How Long Does Sausage Last In The Fridge?

When you're buying sausage to cook at home, there are a lot of choices. You can go with something made out of pork, beef, chicken, turkey, veal, lamb, or even a mixture of two or more of the proteins. Depending on what you're buying, if it's an uncooked, uncured sausage, the USDA recommends refrigerating it immediately after purchase. And most fresh, uncooked sausage should be cooked and eaten within two days of buying it. If it's not refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, fresh sausages will fall into the danger zone (between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit), which is the sweet spot for bacteria to thrive. This means your links can become harmful pretty quickly.

Of course, it's important to take into account what kind of sausage you're using and how you're storing it. The USDA says you can follow the "use-by" date with packaged sausages, but once they're opened, they still shouldn't remain in the fridge more than a day or two before cooking them. And if they're unprocessed, from a local butcher or grocery, or simply have a "sell-by" date, you want to cook them by the sell-by date or within a couple days, whether packaged in an airtight container or not. This timeline doesn't change depending on the meat contained within, but you can freeze them, cook them, or buy pre-cooked or treated sausage to extend its longevity before eating.

Cooked sausages, which under USDA classification includes bologna, cooked bratwurst, and hot dogs will last two weeks, unopened in the fridge, or up to a week out of the package. Although we generally cook hot dogs on the grill or even boil them on the stovetop, they are actually already cooked and treated with preservatives, like sodium nitrate to make them last longer.

Regardless of whether you're working with raw, untreated sausage or hot dogs, you should store your them in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag to keep them from circulating air that could either dry them out or make them more susceptible to bacteria. But when it comes to the best way to store them long term, you might want to move them to the freezer. Raw sausage and hot dogs will be good in the freezer for a couple of months, when properly sealed, and fresh, cooked sausage, like a Wisconsin-style bratwurst, can last up to three months.

If you're ready to cook something out of the fridge, and you're not sure how long it's been there, let your senses be your guide as to whether it's still okay to eat. Anything off-color (like leaning toward blue or green), shouldn't be eaten. And a sausage that has any kind of odor that isn't just the smell of fresh meat, herbs, and spices, or has a slightly slimy exterior should be thrown out, too. Proper homemade sausages can make an amazing meal, but you may want to just cook them the day you buy them to be safe (if you need some inspo, we have 36 must-try sausage recipes) or toss them in the freezer for future use.