Maximizing Freshness: How Long Do Smoked Pork Chops Last in the Fridge?

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.

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 does smoked meat last in the refrigerator?

Can I eat cooked pork after 7 days?

How long does vacuum sealed smoked pork chops last in the fridge?

Can I eat 5 day old pork chops?

How long do pork chops last in the fridge?

Below you’ll find out exactly how long your pork chops can last in the fridge. The USDA recommends keeping uncooked pork chops in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Refrigerating fresh and high quality pork cuts is crucial in ensuring the meat maintains peak quality during storage.

Do cooked pork chops need to be refrigerated?

Yes, cooked pork chops can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. Be sure to transfer them to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag to maintain freshness. 4. Should I marinate pork chops before storing them in the fridge? Yes, marinating pork chops before refrigerating them can enhance their flavor.

How long do you smoke pork chops in a smoker?

Heat the smoker to 250 degrees. Sprinkle the rub on the chops. Place pork chops on the smoker. Smoke until the internal temperature of the pork chop reaches 145 degrees F, about one hour. Remove chops and allow to rest for 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil. More of my favorite pork recipes! Love it? Please rate it below!

How do you store pork chops in the fridge?

Store the pork chops in the lowest part of your fridge and ensure no leaks. Maintain your fridge temperatures at 40 degrees or lower. When storing pork steaks in the fridge, put the meat in an airtight container, leakproof zip-top plastic bag, or plastic wrap. Remove as much air as possible from the storage bags.