There’s nothing better than a rack of ribs straight from the smoker, but sometimes it’s just not possible to finish a big piece of smoked meat, and you don’t want the good meat to go to waste.
The good news is that smoking meat makes it last longer. In fact, people have been smoking meat since the Paleolithic era for this very reason.
We’ll tell you how long different kinds of smoked meat can be stored safely so you can make your meat last longer and avoid getting one of the 48 million Americans who get sick every year from foodborne diseases.
Smoked pork chops are a delicious and flavorful cut of meat that can be enjoyed hot off the smoker or saved for leftovers. But like any cooked meat smoked pork chops have a limited shelf life in the refrigerator.
Knowing how long they stay fresh and safe to eat is key. Here is a complete guide to maximizing the shelf life and quality of refrigerated smoked pork chops
Overview of Refrigerating Smoked Pork
Smoked pork should always be handled safely to prevent foodborne illness. Follow these general guidelines:
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Refrigerate smoked pork within 2 hours of cooking. Do not leave at room temperature.
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Store in sealed containers or wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil to prevent air exposure.
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Refrigerate at 40°F or below. Use a refrigerator thermometer.
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Use refrigerated smoked pork within 3-5 days for best quality.
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Freeze for longer storage. Smoked pork keeps for 2-3 months in the freezer at 0°F.
When stored properly in the fridge, smoked pork chops can safely last 3-5 days. But shelf life depends on several factors discussed next.
How Thickness Impacts Shelf Life
The thickness of the smoked pork chop affects how long it will remain fresh in refrigeration.
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Thicker chops (over 1 inch) will generally last 5 days.
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Thinner chops (under 1 inch) are only good for 3-4 days.
Thinner chops have less mass, so they lose moisture quicker and spoil faster. Maximize shelf life by wrapping thicker and thinner smoked pork chops separately.
Proper Packaging Is Key
How smoked pork is packaged prior to refrigerating has a significant impact on shelf life. Air-tight packaging is ideal:
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Vacuum sealed bags prevent air exposure.
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Storage containers with tight-fitting lids also block air.
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Plastic wrap pressed firmly against the pork surface works well.
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Heavy duty aluminum foil is another excellent option.
Loosely wrapped or permeable packaging allows oxygen and moisture transfer. This accelerates spoilage. Remove as much air as possible and seal the smoked pork tightly.
Monitor Refrigerator Temperature
The fridge temperature should stay at 40°F or below. Use a thermometer and adjust as needed. Higher temperatures speed up bacterial growth on smoked meats.
Check that your refrigerator maintains the proper temperature, especially closer to the 3-5 day mark for smoked pork chops. Discard if above 40°F.
Signs of Spoilage
Trust your senses when determining if smoked pork chops are spoiled. Signs include:
- Slimy texture or sticky surface
- Strange odors – sour, ammonia, or off-smelling
- Grayish, greenish, or brown discoloration
- Mold growth – appears fuzzy
The smoked pork should still smell pleasantly smoky. Immediately discard any chops that seem unappetizing or smell bad. Don’t risk eating questionable smoked meat.
Storing Leftover Smoked Pork
Refrigerate any uneaten smoked pork chops within 2 hours of cooking. Store as mentioned above, wrapped tightly or in airtight containers. Leftovers can last another 3-5 days in the fridge.
For longer leftover shelf life, divide into smaller portions to allow faster chilling. Use oldest leftovers first. Discard any smoked pork that is past 5 days, even when refrigerated.
Reheating to safe internal temperatures (145°F) kills bacteria but does not extend shelf life. Freeze leftovers for longer storage.
Freezing Smoked Pork Chops
Freezing is ideal for enjoying smoked pork chops over an extended timeframe. Follow proper protocol:
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Chill smoked pork completely before packaging for freezing.
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Wrap chops tightly in plastic wrap then foil, or seal in freezer bags.
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Remove excess air and label with date and contents.
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Freeze at 0°F or below. Use a freezer thermometer.
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Thaw in the refrigerator before use.
With proper freezer storage, smoked pork chops last 2-3 months frozen. Refreezing is not recommended for quality purposes.
Key Takeaways
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Refrigerate smoked pork chops within 2 hours of cooking at 40°F.
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Use proper air-tight storage methods like vacuum sealing.
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Expect 3-5 days of refrigerated shelf life, depending on thickness.
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Check for signs of spoilage before eating.
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Freeze for longer storage.
Following food safety guidelines allows you to maximize the shelf life of delicious smoked pork chops. With proper refrigerated storage, they can be safely enjoyed for up to 5 days after smoking.
So how long does smoke meat last for?
If you put smoked meat in the fridge within two hours of taking it out of the smoker, it will last for four days. If you properly wrap and freeze your smoked meat, it can last up to three months.
The longer answer depends on what method you used for smoking your meat. The Food Safety and Inspection Service guidelines (as referenced in the answer above) assume you have hot smoked your meat.
- When you hot smoke meat, you can get the raw beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks to at least 145°F, the ground meat to 160°F, and the chicken to 165°F.
- These high temperatures help kill any germs that might be in the meat.
However, hot smoking isn’t your only option. Meat can also be cold smoked, warm smoked, and even smoke-roasted.
Let’s look at the different ways to smoke meat to get a better idea of what these terms mean and how long the meat they make can be kept.
What are the different methods of smoking meat?
Smoking meat just means cooking it over an open fire or some wood chips, right?
Due to the different temperatures used, each smoking method will give you different results. Your meat will also need to be stored for a longer or shorter time.
Hot smoking is the most common form of food smoking. This smoker’s temperature inside is usually between 225° and 250°F, which is where the “hot” part of the name comes from.
Even at these temperatures, it can take several hours to hot smoke meat. For a big old brisket, it might even take a full day.
It’s not necessary to brine the meat first because the temperatures are high enough to cook it, but many pitmasters do it to make it taste better.
The aim of hot smoking is to flavor the food while it cooks, not to preserve it better. This is why hot smoked food can only be kept in the fridge for four days, even though it has been smoked.
Warm smoking is a variation of hot smoking that uses temperatures of between 77 and 104°F.
Delicate meats like fish are warm smoked for short periods to preserve their texture. A lot of the time, bacon and sausage that have already been cooked are warmed up and given a smoky flavor by being “warm smoked.”
Warm smoking meat like pork or poultry is a great way to get food poisoning, as it requires you to leave your meat in the Danger Zone (between 40°F to 140°F) for hours at a time.
Unlike hot-smoking, cold-smoked food remains raw throughout the process.
Actually, our ancestors would have used cold smoking to keep food fresh back in the day before refrigeration. To cure the meat, salt is first used to dry it out, making an environment that stops bacteria from growing.
After being cured, the meat is then hung in an area with good airflow for between 1 to 12 hours to develop a pellicle. The pellicle is a dry, slightly sticky layer on the meat the helps those wonderful smoky flavors adhere to it.
Once the pellicle has developed, the meat is then smoked at a temperature under 90°F. A lot of cold smokers have an offset design that makes the smoke in a separate firebox and then moves it into the smoking chamber. This way, the meat doesn’t come into contact with the fire’s heat.
A lot of different kinds of meat and different-sized cuts can take days to smoke cold.
Smoke roasting combines traditional roasting techniques and recipes with a touch of wood smoke for flavor.
A regular fan oven can often do this with the help of an add-on that holds burning wood chips or pellets, such as the A-MAZE-N Pellet Smoker.
Roasting meat over smoke doesn’t really do anything to protect it; it just makes the flavor better.
Ask the Test Kitchen: How Long Will Meat Last in the Fridge?
FAQ
How long is smoked pork good for in the refrigerator?
Are pork chops good after 7 days in fridge?
Is pork good after 5 days in fridge?
How long does smoke cured meat last?
How long do cooked pork chops last in the fridge?
If you accidentally left cooked pork out on the dining table, kitchen counter, or in the pan for longer than two hours, throw it away. 5 Once refrigerated, cooked pork chops will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Don’t eat leftover pork chops if they’ve been in fridge for more than 4 days.
Do pork chops need to be refrigerated?
When you are storing fresh pork chops you want to keep them refrigerated or frozen in a tightly sealed container or still in the package. Raw, uncooked pork chops will last in the fridge for up to 5 days after the sell-by date on the package.
How long can pork chops sit out?
Store pork chops in the fridge or freezer and don’t let them sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If you accidentally left a package of raw pork chops sitting in the trunk of your car or on the kitchen countertop for longer than 2 hours, discard them. 3
How long does smoked meat last in the fridge?
Vacuum sealing is one of the best ways to lengthen how long smoked meat will last in your fridge. Government agencies and home chefs agree that even properly wrapped and refrigerated smoked meat should be consumed within four days. And you don’t want to keep it in the freezer longer than three months.