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Shelf life of uncured bacon in a refrigerator


JBailey

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Recently, I purchased some uncured bacon from my local grocery. This was the bacon in consumer packaging, not from the meat counter. Some weeks ago, I opened the package and used abouit half the bacon while leaving the remainder in the oriignal packaging. This was then placed in a zip lock back and returned to the refrigerator. Last night I went to pull the bacon and it browned from oxidation, I suppose.

What is the recommended shelf life for uncured bacon that has been opened? While I could have sealed it in a vacuum bag, does anyone have other ways to best store opened product?

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I doubt it's "uncured", there really is no such thing in bacon. Look on the label, I'm sure it says it contains celery juice, which naturally has nitrates in it, thus cures the meat. This whole "uncured" thing is largely a scam. I doubt you bought raw smoked pork belly slices there.

But the "some weeks ago" part makes me think you should throw it away, even regular bacon is supposed to be eaten soon after opening. If you want to keep left overs, best to seal them and stick them in the freezer. Or cook it all up right away, cooked bacon always gets eaten quickly, long before it might go bad :-)

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I don't think there is such a thing as uncured bacon. If it is uncured it isn't bacon. It is pork belly. "Uncured bacon" is cured, just not using nitrites or nitrates. It is probably cured with a some type of salt . If the bacon smells ok, and does not feel slimy, then I think it is ok to cook. If you need long term storage, put it in the freezer.

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check for celery juice on the package, which contains nitrates (or nitrites? I can never remember) naturally, which is why this whole "uncured" us nothing but a scam to make you believe you're eating healthy bacon (like there is such a thing, LOL)

If you cure it with curing salt, you have to label it as cured. If you marinate it in something that just happens to contain exactly the same stuff, you don't have to label it as cured and can name it what ever, thus the "uncured" scam you find on every supermarket shelf nowadays.

Eat your bacon, enjoy it, but don't believe that one is healthier than the other. It would not taste that good, if it were healthy ;-p

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- Thomas Keller

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"Uncured" is a term required by the federal government when they use celery juice or powder. I looked it up recently because I was annoyed by the term. The governments reasoning is that the amount of preservative action by the celery juice is undefined and it may not be as safe as a normally cured product.

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interesting, I thought it's that things that are cured with curing salts have to be labeled, but things that are cured with something that is not a salt per se but has the same stuff in it does not, and it's used as a sham by manufacturers. Are you sure?

Either way though, it's pretty much the same thing and I prefer my bacon without celery juice. Any way you roll it, bacon will not be healthy (nor will hotdogs) so why not go with the real stuff?

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

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