What is an acceptable way to thaw a turkey if you dont have room

[rhett o rick]

in the refrigerator?

[eShirl]

1. from Butterball:

http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/how-tos/thaw

"Cold-Water Thawing:

Thaw breast side down, in unopened wrapper, in enough cold water to cover it completely.
Change the water frequently to keep the turkey chilled.
Estimate a minimum thawing time of 30 minutes per pound for a whole turkey."

[rhett o rick]

3. Thanks. nm

[Warpy]

2. 5 gallon bucket of ice water

You can get the bucket at a home store, they're commercial floor washing buckets and they're clean and work just fine. Leave the turkey wrapped. Dip out water and replenish the ice when it's gone. Keep it covered to keep the cold in, I've used foil and a sleeping bag on top.

My New England house tended to be on the cold side, so ice would take about 6-7 hours to melt completely. If you have a garage, that would work, too. Just keep it closed against wildlife.

[rhett o rick]

4. It's a 23 lb turkey. Dont think there would be much water with it in a 5 gallon.

But I get the idea. I have a cooler.

[grasswire]

5. be sure to line your cooler with a heavy trash bag......

...because you don't want turkey juice in your cooler. Even if you keep the turkey in its wrapper; sometimes those wrappers leak.

[rhett o rick]

6. Good point. THanks. nm

[Le Taz Hot]

7. I just saw this

so pardon if it's a little late, but I use my steal Coleman ice chest. I use the metal one because it keeps things cold MUCH longer than any other brand/type which means the turkey thaws much slower. The first few days I put it in with no ice. After about 3 days, I'll add ice. This year I put in a 21-pounder on Saturday and it was perfectly thawed for Thursday morning.

[rhett o rick]

8. Thank you. I did something very similar. I have a remote thermometer that I put in the cooler.

I could monitor the temp from my desk. Then I would crack open the lid enough to keep the temp about 35 to 38 dF. When the temp began to rise I closed the lid, then later added ice.

Thanks for responding and have a great holidays.