how long will raw butt last


 
Dan Kuhn

Dan Kuhn

TVWBB Member
Just bought some cryovaced bone in butts from the local grocery store. Bought it today (Sunday afternoon). Won't be able to actually smoke it until Friday or Saturday afternoon though. It is the standard two-to-a-pack cryovac butts (about 15 or so pounds total). Will it last for the week just in the fridge or should I freeze it and, if so, how long to thaw it?
 
Doesn't it have a sell by date on the package? When I buy cryovac'd butts, the sell by date is usually more than a week from when I bought. So if it's fresh, you'll have no problem. If it's right on the sell by date today, I would freeze it for a couple days if you can't smoke it until this weekend.
 
hey jerry,

There is a date on the label but it does not state that it is the "sell by" date. I assume that it is but is there any other date it may be? The date is December 7 (Thursday) so i am assuming that Friday or Saturday is quite safe then.
 
If you have any doubts, then I would freeze it and allow 24 hours to defrost it. If you are sure your fridge is working well and the kids aren't going to stick holes in the cryo, (mine do on occasion, the little devils), then it should be ok till Friday prep cook it Saturday.
 
"Sell-by" dates don't necessarily mean much. There is no standard for sell-by dates with any products other than some dairy and all baby formulas. Sell-by dates on meat are determined by the seller and can be changed at will. Unless the seller has policies discouraging this practice (many don't, they simply repackage the meat with a new date if it still looks good) then they cannot be relied on. The only date one can rely on is the pack date, applied at the processing plant when the meat is cryo'd and cased. This date appears on the case the meat is shipped in.
 
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