ShelfLife
How long does sausage last?
Raw sausage keeps only 1 to 2 days in the fridge after you buy it. Fully cooked smoked sausage like kielbasa keeps about 1 week, and sliced dry sausage like pepperoni 2 to 3 weeks. All of them freeze for 1 to 2 months.
| Food | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Raw sausage (links, patties, bulk) | 1–2 daysfrom purchase | 1–2 monthsfrom purchase |
| Fully cooked smoked sausage, kielbasa | 1 weekfrom purchase | 1–2 monthsfrom purchase |
| Hard dry sausage, sliced (pepperoni) | 2–3 weeksfrom purchase | 1–2 monthsfrom purchase |
Fridge at 4 °C (40 °F) or colder, freezer at −18 °C (0 °F). Freezer times are for best quality: food kept frozen stays safe, but slowly loses taste and texture. These times are USDA guidance, not a guarantee. When in doubt, throw it out.
How to tell if sausage has gone bad
- A sour, rancid or rotten smell.
- A slimy surface or sticky casing.
- Gray or green discoloration, or fuzzy mold. A fine white powdery bloom on whole dry-cured salami is a deliberate, harmless mold; fuzzy, colored mold is not.
- Raw sausage more than 2 days old.
How to store sausage
- Keep raw sausage in its package on the bottom shelf of the fridge and cook or freeze it within 1 to 2 days.
- Once opened, wrap cooked or dry sausage tightly, or keep it in a sealed container.
- Refrigerate cooked sausages within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
- Check the label: some dry sausages are shelf-stable until opened, others must be refrigerated.
Can you freeze sausage?
Yes, for 1 to 2 months. Salt and fat make sausage go rancid in the freezer sooner than plain meat. Freeze raw sausages in a single layer before bagging them so they don't stick together, and cook them from frozen or thaw them in the fridge.
Questions
What temperature should sausage be cooked to?
71 °C (160 °F) for pork or beef sausage, and 74 °C (165 °F) for chicken or turkey sausage. The inside should no longer be pink.
How long do cooked sausages last?
3 to 4 days in the fridge, and 1 to 2 months in the freezer.
Does pepperoni need to be refrigerated?
Unopened shelf-stable pepperoni doesn't, until the date on the package. Once opened, or if it was sold chilled, keep it in the fridge: sliced pepperoni keeps 2 to 3 weeks.
Add sausages to ShelfLife when you buy them, and get a reminder before the 2 days are up.
Related foods
Storage times: USDA FoodKeeper (Food Safety and Inspection Service), public domain. Text by ShelfLife.