We’ve all been in a position where we want to get a delicious meal ready for dinner but forgot to make the necessary arrangements.
For times when you forget to thaw your meat, you’re most likely to either drop the idea of a good roast or toss the frozen piece into your crock pot.
At first, this might seem like no big deal. However, when the meat takes ages to get tender, you’d only be wishing that you’d remembered to take it out in time to thaw.
You can technically put a frozen roast in the crock pot, but it won’t cook it the same way, and could lead to other issues as well. Crock pots are meant to slow cook your meat, not thaw it. If you choose to put a frozen roast in the crock pot, be ready to wait for longer than usual.
USDA also advises not to go for putting frozen meat directly in crock pots because of the potential bacteria growth, owing to the long hours required for the meat to cook properly.
The exact verdict around this remains uncertain, but all in all, you can use frozen meat and crock pots together as long as it doesn’t become a habit.
Looking for more answers? Keep on reading to find all you need to know:
Can You Cook A Frozen Roast In A Crock Pot?
The success of cooking a frozen roast in a crock pot entirely depends on the type of meat.
If you have a heavy beef cut of, say, 3-4 pounds, it’ll take a lot more time in addition to the already slow cooking of the crock pot.
This will enable bacteria growth in your meat because raw meat left at a certain temperature for too long is a recipe for disaster.
If you’re dealing with beef, it’s best to thaw your meat first before letting the slow cooking process kick in.
However, a chicken will probably not disappoint you if you forget to take it out in time for thawing.
Since chicken is lean and does not have a lot of muscle mass, it tends to cook enough just in time to kill bacterial growth.
You can also cut it into smaller parts so that the cooking time decreases.
The most crucial part to consider when cooking a frozen piece of meat in a crock pot is food safety.
Food that is left at any temperature lower than 145 F poses the risk of getting contaminated.
This results in food-borne illnesses and also increases the chances of the meat going bad.
Crock pots already cook meat at a slow temperature, and if you add the thawing time to the entire process, you probably won’t succeed in most cases.
Large roasts particularly cannot be cooked in crock pots because they stay at a dangerous temperature for a very long time.
For the meat to get tender, you’ll have to put in at least a couple of hours which will allow drastic multiplication of bacteria if the meat retains a certain temperature for a long time.
Once this bacteria has branched out through the meat, even getting it at a safe temperature won’t do any good, and you’d still be at the risk of food poisoning.
Why Should You Use A Crock Pot For Cooking A Frozen Roast?
Cooking frozen meat has always been discouraged amongst the masses.
People tend to think that if they forget to take out their meat in time for thawing, they either have to wait all over again or drop the idea of a roast dinner altogether.
However, this doesn’t stand with crock pots because they have an added perk that facilitates frozen meat cooking.
It helps in reducing the toxic parameters associated with slow-cooking frozen meat and also gives you a delicious meal.
Here are a few reasons you might be able to put your frozen meat in a crock pot:
- It cooks your meal thoroughly. From thawing to taking it to perfect tenderness, a crock pot will leave you with a magnificent piece of meat on your plate.
- It retains the juices released by the meat, which prevents it from being dry and chewy.
- It becomes a lifesaver for times when you forget to defrost your meat.
- It’s efficient in terms of management; all you have to do is put the meat with all the ingredients and leave it in the crock pot; it’ll do its job itself!
- It allows you to experiment with your recipes, from spices to vegetables; there’s no restriction on how you want to make your roast.
How Long Does It Take To Cook A Roast From Frozen In A Crock Pot?
Crock pots are slow cooking, so if you want a quick fix for dinner, you might want to look into an alternate, quicker cooking method.
On average, you should keep at least six hours in mind for thoroughly cooking meat in a crock pot.
How To Cook A Frozen Roast In A Crockpot?
Cooking a frozen roast in a crock pot requires very little- all you need is a good recipe!
Prepare your meat, add your seasonings and vegetables, and set them all nicely in a dish. Make sure you don’t overload and leave enough room for stirring.
Once you’re done with all the preparations, it’s time for you to figure out the time it’ll take to thoroughly cook the meat.
Ideally, it takes up almost half the time in addition to the time required to cook fresh meat.
For example, if your average cooking time is four hours for defrosted meat, you’d have to keep six hours in mind in case your meat is frozen.
The best part about crock pots is that they save you the mess- no more dripping meat juices! The meat also takes up less space, making it easier to store.
If you’re short of time and need to make a roast at all costs, you can also consider using a pressure cooker.
You can also opt for cooking in a pressure cooker and then putting it in the crock pot for roasting.
This will help you defrost your meat quickly without having the risk of it getting toxic.
Things To Keep In Mind While Cooking A Frozen Roast In A Crockpot
Beef, pork, and lamb can all be successfully roasted in a crock pot if you remember to take care of all the factors.
To make your roast a star of the evening, follow these steps:
- Make sure the meat is not too much for your crock pot. A huge loaf of meat in a small crock pot may affect the cooking quality and can also take up more time than usual.
- There’s no need for searing. Since the meat will be inside the crockpot from the defrosting stage to complete tenderness, searing won’t make any difference.
- Be extra careful with pork because it necessarily needs to reach a safe temperature, i.e., 145 F; otherwise, it’ll become unsafe for consumption.
- Line or grease your crock pot to save yourself from any mess.
- Don’t add your veggies from the start because that’d make them soggy. Add them only an hour before the cooking time completes.
Final Words on Putting a Frozen Roast in the Crock Pot
Forgetting to defrost your meat right before an important event can be an absolute nightmare.
You can’t disappoint your guests, but you can’t also thaw it in a few minutes- how do you get around it?
Easy! Choose crockpots. Cooking in crockpots always turns out to be a worthwhile experience because of the way it retains a meat’s original taste.
They also turn out to be a lifesaver in emergencies like these, so don’t be reluctant to give them a chance!
