How Long Does Beef Jerky Last After Expiration
You lot found a beef jerky bundle that'due south a couple of months by its date, and you want to know if y'all tin consume it. How long does beef hasty concluding?
Or you've but opened yours, and yous're wondering if you should air-condition the leftovers or how long they are good for. The label doesn't mention any of that, and so y'all decided to practise a bit of research.
Sounds familiar? If so, this article is for y'all. In it, nosotros're going to cover:
- shelf life – how long does this stale meat last, and how many days tin can y'all store the leftovers?
- storage – should yous air-condition beef jerky after opening the bundle?
- going bad – how to tell if yours is still okay to eat or not
Let'south go correct into it.
How Long Does Beef Jerky Last?
As long every bit your beef jerky packet is unopened, information technology should retain quality forat least a couple of months past the best-past date on the label.
One time you open it, information technology tastes best for near 3 days if you store information technology at room temperature or more than a calendar week if you refrigerate it. Of form, information technology stays safe to swallow much longer, assuming you have good care of it.
How come it lasts so long? Beef jerky is dehydrated meat, and then its wet content is very low. And, as y'all likely know, no wet means bacteria can't grow on it. Plus, the numberless are vacuum-sealed and so that goose egg can get inside the pocketbook.
This articel is near store-bought jerky. Please annotation that homemade beefiness hasty doesn't last virtually as long. Check the recipe you're post-obit for homemade jerky to learn how long y'all tin can store yours.
Beefiness hasty packets come up with a all-time-by date printed on the label that's usually between 12 and 24 months of packaging.
That date informs you how long the manufacturer expects the meat to retain optimal quality. It has cipher to do with nutrient safety, and by no means information technology's an expiration date.
Even the producers often say that their jerky should exist fine subsequently that date:
When we produce beef jerky we print a "Best By" date of 18 months. Hasty stored under most circumstances volition exist just fine after 18 months.
Jack Link'south
Of course, it'southward impossible to say how long past that date the meat volition exist fine. The best advice I tin give you is: open that out-of-engagement package, and if information technology doesn't have any signs of spoilage, give it a try.
When it comes to leftover hasty, virtually producers recommend finishing the purse within a couple of days (usually 3 to 5) of opening the package. Of course, every bit long as you store the meat well, information technology keeps for much longer, like even a couple of weeks.
More often than non, you lot will throw out sometime jerky because its quality is not good enough anymore, not because information technology's spoiled in the traditional significant of the discussion.
How To Store Beefiness Jerky
Store unopened jerky in a cool, dry, and dark place, like a closet in the pantry or kitchen.
Once y'all open the parcel, feel free to leave it in the same place if y'all're going to finish the meat within 2 to 3 days. If you need more time, refrigerate it in a resealable bag.
While jerky packages that haven't been open yet don't require much in terms of storage, it'southward important to proceed them away from hot and sunny places ([LBJ]).
Of course, we're talking about long-term storage here. A couple of hours on the counter won't cause the quality of the meat to deteriorate.
When information technology comes to storing open up hasty, it all depends on when yous're going to finish the dried meat.
If within a couple of days, room temperature storage is fine. Just make sure the bundle is sealed, or transfer yours into a freezer bag.
If you might need more than that, refrigeration is a much better option to retain hasty's quality. Once again, seal that parcel if information technology'due south one of those resealable ones, or apply a food bag.
As long as you don't expose jerky to moisture (e.g., via condensation), it should continue decent quality for even a couple of weeks of opening.
Does Beefiness Jerky Go Bad? How To Tell If Beef Jerky Is Bad?
Unless you expose beefiness jerky to moisture and leaner, it won't go bad in a style that it grows mold or starts to rot. The worst that'southward probable to happen is that the quality of the meat deteriorates, and it's no longer good enough for your liking.
However, if your beefiness jerky smells off or there's any fuzzy mold on the surface, throw it out.
Other than that, it'due south really upwards to you whether you're going to eat it or not.
If the meat is slightly darker or seems a bit tougher, information technology'due south however 99 percent fine to eat. Perhaps your eating experience won't be every bit bully as information technology used to, but that'south about it.
There's one more than matter to cover earlier we wrap up:white "stuff" on beef jerky.
There are at least 3 reasons why at that place might be a patch of white on your jerky:
- Mold. If it's white and fuzzy, it's mold, and you lot should discard it.
- Fatty. If it'southward greasy, information technology's well-nigh likely fatty from the meat, and information technology'south fine to eat. You can scrape information technology off if it grosses you out.
- Common salt. If it looks like table salt crystals, well, it's near probable salt from the meat that crystallized. Perfectly okay to eat.
Want to learn more about the white blanket on hasty? Hither's a neat article most that, along with some photos.
Summary
- Unopened beef hasty lasts for months past its date in a cool and dark closet.
- One time y'all open the package, refrigerate it if you lot aren't going to stop the leftovers within a couple of days. Otherwise, it's fine for it to sit at room temperature.
- Beef jerky doesn't hands get bad. More than often than not you're going to discard information technology for quality reasons, not spoilage.
References
- JL – FAQ's | Beef Snacks, Turkey Hasty, Smoked Sausage | Jack Link'due south
- LBJ – FAQ | Lucky Beef Jerky
Source: https://www.canitgobad.net/how-long-does-beef-jerky-last/
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