Most embarassing question ever

[rachelmanija]

How long does unopened sausage sealed in plastic last in a refrigerator (not freezer)? I have one package of American smoked sausage and one of sweet Chinese sausage that have been there for quite some time, and neither of them have expiration dates on the package.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I always default a week (no more than 10 days if it's stuffed with preservatives and such) and well cooked if there's no expiration date.

(And am now reminded that the bacon has been in the refrigerator for 5 days now.)

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing they're much like summer sausages? Because google tells me summer sausage lasts for 3 months unopened. If they're NOT like summer sausage, that's a whole different thing...

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Aren't summer sausages stuffed to infinity with preservatives and such since they aren't refrigerated, so they have to stay good for longer than any meat has any right to go without being spoiled?

Or am I thinking of something else?

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

Essentially, yeah. I think they mimic old fashioned smoked meat that was intended to last the winter, or something.

[cicer.livejournal.com]

I...would think a fair bit of time, if they're still shrink-wrapped? I have no idea on exact dates though. How long is 'quite some time'? A week, a month, longer? If it's been there longer than a month, I'd toss it, but less it's probably okay, I would think. Of course, if it smells or looks funky you should toss it, but I'd think that goes without saying! I've eaten sausage left in my fridge for close to a month (still in the package),and haven't killed myself with food poisoning, if that helps?

[msss.livejournal.com]

Chinese sausages last for ages (like months). I think they've been cured or something, because they're very dry.

[sho-sunaga.livejournal.com]

I also think as long as they are still sealed and not opened they should be all right...I also had a similar experience and I ate them and did not suffer any food poisoning, either. On the other hand I realized how much preservatives are in those things and got scared *g*

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The amount of preservatives required is the scary part.

[sho-sunaga.livejournal.com]

HAHAHA your icon!
Abe and Nakama from Trick, that's great!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Trick is my most beloved of beloved Japanese dramas. Actually, it's my favorite Asian drama period that isn't a Korean sageuk.

[marici.livejournal.com]

that icon wins 0.1 internets.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think anything Trick related wins 0.1 internets.

[vee-fic.livejournal.com]

Formally, depends on the sausage. Chicken sausages are pre-cooked, so as long as they stay cold and well-covered, they're good as long as leftovers would be. (Which is way longer than everybody thinks.) Curing and smoking are preservative methods, which can be taken as the equivalent of cooking for time purposes. (Moreso; you wouldn't hang up a cooked ham hock in the pantry for months at a time, but you would do for a cured one.)

Of course, the real trick will be cooking the everliving shit out of them if you're not sure. The Everliving Shit method is what I use for anything that might appear to be iffy! For sausages, that means splitting thm down the middle, or cutting thm into coins, to make sure they change color all the way through.

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

real trick will be cooking the everliving shit out of them if you're not sure

This is probably fine if micro-organisms are the main concern, but I understand that in some cases, it is toxins (maybe that is not technically the righ word) that the little bugses produce, because cooking won't help there. The problem is, I don't know when that is a concern.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Shelf life of beef summer sausage per this manufacturer (http://www.willowbrookfoods.com/schweigert/sch_newchub.htm) is 266 days unopened and unrefrigerated.

Refrigerated, it's probably functionally indefinite.

[wijsgeer.livejournal.com]

try them on some one?

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

Depends on whether they're 'fully cooked' sausaged which you reheat or raw. If they lack expiration dates and are vacuum sealed and are the already cooked kind, they're probably safe as long as they don't smell off when you open the package.

In particular, the sweet chinese sausages, if they're cooked, last months and months, possibly even up to a year. No, really.

And in terms of preservatives, it's mostly sugar and salt. (So many people forget that sugar and salt are preservatives. I continue to laugh at the comercials talking about 'Jam with no preservatives'.)

[madam-silvertip.livejournal.com]

Since I have just had a horrendous experience with either stomach flu or eating a hot dog, I would want to err on the side of caution with anything remotely resembling a bad sausage.

Was up all night. Still afraid to try anything other than iced seltzer. Not fun.