Ham how long to keep

Information Quality. Privacy Policy. New Farmers. Disaster Resource Center. An official website of the United States government. Have a Question? Storing leftover ham in the fridge will give you around days total to get your ham used up. Here are our recommended steps to store your leftover smoked ham in the fridge and keep it fresh:. Here are a couple more tips. When you are slicing your smoked ham, slice only what you need and leave the remainder unsliced until you are ready to serve it.

This can help to retain the natural moisture in the meat. Next, we want to point out that with ham you do not have to let it cool to room temperature in order to store it. The good news is that an uncooked smoked ham fresh from the grocery store is pretty easy to store and keep fresh. If the ham is unopened, it will last in your fridge for quite some time. In fact, it will last almost double what your leftover smoked ham might last! As long as you leave the packaging unopened for your uncooked smoked ham, you should be able to store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

It should stay fresh with no issue as long as it is unopened. If you happen to open the vacuum-sealed packaging, we recommend that you wrap it up, similarly to the process we detailed above for cooked smoked ham. You can use a layer of plastic wrap and then follow up with a layer of foil or a storage bag or container. An uncooked smoked ham is most likely going to be easiest to store with both.

While these are not always an exact science they can be a clear indicator of whether or not your ham is going to be any good.

There are also some clear indicators you can look for to really know if your ham needs to be tossed out. The smell is second thing to check. It works exactly the same way here.

When in doubt, throw it out. Some people feel super guilty about discarding food, and I get that because I feel that way too. So it makes sense that the fresh one lasts 3 to 5 days, and cured up to a week or even more, based on the use-by date on the label. If the cured one is well packaged, e.

I think remembering the guidelines above is much easier than trying to memorize the chart provided by FoodSafety. If the ham is still unopened, no need for additional protection, as the original packaging will do just fine. The storage time is slightly different for each type of ham , depending on how it was prepared. If the ham is vacuum sealed, it usually retains quality for about 2 weeks.

And pretty much always comes with a use-by date on the label. There are exceptions to the 2 weeks rule, like, e.

Once you open the package, or if the ham comes opened e. Same thing for thawed meat. When it comes to canned ham, it comes with a best-by date, and can easily retain quality for a few weeks past that date. Once you open the tin, eat the ham within 3 to 5 days. First off, check the dates.