USDA-based guidance

Meat & Poultry

Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, and processed meats — how long they keep raw, cooked, and frozen.

Raw poultry and ground meat spoil on a different clock from whole steaks and chops. Grinding and poultry processing spread surface bacteria through the product, so the refrigerator window is 1–2 days; intact beef, pork, lamb, and veal cuts get 3–5 days. Freezer times on this site are quality windows — food held at 0°F stays safe longer, but texture and flavor fade.

Refrigerator numbers are safety windows from FoodSafety.gov and USDA FSIS. Do not extend them because a package still looks fine. For package dating language, see sell by vs best by. For cook temperatures, see color is not doneness. Keep raw packages on the bottom shelf. After an outage, use power-outage keep-or-discard.

Meat & Poultry Seafood Dairy & Eggs Leftovers & Cooked Food Produce Pantry & Condiments

Chicken fridge 1–2 days · freezer 9 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Cooked Chicken fridge 3–4 days · freezer 2–6 months standard windows Ground Beef fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Steak fridge 3–5 days · freezer 4–12 months standard windows Pork Chops fridge 3–5 days · freezer 4–12 months standard windows Bacon fridge 1 week · freezer 1 month standard windows Turkey fridge 1–2 days · freezer 1 year spoils fast — cook or freeze Ham fridge 3–5 days · freezer 1–2 months standard windows Deli Meat fridge 3–5 days · freezer 1–2 months standard windows Hot Dogs fridge 1 week · freezer 1–2 months standard windows Sausage fridge 1–2 days · freezer 1–2 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Ground Turkey fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Ground Chicken fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Ground Pork fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Ground Lamb fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Hamburger Patties fridge 1–2 days · freezer 3–4 months spoils fast — cook or freeze Lamb Chops fridge 3–5 days · freezer 4–12 months standard windows Veal fridge 3–5 days · freezer 4–12 months standard windows Beef Roast fridge 3–5 days · freezer 4–12 months standard windows Pork Roast fridge 3–5 days · freezer 4–12 months standard windows Smoked Sausage fridge 1 week · freezer 1–2 months standard windows Prosciutto fridge 2–3 months · freezer 1–2 months standard windows

22 foods in Meat & Poultry