beef ribs thawing overnight in sink will meat be good

Question

I laid frozen beef ribs out about midnight in the sink, got up around 9 am and remember I laid them out. will they still be safe to grill???

Answer 1

The food safety guideline answer quoted is a good guideline.

In this case, you have to consider how long was the meat frozen and thawing before it gets to 40 degrees farenheit, the beginning of the temperature danger zone.

After 40, guideline says harmful bacteria will grow at an accelerated rate.

Home freezers operate below 32 F, on average at 0 F. Therefore, there is a good bit of time to come up to 40. There is then a window of time in the danger zone. You will have to judge, based on what the meat looks and feels like. Are there still ice crystals? Is the meat very cold to the touch?

If you cannot adequately judge that it is still very cold, then safety prevails. Regardless, the meat should be par cooked right away if you intend to use it. Putting it back in the fridge means the awoken bacteria get slowed down, but not stopped.