How long can meat be in fridge?

How long ahead of time can you purchase meat and safely keep it in the fridge before cooking?

Can I purchase anytime this week to smoke on Sunday? Or should I wait until later in the week (Thu or Fri) to purchase?

Let's assume it is not frozen.

Thanks,

John

Any time up to a week in advance should be okay.

I go by the "Sell By" or "Use By" date.

Frankly, I think my frig does a better job than a store's open meat displays. If it can sit in those open displays until that date, why can't it sit in my frig for the same time?

John, a lot depends on how the meat is packaged and if it is kept at a safe temp zone from store to fridge. Also what kind of meat. Brisket for example if in a cryopak can be held under refrigeration for several weeks and probably benefitts from the aging process. chicken I would say no more than a few days and should be bought really cold, in fact since most commercial chicken is fresh frozen and then thawed buy the store I try to get mine still a bit icy. Pork butt and ribs up to a week but I prefer less maybe 2-4 days.

Mark

Yup. Beef in cryo can go much longer. Wet aging is all about that. Once repackaged though and the dynamics change.

Pork (and lamb) in cryo will last longer than retail packaging, but it does not benefit from aging.

Poultry's quality can suffer within a couple or three days.

I ignore sell-by dates as they are generally arbitrary and the sellers are free to change them anyway.

Call me funny (go ahead),but I don't like to keep thawed meat in the fridge for more than a day or two. Even in cryo or the store plastic wrap,if it's gonna be more than a couple of days before I'm going to cook something,I will freeze,then thaw a few days before I cook. It might be just the old Army cook in me,but no one has ever gotten sick off of anything I've cooked either!

But they likely wouldn't were you not to cook it as quickly. (Not suggesting you do something you don't want to - just sayin'.)

Cooking to proper temps will pasteurize the meat and make it safe to consume. There really isn't anything in terms of pathogens that will grow on raw in a cold fridge that cooking won't take care of. Listeria maybe, if present, but not likely.

More important in terms of pathogen growth on meats is that which occurs after cooking.

For raw meat (or poultry) that is held too long before cooking the concern is spoilage bacteria. They are responsible for off odors, off flavors and a slimy texture. Not something that anyone wants to eat but none are responsible for food borne illness. (Pathogens that cause food borne illness have no odor no flavor, and do not cause odors or bad flavors wither.)