Here's one for the books: How do you safely thaw a 50 (fifty) pound turkey?

Janet
  • Posted by: Janet
  • November 10, 2017
  • 968 views
  • 4 Comments

4 Comments

MMH November 10, 2017
If refrigerator space is an issue, we brine turkeys in a cooler. Lynn Rossetto Casper recommends placing the turkey in an extra extra large zip loc bag set inside a cooler surrounded by ice. You would have to buy an extra large cooler and watch it closely.
 
702551 November 10, 2017
The safest way to thaw frozen raw meat of any kind is to let it thaw out in the refrigerator. Of course, the time necessary for a complete thaw depends on the size of the item and the original core temperature.

A turkey of this size might require you to find a larger refrigerator and temporarily remove some shelving. It would likely take several days to thaw.

At a restaurant, they would simply put the bird on sheet pan and wheel the speed rack into a walk-in refrigerator.
 
HalfPint November 10, 2017
This site has good advice on the various safe methods to thaw a frozen turkey, https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/2016/11/defrost-turkey.html

The recommended method is the refrigerator, but that can take almost a week if I'm reading the guidelines correctly.

Good luck!
 
Janet November 10, 2017
Thank you for your help. I also looked up the refrigerator thaw rate for a turkey and it was about five pounds every twenty four hours. At that rate, the bird will be in the fridge for ten days prior to cooking. That does not seem like a good idea to me.
He is a home grown bird. Truthfully, I never expected him to be get that big! I raised a few this year. They are all over the top beautiful.
 
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