Can I put frozen meat in the crock pot?

[erinnalea]

Will it ruin grass fed beef if I put it in the crock pot frozen? How do I adjust the cooking time? Sorry for asking such an elementary question, I am definitely not a gourmet chef!

We bought a quarter cow in December and have a ton of grass fed beef in our extra freezer. I have roasts and short ribs galore, and was just thinking about whether I always need to thaw it before I cook it.

Thanks!

Erin

[dotamy]

USDA says no...but I always have. It doesn't ruin it in the least that I have found. I have also done it with frozen chicken too, and adjusted the cook time an extra hour or so. It doesn't take much. I have added spices, sauces, etc along with the frozen meat. I always cook on high when using meat in this way, just in case.

[ladunn]

I've never done it, but my mom always puts her meat in frozen. Whenever she uses the crock pot it goes in really early in the morning-before work, and she doesn't eat until 5:30pm or so.

[Susan W]

I would thaw first when you can. Putting frozen meat in a crockpot does mean the meat will be in the danger zone for quite a long time. However, we are also told to not use raw eggs and I do that daily when I eat my mayo.

[erinnalea]

Thanks for the helpful input! Much appreciated.

[AmyS]

I would thaw first when you can. Putting frozen meat in a crockpot does mean the meat will be in the danger zone for quite a long time. However, we are also told to not use raw eggs and I do that daily when I eat my mayo.

This.

[1Maryann]

However, we are also told to not use raw eggs and I do that daily when I eat my mayo.

My understanding is that the acid (lemon juice or acv) neutralizes the bacteria in raw egg, so long as the mayo isn't kept in the danger zone.

[Kim Christensen]

I've always done it. Works great.

[Michaela Elmore Cogswell]

putting meat in the crock pot is not a safe food practice. You will leave the food in the temperture danger zone for FAR too long. It's a big risk.

The risk to using a raw egg is that there can be bacteria on the shell. It's a much small risk

Think of it this way.... restaurants will serve raw egg in the form of mayo (made in house), some salad dressings, some meringes, depending on the method they use.

Any decent restaurant, and a number that are questionable follow food safety practices and don't leave their meat in the temp danger zone where bacteria loves to grow.

Just because you've gotten away with it doesn't mean you always will. E. Coli can still make you VERY sick even if the bacteria is later killed in the cooking process.

So defrost your meat first.

[praxisproject]

NomNomPaleo has a great tip on keeping a defrost bowl in the fridge.