run into the container.
This will circulate the col.