I want to brine a frozen chicken but I'm unsure if there is any reason why brining frozen meat is bad?
Can you brine frozen meat, or do you first have to defrost it before you can brine it, or does it not matter?
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Sign up to join this communityI want to brine a frozen chicken but I'm unsure if there is any reason why brining frozen meat is bad?
Can you brine frozen meat, or do you first have to defrost it before you can brine it, or does it not matter?
No, you can't. Or at least, you won't get the result you're really looking for.
Water needs to be able to move through the meat for the salt and flavorings to be transported to the inner cells of the meat. When the meat's frozen, you're dealing with ice crystals.
... that being said, you can thaw the meat in the brine if you're desperate, but you have less control to know exactly how much salt will be absorbed. (and I vaguely remember another question on here about temperature & brining, and I seem to recall someone reported on experimental results that really cold brines didn't transfer flavors deeply into the meat.).
Yes, actually you can. Quite a few cooks will tell you it's very possible. I've done it, and it turns out great.
"Make sure your brine is no warmer than cool room temperature, then place your frozen meat in the brine. Place the whole thing in the refrigerator, and check on it after an hour — if the meat is thawed, then you can remove it from the brine and proceed with cooking. If it’s still frozen in the middle, put it back in the refrigerator until it is completely thawed. When I did this with a very thick bone-in pork chop, it took about 1 1/2 hours to thaw and brine."