How Long Does Bacon Last In The Fridge? You might be surprised!

There are few pieces of meat as universally beloved as bacon, so you better have an answer if someone asks you “how long does bacon last in the fridge?” You really ought to know so you don’t go to throw some bacon in the skillet for breakfast only to find out that it turned bad while sitting in your fridge.

If you’ve got an open package of bacon stored properly in your fridge, the United States Department of Agriculture says you’ve got a week to cook that bacon before it’s not safe. Properly storing an open package of bacon involves a fridge that doesn’t go above 40°F and in an airtight container.

In this article, we’ll talk about why an open package of bacon can last a week in the fridge, how to extend the life of that bacon, and what some of the signs of bacon that has gone bad are. Read on so you remember how long bacon is good in the fridge!

How Long Is Bacon Good In The Fridge?

While you may be tempted to think that a cured meat like bacon can withstand an extended time in the fridge, once you open its package, a week-long clock begins to tick. If you have a partial package of bacon, you have up to one week to cook the bacon or take proper care. Make sure that you put the open package of bacon in a suitable bag, ensuring to squeeze the air out of it.

While open raw bacon may not last longer than a week, the curing process does extend the fridge time. Most cuts of meat last three to five days in the fridge. So if you slice into that package of bacon and only use part of it, you’ve got more time than with a package of steaks or fish.

How Long Does Unopened Bacon Last In The Fridge?

So while we know that an opened package of bacon lasts up to a week, you may be thinking about that unopened package you picked up from the store. The most important thing you need to look for is the sell-by or use-by date, whichever is on the package.

If you’ve kept your package of bacon chilled properly (below 40°F,) you can keep that bacon in your fridge until that point. The USDA does not require those labels to be put on a package, and if you purchase bacon without those labels, you have up to approximately two weeks to cook the bacon.

How To Tell If Bacon Has Gone Bad

Remember, these time frame answers to the question of how long is bacon good in the fridge are “up to” a week or two. Crazy things can and will happen to food. Just because a week hasn’t passed with your open package of bacon doesn’t mean it’s still good to go on day six. You need to know the identifying features of bacon that’s gone bad.

How It Looks

Bacon should have meat that looks pink to red with streaks of white fat. If you take a look at your package of bacon, open or unopened, and it’s gone gray or green, you have a problem.

How It Smells

If you open the package of bacon and you get a slight smell of smoke, that’s fine. If anything smells sour or like rotten eggs, the bacon has gone bad.

How It Feels

When you pull bacon out of its package, it should feel soft and have some moisture. If it feels slimy to the touch, that’s a sign of the meat breaking down due to the presence of bacteria. You should not eat slimy bacon.

Sometimes you might not be certain that your bacon smells funny, or maybe it doesn’t look quite right. Is it just a bit more moist than normal or is that slime on its surface? You should never play guessing games with safety, so if you aren’t sure if your bacon is good, assume the worst and get rid of it. Then go pick up some new bacon.

How Can I Extend The Life Of My Bacon?

So you’ve picked up a big package of bacon, or perhaps even multiple packages because of a great sale. You could go on a huge kick of bacon eating over the next couple of weeks, and who could blame you? (Other than a doctor, maybe.) You’ve got to know how to store bacon if you want to keep it from going bad.

The USDA recommends that you can freeze raw bacon for up to four months and still get good-quality bacon when you cook it. The most important part of ensuring your bacon is frozen properly is making sure that no freezer air gets into the packaging. That can cause freezer burn, damaging the texture and the taste of the bacon.

If you are freezing an unopened package of bacon, place the package (if small enough) in a freezer quality bag and get all the air out. You’ll be good to go. If the package is opened, double-bagging it with freezer-safe bags is the way to go, ensuring that you squeeze out all the air of each bag before sealing it.

How Long Does Cooked Bacon Last In The Fridge

Up to this point, we’ve talked about how long uncooked bacon lasts in the fridge. In my experience, cooked bacon doesn’t last very long. Not because it spoils, but because everyone in my house loves bacon and will eat just about every crumb available. Yet we should cover how long bacon is good after cooking because sometimes things happen.

The fine folks over at Coleman Natural Foods say bacon that’s cooked and properly stored should be good to last in the fridge for up to five days. The key to properly storing cooked bacon is letting it cool, then putting it in an airtight bag. As always, the key to keeping meat from spoiling as long as possible is preventing as much air from contacting the meat as possible.

If you need to, you can freeze cooked bacon as well. Following the same process of double-bagging bacon with freezer-safe bags, your bacon can last a month while still staying the highest quality.

How To Properly Thaw Bacon

Since we’ve talked about how freezing can help prolong the life of your bacon more than the fridge, now it’s time to talk about how to thaw your bacon properly while also addressing how long thawed bacon is good in the fridge. There are three USDA-recommended ways of thawing bacon from the previously-linked site: in the fridge, in cold water, and in the microwave.

Thawing Bacon In The Fridge

If you have the time, this is the best way to go about it. Simply take your bacon out of the freezer and put it in the coldest part of the fridge, usually the very back on the bottom. Once it’s thawed, you can let it sit in the fridge for up to seven days before cooking it or even refreeze raw bacon before cooking it.

In A Bowl Of Cold Water

If you’re tight on time, submerging your bacon in cold water will be a lot quicker than thawing in the fridge. However, you should only do this if your bacon is stored properly in an air-tight package that has not been punctured. Switch out the water every half an hour with fresh cold water until the bacon has thawed.

Once the bacon is thawed, you should cook it immediately. Despite switching out the water, the bacon may have gotten above 40°F, so it should be cooked to prevent any chances of spoiling.

Microwave

This is the fastest way to thaw bacon, but it does have its risks. You may partially cook the bacon in the microwave which can affect the final product. Just like with thawing bacon in cold water, the temperatures of the bacon will likely reach over 40°F, so cook the thawed bacon immediately.

The USDA does note that you can cook bacon from frozen. If the strips are frozen together, start the bacon on low heat until you can separate it, then increase the heat to the proper temperature.

Wrapping It Up

So how long does bacon last in the fridge? An unopened package will last up to two weeks before needing to be cooked or frozen. If you open a package and don’t cook all of it, the remaining bacon will need to be cooked or frozen within a week. Cooked bacon is good in the fridge for up to five days.

When freezing bacon, uncooked bacon will still be just as good up to four months while cooked bacon should be frozen for about a month and still remain high-quality.

We all love bacon. It’s one of the best breakfast sides (or is it eggs are sides for bacon?) regardless of your doneness preferences. However, if you’re looking for some new ways to use that extra bacon before you need to freeze it, check out Eric Campbell’s recipe for the Bacon Explosion.

So what’s your preference when it comes to bacon? Crispy or chewy? Let us know in the comments!