Frozen meat will not absorb all the curing spices properly , they will dilute them or cause runoff when they continue to defrost, and you will get uneven , ineffective curing.
thaw is when you are trying to unfreeze meat
The meat is frozen solid and needs to thaw out before you can cook it.
It will affect the taste of the final product. Warm water will equally thaw the food. Hot water will thaw out the outside before the inside is thawed. One should never thaw meat in water unless you are going to cook it in water. It removes some of the taste in the food Thawing meat in water will decrease the nutritional value of the meat as the nutrients are lost in the water. Furthermore it is not recommended to thaw meat in still water as it will increase the microbial growth. Rather thaw in the fridge or microwave or if you must use water rather thaw under running water (this is safer than still water).
In a microwave
It is best to thaw in cold water so that it doesn't cook the meat.
It's okay to *partially* thaw meat and freeze again, but half way thawed is too much and the meat would need to be cooked.
thawing meat
Yes, you can... you can cook about ANYTHING in a slow cooker.
Place it on a plate and thaw it in the fridge. It's never a good idea to thaw anything at room temperature. The outside of the food will reach room temperature and begin to spoil before the inside of the food thaws. It does take longer to thaw in the fridge but it greatlr reduces the chance of bacteria growing in the food while it thaws.
Anything above 0 degrees.
The safest way to thaw meat is by transferring it from the freezer to the refrigerator and allowing it to thaw there. The next best way is to place the frozen meat in cold water to thaw, changing the water every 30 minutes until it is thawed.
A few hours. As long as the meat is thawing it will be fine to leave it out. If you put it in warm water it will thaw quicker. As the water cools replace it with warm water. The meat will thaw 65% faster this way. Happy cooking :)