# How long can pork shoulders, or any meat for that matter, be held in the refrigerator?



## biged92

I am going to apologize in advance for the noob question.  Last Friday I bought a package of 2 pork butts from Restaurant Depot with the intension of cooking them on Sunday.  But unfortunately I came down with a cold on Saturday, and thought it best not to be handling food while I was sick.  So now that I have kicked the cold, I was wondering if the meat that I purchased last Friday will still be good for me to cook on Saturday or Sunday of this week.  Here are a few facts.

1.  I am pretty sure the shoulders are cryovac'd.  I have posted pictures for you to decide.  Once again, I'm a noob, so forgive the lack of knowledge.













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__ biged92
__ Oct 18, 2012


















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__ biged92
__ Oct 18, 2012






2.  The meat is stored in a refrigerator that is below 40 degrees.  The avg temp is around 35 degrees, and is not opened very frequently.

3.  The packaging is still intact, and has not been punctured or opened in any way.

I am hoping it's still good, but would like to get a little advise before I toss it.  I just don't want to get anyone sick.

Thanks in advance for the help.


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## stovebolt

What is the "sell by" or "use by" date on the package? Usually the cryovac packed stuff can store a long time. If it wasn't near it's "use by" date when you bought it I would expect it to be fine.

Chuck


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## boykjo

If you didn't freeze it you must use it by the sell by date... I just threw 2-2 packs away last month.... They went over the sell by date by one day and they acquired a slimy sheen and had an odor....

If they are over the sell by date I would chuck-em


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## oldschoolbbq

Chuck, look for the "sell by / use by" date. Those look like the Sam's Butts I get,I've held them for a week, however (eventhough it was still in date) I washed it off before cooking. You should make sure the Smoker is at the propper cooking temp.(225° or higher) before Smoking and after placing in the Smoker , let it get to the 145° mark before inserting a probe (or thermometer).

Cook to above 200° and you should be OK. A smell of anykind (sour) would then prevent me from cooking it and tossing. As stated, better to lose the $$$ than get sick. Therefore be especially diligent ,ANY doubt and it's gone...don't mean to be vague, but if look a bit before buying you have less problem. I realize you had no idea of the Cold coming on, but once sick , I would have let a friend have them so they wouldn't have gone bad ; or have The wife / girlfriend cook it in the oven and use one of Todd's AMNPS to give smoke flavor to the already cooked meat.

Hope it is alright and you get your Butt , just take care , just getting the 'Poops' is bad enough , let alone full blown food poisoning .

Have fun and I hope it's alright...


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## chef jimmyj

It is very likely that you purchased the pork shortly after it was delivered to the store. The sell by date and use by date may be a week apart in many cases. Typically any sealed fresh meat, original pack not store wrapped on a foam tray, and dairy product will be fine 7-10 days past the Sell By date. The Use By date should not be pushed by more than a day or two. That being said cry-o-vac packed meats that are still intact will keep, especially in condition you describe, 2 weeks past the sell by date. So you should be fine. Also understand that rotten meat is FUNKY! An Off smell that dissipates within a minute or two is extremely common with cry-o-vac meat as is the slime that occurs as the meat naturally ages, just wash it off. Your Nose will tell you in a big way if it is bad...JJ


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## scarbelly

Chef JimmyJ said:


> It is very likely that you purchased the pork shortly after it was delivered to the store. The sell by date and use by date may be a week apart in many cases. Typically any sealed fresh meat, original pack not store wrapped on a foam tray, and dairy product will be fine 7-10 days past the Sell By date. The Use By date should not be pushed by more than a day or two. That being said cry-o-vac packed meats that are still intact will keep, especially in condition you describe, 2 weeks past the sell by date. So you should be fine. Also understand that rotten meat is FUNKY! An Off smell that dissipates within a minute or two is extremely common with cry-o-vac meat as is the slime that occurs as the meat naturally ages, just wash it off. Your Nose will tell you in a big way if it is bad...JJ


X2 - you nose will tell you


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## diggingdogfarm

If they're getting close to the "use by" date I recommend putting them on ice, label dates aren't always reliable.


~Martin


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## biged92

Well I checked the pork butts today.  The packaging did not have a sell or use by date, so I openned it up to give it a good smell.  It seem to be alright, but I already started to worry about it.  So I took the safe route and threw it away.  Sucked, but I am feeding several other people this roast and didn't want to take the chance. 

I went to Sams and picked up a couple more butts to cook tomorrow.

I appreciate all of the advise, it helped me a lot.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.


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