Prepare for a hassle-free Christmas dinner with our guide to freezing and defrosting meat. Learn the best practices to keep your meats fresh, so you can enjoy a stress-free and delicious festive season.
At Kendalls all of the meat we sell is fresh and suitable for freezing. This Christmas our last date for Nationwide & Local delivery is Friday 13th December (please see delivery info for more details) this means ideally you will need to freeze most of the items you receive so they can stay fresh for Christmas. Freezing meat is a safe & reliable way of preserving the freshness of your produce, it elongates shelf life & it is much more simple than most people think. In essence when freezing meat it is like pressing the ‘pause button’ , meat will not go bad in the freezer and you can defrost it whenever it is convenient to you.
Scroll down to view how to freeze & defrost our Christmas range.
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Prepare the Turkey:
The Turkey will arrive wrapped and ready to freeze, there is no need to re package the turkey.
Freeze:
The package will arrive with the date of the turkey on a label.
Place the turkey in the freezer, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator. A whole turkey typically takes about 10-12 hours per kilogram of weight to thaw completely.
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped turkey on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Allow the turkey to thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator away from cooked food.
Check for Full Defrosting:
Once thawed, the turkey should feel soft and pliable, especially in the cavity. If there are still icy or solid spots, continue to thaw in the refrigerator.
Preparation Before Cooking:
Once fully thawed, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Proceed with your preferred cooking method
Prep:
All turkey crowns will arrive in a vaccum sealed bag, this is perfect for freezing.
Label and Freeze:
The package will arrive with the date of the turkey crown on the label.
Place the turkey crown in the freezer, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the turkey crown to thaw in the refrigerator. A boneless turkey crown typically takes about 10-12 hours per kilogram of weight to thaw completely.
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped turkey crown on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak (unlikely because of the vaccum bag).
Allow the turkey crown to thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator away from cooked food.Â
Check for Full Defrosting:
Once thawed, the turkey crown should feel soft and pliable. If there are still icy or solid spots, continue to thaw in the refrigerator.
Preparation Before Cooking:
Once fully thawed, remove the turkey crown from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Proceed with your preferred cooking method
Prepare the Pie:
Ensure the pork pie is cooled completely if it’s freshly baked.
Wrap the Pie:
Wrap the pork pie tightly in cling film to prevent freezer burn.
For extra protection, place the wrapped pie in a large freezer bag or wrap it in tin foil
Freeze:
Place the wrapped pork pie in the freezer, away from any raw meat, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Pork pies should be frozen for no more than 3 months.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the pie to thaw in the refrigerator. A small pie may take 6-8 hours to thaw, while a larger pie such as an oblong or 2lb pie might take 12-24 hours.
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped pie on a tray, plate or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak.Â
Allow the pork pie to thaw in the refrigerator away from any raw meat. Do not thaw at room temperature as this can encourage bacterial growth.
Check for Full Defrosting:
Once thawed, the pie should feel soft and the filling should be fully defrosted. If there are still icy or solid spots, continue to thaw in the refrigerator.
Preparation Before Serving:
For best results, let the pie come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Consume within 3 days of defrosting.Â
Prepare the Meat:
Pat the meat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
If the meat comes vacuum sealed there is no need to remove the meat you can freeze it in the vacuum bag.Â
Wrap the Meat: (not necessary if vacuum sealed)
Wrap the meat joint tightly in several layers of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
For extra protection, place the wrapped meat in a large freezer bag or wrap it in aluminum foil.
Freeze:
Place the meat joint in the freezer, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the meat joint to thaw in the refrigerator. A large joint typically takes about 10-12 hours per kilogram of weight to thaw completely.
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped meat joint on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Allow the meat to thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator away from cooked food. Do not thaw at room temperature as this can encourage bacterial growth.
Check for Full Defrosting:
Once thawed, the meat should feel soft and pliable. If there are still icy or solid spots, continue to thaw in the refrigerator.
Preparation Before Cooking:
Once fully thawed, remove the meat joint from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Proceed with your preferred cooking methodÂ
PrepareÂ
Freeze:
Place the pigs in blankets, sausages or sausage meat in the freezer, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the items to thaw in the refrigerator. Sausages and pigs in blankets typically take 12-24 hours to thaw.Â
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped items on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Allow the items to thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator away from cooked food. Do not thaw at room temperature as this can encourage bacterial growth.
Check for Full Defrosting:
Once thawed, the items should feel soft and pliable. If there are still icy or solid spots, continue to thaw in the refrigerator.
Preparation Before Cooking:
Once fully thawed, remove the items from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Proceed with your preferred cooking method.
Prepare the Wellington:
The beef wellington can be frozen in the packaging it arrives in.
Freeze:
Place the beef wellington in the freezer, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the beef wellington to thaw in the refrigerator. A beef wellington typically takes about 10-12 hours per kilogram to thaw completely.
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped beef wellington on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Allow the beef wellington to thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator away from cooked food. Do not thaw at room temperature as this can encourage bacterial growth.
Proceed with your preferred cooking method.Â
Prepare the Bird:
The bird can be frozen in the packaging it arrives in.
 Freeze:
Place the bird in the freezer, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the bird to thaw in the refrigerator. A whole bird typically takes about 10-12 hours per kilogram of weight to thaw completely.
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped bird on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Allow the bird to thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator away from cooked food. Do not thaw at room temperature as this can encourage bacterial growth.
Check for Full Defrosting:
Once thawed, the bird should feel soft and pliable, especially in the cavity. If there are still icy or solid spots, continue to thaw in the refrigerator.
Preparation Before Cooking:
Once fully thawed, remove the bird from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Proceed with your preferred cooking method. Â
Prepare the Beef:
Pat the beef dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
Wrap the Beef:
Wrap the rib of beef tightly in several layers of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
For extra protection, place the wrapped beef in a large freezer bag or wrap it in aluminum foil.
Freeze:
Place the beef in the freezer, ideally at -18°C (0°F) or below.
Plan Ahead:
Allow ample time for the beef to thaw in the refrigerator. A rib of beef typically takes about 10-12 hours per kilogram of weight to thaw completely.
Refrigerator Thawing:
Place the wrapped beef on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any juices that may leak.
Allow the beef to thaw in the bottom of your refrigerator away from cooked food. Do not thaw at room temperature as this can encourage bacterial growth.
Check for Full Defrosting:
Once thawed, the beef should feel soft and pliable. If there are still icy or solid spots, continue to thaw in the refrigerator.
Preparation Before Cooking:
Once fully thawed, remove the beef from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Proceed with your preferred cooking method.
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