You can sous vide, par-steam or smoke a turkey (or even stuff it to make a turducken), but you can't do much of anything with it if it's frozen. There's nothing that ruins Thanksgiving faster than forgetting to defrost your turkey before the big day.
Slow refrigerator thawing is the gold standard for turkey, but the timing catches people off guard, and that can throw your Thanksgiving menu planning into a proper tizzy.Â
The main "faster" alternative is cold water thawing, where you submerge the wrapped turkey in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes. This cuts the time significantly -- about 30 minutes per pound -- but it's labor-intensive and you need to cook the bird immediately after.
The real lesson: Mark your calendar well in advance of Thanksgiving. For a typical turkey, you should be moving it from the freezer to the fridge by the weekend before the holiday. If your turkey is 12 pounds or lighter, you probably have enough time to defrost it in the refrigerator by Thursday, but you need to act now.Â
To achieve this sort of golden turkey perfection, you'll need to start thawing your frozen turkey well in advance of the holiday.
We cover the best option for thawing a turkey in just hours below. Whatever you do, don't even think about using the microwave. Â
Can you defrost a turkey or roast at room temperature?
It's unsafe to defrost large pieces of meat at room temperature.Â
No. It's not safe, nor is it recommended to defrost a turkey, rib roast or another large cut of meat at room temperature. The key to safely thawing is not letting any part of the flesh rise about 40 degrees Fahrenheit for any extended period or food-borne bacteria will begin to grow and multiply. You might be able to get away with room temperature defrosting of smaller cuts of meats such as steaks and pork loins, but larger meats take so long to defrost that you can't safely defrost them this way.
Best way to thaw a frozen turkey: In the fridge
The fridge is the safest place to defrost a turkey for the holidays.Â
This method is the most time-consuming option but will net the best results: The USDA suggests 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, which means you'd need to set aside a few days or up to a week for a large bird. This method requires the least amount of effort. All you have to do is put your turkey in a container to catch drips and let it hang out (covered) in the fridge.Â
To make sure your turkey (and any other meat) you're serving is safe to eat, get a meat thermometer. It's an affordable investment in both helping you figure out when your food is ready and keeping your guests safe.
How long does it take to defrost a frozen turkey?
Here's a snapshot of how long it could take you to thaw a frozen turkey of varying weights. See? It's definitely wise to have a plan and set an alarm for the day your turkey needs to come out of the freezer.
- 4 to 8 pounds: 24 hours
- 8 to 12 pounds: 36 hours
- 12 to 16 pounds: 4 days
- 16 to 20 pounds: 5 days
- 20 to 24 pounds: 6 days
This turkey was thawed using the cold water method.
The fastest way to safely defrost a turkey quickly is cold water
This method for defrosting a turkey is faster than in the fridge, but it requires a few more steps. First, put the turkey in a leak-proof bag and put it in a cold tap water bath in the sink or a large receptacle (such as a cooler or clean recycling bin).Â
The USDA recommends that you change the water every 30 minutes. I've found that it's easiest to defrost your turkey in a cooler that has a spigot: This lets you easily drain the water to make room for fresh water -- or drain it completely once the bird is defrosted. It will take about 30 minutes per pound to completely thaw your turkey this way.
It takes a little work to go from frozen turkey to a tasty main course.
Can you defrost a turkey in the microwave?
Even if you could fit your turkey in the microwave, it wouldn't be a good idea to thaw it there.
The USDA says that you can defrost a turkey in the microwave as long as you follow the product instructions and cook it immediately after thawing.Â
Even if you can fit that big brisket or bird inside, I'd be extremely wary of relying on a microwave to defrost such a large piece of meat. I'd suggest avoiding the microwave at all costs. Even whole chickens are difficult to defrost well in a microwave and they're typically half of the size of a turkey.
If anything, use the thaw setting for just a few minutes to get it started and then employ a combination of the cold water bath and fridge methods above to defrost your turkey. Don't use the entire time that your microwave suggests for defrosting this amount of frozen meat, especially all at once. It won't be pretty, I promise you.
For more turkey tips, see the 6 ways people screw up turkey and how to make crispy stuffing in the air fryer.