How To Defrost Ribs In The Microwave, Refrigerator, Cold And Hot Water

Can you imagine having a delicious chunk of ribs without thawing it properly? Well, it’s not possible at all.

Defrosting is one of the vital pre-condition that you have to follow before starting the cooking process. The entire method of thawing seems a bit difficult. Though, practically it’s not that much hard. 

In this very article, I’m going to talk about multiple methods about how to defrost ribs. It could be beef, lamb in some cases. No matter what, the procedures will remain the same in all circumstances. 

If you can catch the essential anticipations, defrosting ribs wouldn’t be that arduous for you. 

However, if you’re a newbie who wants to cook ribs, this article might help you in that case. Go through the article, notice every pseudo information in detail. 

Let’s jump right into the core point…

How To Defrost Ribs In The Refrigerator

As we said before, defrosting in the freezer takes a lot of time. Yet, it’s the safest way of thawing ribs. A question might be surfing in your head right now. That is “Why?” 

Well, predominantly, it’s because of the bacteria that has been stuck with your favorite chunk of ribs. 

In such low temperatures, all the bacteria went calm, and they couldn’t perform thoroughly. 

As soon as you increase the temperature, they start their mischief again, affecting the following food. 

This is why we shouldn’t leave the chunk of meat at room temperature. Storing ribs in low temperatures (40-100) degrees Fahrenheit is preferable. 

Now, let’s look forward to the procedure of thawing ribs in the freezer- 

• As the whole process takes time, you have to keep patience at first. Typically, an ideal lump of beef ribs takes more than 24 hours to thaw. For being on the safe side, you have to give it merely 30-35 hours. 
• Make sure that the gross temperature of your refrigerator is not more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• After fixing the temperature, separate the package of ribs from other substances. It would be good if you use a plastic container for the trial. Otherwise, bacteria inside of the ribs will undoubtedly affect other substances in your freezer. 
• This is the entire setup, grossly. Now leave the chunk for 30-35 hours. There’s that.

Some initial precautions should have to be measured, though. Let’s have an eye to those-  

Always make sure that the freezer is working. If the freezer stops its efficiency by any chance, there’s a massive chance that the ribs will get rotten afterwards. 

If you feel like undoing the defrosting, try to stop the process immediately. In terms of refreezing, try to follow the inspections from the catalog attached with the packaging of ribs. It will reduce the efficiency. 

Related: How To Tell When Ribs Are Done Without A Thermometer

How To Defrost Ribs In The Microwave

Thawing the meat with the help of a microwave is possibly the quickest method of all. Yet, it could be troublesome for someone who hasn’t used this before. 

Many microwaves have a specific feature called “defrost”. You can either use that particular system or could thaw the meat manually using the oven. 

Let’s look forward to the process of defrosting ribs in the microwave-

• Before starting with the procedure, unpackage the ribs. If there’s any plastic or hardcover, remove that immediately. Otherwise, the package will surely melt in times of thawing, and there’s a big chance that the melted packaging would have been mixed with the ribs, which is very health conscious.
• After removing the packaging materials, it’s time to fix your microwave oven. Try to set up the power of the microwave at 30. If you’re using the “defrost” system, you don’t have to set the power manually. 
• Place the ribs in a heat-resistant container and deliver them to the microwave. 
• Wait for 7-8 minutes. This waiting time could’ve been more or less, depending on the power of your microwave oven and the thickness of the ribs as well. 

As the microwave oven is an electronic device, it’s precarious for the user who is a newbie. So, maintaining all the security inspections sealed with the microwave is way too mandatory.

Excluding this, there are some other pseudo inspections that you need to know before starting the thawing. 

• Always make sure that you have removed the packaging materials properly. It’s crucial as well. So, make sure that there’s no plastic material. 
• Go with the procedure as slowly as you can. There’s no rush. Fast-forwarding might affect thawing. 
• If you’re using the “defrost” method, try not to change anything manually.

How To Defrost Ribs In Cold Water

Thawing meat with the help of cold water is not that time-consuming. Yet, if you plan to thaw the ribs using cold water, you have to carefully look after the meat. It takes merely an hour to melt a pound of ribs. 

Defrosting in cold water works better in terms of small quantities of meat. However, if you’re in a rush, this procedure is pretty much worth it then. 

Let’s look forward to the process without further ado- 

• First of all, get a plastic container or an airtight zip-bag for storing the ribs. 
• After placing the meat in a bag, fill a pot with cold water and thaw the meat for flexibly 30 minutes or a bit longer. 
• After getting done with the preliminary thawing, refill the vessel with another batch of clean cold water. 
• Go through the thawing process again. Thaw the meat until it’s completely melted and ice-free. 

There’s that. It’s the most accessible and preferable process as well. You can thaw any small quantities of ribs by following this method. 

The process is far more natural than melting with a freezer or microwave oven. As it’s natural, it’s much more healthy as well.

However, let’s look up to the preliminary precautions of defrosting ribs with cold water- 

• While putting the meat in a zip-bag, make sure to airtight the bag. Try not to use the bag if there’s any leakage. Otherwise, water will affect the ribs. 
• Don’t forget to change the water after thawing it for the first 30 minutes. 
• Try to start smoking ribs as soon as the thawing procedure ends. Don’t keep it uncooked for too long.

How To Defrost Ribs In Hot Water

Thawing meat using hot water is not very popular amongst people. Yet, it’s one of the best possible methods. 

It’s also very health-friendly because thawing meat with the help of hot water kills unwanted germs and bacteria living in the ribs. It’s scientifically proven as well. Boiled water has this enormous power. 

Moreover, it thaws faster than cold water as well. But the quantity must have been modest. 

Let’s look forward to the procedure in detail- 

• Firstly, take a liter of water in a pan or a bowl. Don’t take more than one liter. 
• Heat the water till it gets too hot. As soon as the water starts mumbling, turn off the stove immediately. 
• Drown the chunk of water in the pan of hot water. 
• Keep it for approximately 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, the ribs will melt equally.

End of the process. See, it’s so easy. Anyone can go through this process without any hassle. In addition to that, this process is much more preferable for newbie chefs. 

Anyways, let’s discuss some of the preconditions of thawing ribs with the help of hot water- 

• Don’t boil the water for too long. 
• Try to change the water once if it’s possible. Otherwise, the water might get contaminated by unwanted bacteria. 
• Make sure the bag is airtight. If the bag gets licked somehow, the meat will be affected harrowingly.

Which Is The Best Way Of Defrosting Ribs, And Why

We have discussed precisely four methods of thawing ribs. I hope you got the thing exactly. Yet, if you have any complexity, feel free to give the article a detailed read again. 

Now, after reading all the procedures, a fundamental question might be surfing in your mind. That is, which is the best method for thawing ribs and the specialty of that specific method. 

Well, I’m trying to answer the question according to some of the expert’s perspectives. 

According to some specialists, thawing in the refrigerator is much superior to thawing into the microwave or with the help of water. It’s true. There’s a very calm and cold environment in the refrigerator. 

This situation is not very friendly to bacteria. They can’t work correctly there. As a result, thawing in the freezer is much healthier than melting into the microwave. 

Moreover, as thawing in the freezer takes a lot of time, the texture of the ribs doesn’t lose its aristocracy. 

This process is good in either way. You can use this method if you are health conscious and have an aesthetic view. Also, the meat thawed with the help of the freezer tastes better than others. 

In a nutshell, if you have confusion about defrosting, go and thaw the chunk with the help of the freezer. You might not believe it, but it’s worth it.

When To Defrost Ribs

Frankly, there’s no specific time. The moment you’re feeling like thawing the ribs, that’s the perfect time. Defrosting a chunk of ribs is the most necessary step after freezing it. Without melting the meat properly, you won’t be able to cook it.

Furthermore, a single limb of ribs takes a lot of time to get adequately thawed. So, if you’re in a rush of time, it would be good to be on the safe side. 

For this, try to start the thawing process approximately 35-40 hours before the gathering or house party. It’s the best possible way of being on the safe side. 

However, try to get along with the procedure by keeping enough time in hand. Going through a rush won’t allow the ribs to get perfectly melt. 

Eventually, the ribs cooking will go wrong as well. I’m more than sure that you won’t let this happen, do you?

How long does it take to defrost ribs in the freezer?

It takes more than 24 hours to melt perfectly in the freezer. However, to be on the safe side, keeping the chunk 35-40 hours is preferable. You can also keep it for 2-3 days to get an arbitrary result.

How long does it take for ribs to defrost?

The amount of time is not constant. Instead, it varies a lot. In the case of the freezer, it takes roughly 2-3 days. On the other hand, you will be able to thaw meat instantly in just 20 minutes utilizing the microwave oven.

How long do you keep ribs in the freezer after thawing?

According to some experts, it’s very harmful to keep the meat more than two hours after getting done with the defrosting process. 

However, you can certainly take your time. You can keep the meat for approximately one hour in the freezer. Holding more than this amount of time might harm the chunk of ribs in the long run.