Frozen carcases

[needrawhelp]

I have just collected a 15kg box of chicken carcases for my dog for £9- I was delighted (doesn't take much!) But...have got them home and they are a fozen solid mass! Have phoned the Butcher who told me to defrost them until soft enough to separate and bag up...Is this ok to do? isn't it dangerous? When I asked him he was a bit 'yes, it's for a dog isn't it??' He said it's ok to thaw and re-freeze once...Anyone know?

[needastrongone]

Same here! Can't remember the price but same thing, massive solid lump of meat.

I deliberated and ummmed and ahhhed and googled a bit then figured that our damn dog eats all sorts of crap (literally if he gets chance) while out and about. He also can't resist a muddy puddle and would probably have a go at any 'bad' meat he found. I waited until they were soft enough to pull apart, bagged up and refroze.

Would be good to know if that's ok for sure though.

Btw - I did Google that if you let them defrost slowly in a fridge or garage etc, then refreeze, the bacteria that can be harmful is slower to activate and you can then refreeze meat more safely. It's when you defrost at room temperature then refreeze that's an issue. This advice applies to humans, so figured dogs would be fine!

[needastrongone]

ps - took ages to pull apart and bag up as I tried to do it as soon as I could. Was a bit cheesed off eventually and it felt like less of a bargain

[needrawhelp]

Thanks needastrongone- you're right- the delight at the price is rubbing off a bit now! They look meatier than I was expecting though so once I've wrestled them apart they should be good!

[catsrus]

Try dropping them from a great height - preferably where the dogs can't get hold of them of course eg from an upstairs window onto a patio. It works beautifully - the still frozen bits can be portioned up and re-bagged. Sledgehammer and chisel works too but the first route is faster!

[needrawhelp]

That's not a bad idea catsrus! Will wait until my Husband's home- managed to carry it to the car ok but don't think my back would support a journey upstairs with it!

[Turniphead1]

looking forward to seeing an "AIBU to ask my neighbour not to throw frozen chicken carcasses out of her bedroom window " thread tomorrow ...

[needrawhelp]

Ended up dropping it out the window myself before he got home but it didn't even make a dent in them! We ended up smashing the frozen mass with a hammer and dropping it on the patio over and over...Was a bloody nightmare! Looked like a murder scene after! I now know why the barf companies like Honeys charge so much for their individualy wrapped carcases!! Still , that's it done for a while! Know what to expect next time!

[kitsmummy]

For future reference, I would second the hammer/chisel method - I have to use this for big bags of frozen chicken wings and it works a dream

[Whippoorwhill]

I too work on the theory that if the rotting bunny, poo from every possible species, including human and green, stinking chicken that they've hidden and then found again a couple of days later, didn't even cause a slight upset tummy then partially defrosted and refrozen chicken would be fine. :)