If You Leave Meat Out All Night Thawing Is It Still Good. However, defrosting in the refrigerator can take a long time and require you to plan at least one day ahead of time. Note that if you thaw chicken using the cold water method, you’ll need to cook it off right away.

Well, the sanitation rules say to throw it away. Technically speaking and if this were a restaurant situation, your pork was in the “danger zone” (between 40°f to 140°) for longer than recommended and should be tossed. However, defrosting in the refrigerator can take a long time and require you to plan at least one day ahead of time.