It is not unusual to have leftover pork.
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving Day or have a party with your loved ones, sometimes, you have too much pork chop for everybody.
So you must prevent them from spoiling, especially if you have specially cooked ones mainly served for important events and occasions.
You do not want them to go to waste.
But how long is cooked pork good in the fridge?
Let us deal with the question and see how long it will last.
How Many Days Is Cooked Pork Good In The Fridge?
If the ideal conditions are met, the cooked pork can last up to 5 days, but everything will have to depend on the raw pork’s storage and how you prepared it.
Then it will also rely on you cooking pork, whether you barbecued, fried, stew your pork, or have undercooked pork.
Finally, it will also depend on how you serve the cooked pork and to what room conditions the cooked pork was exposed.
How Long Do You Keep A Slice Of Raw Pork In The Fridge?
You can keep frozen pork in the fridge for two to four days, depending on the type of pork or the cut.
As a rule, you put the raw ground pork in the refrigerator for two days at the maximum, while you can keep whole chops of pork for up to a maximum of 4 days.
There are some tell-tale signs if the raw meat is no longer edible or spoiled.
A foul odor is an unmistakable sign; if your pork exhibits a foul odor, you must dispose of it properly.
Some signs are not that obvious, like discoloration or being slimy.
You must pay attention to these things, for it does not matter how many days the pork meat is in the fridge.
If it exhibits those signs, then you must dispose of them probably. But if they are preserved longer than usual, you must look at those tell-tale warning signs.
Read More: Want to know the different cuts of pork?
How To Keep Cooked Pork Good In The Fridge?
There are things you need to do to keep the cooked pork for a maximum of five days and remain as good as freshly cooked; among these are.
Serving The Cooked Pork
When you serve cooked pork, it is crucial to remember how long you serve it and the temperature at which you do the serving.
That can impact whether the cooked pork can stay good in the fridge for five days.
As much as possible, avoid serving cooked pork for more than two hours, especially if you have a room temperature of between 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
This room temperature is the danger zone for cooked pork; at this temperature, the bacteria can grow exponentially into the cooked pork.
And the longer it stays outside of the fridge, the more chance of having more bacteria in them.
The more chances of spoilage in the meat because of the bacteria build-up.
So even if you eventually have them stored in the fridge, the prolonged exposure to heat and bacteria may cause them to have a shorter shelf life.
Therefore, as you serve cooked pork, it is essential to reduce the chances of spoilage.
Storing The Cooked Pork
Aside from minding the temperature and duration of serving, how you store the cooked pork will also impact its shelf life.
The primary consideration is to keep bacteria out as much as possible to reduce the chances of spoilage.
If possible, store cooked pork in a tightly sealed, airtight container to prevent spoilage from bacteria by not exposing it to moisture and air.
Remember, however, that you must cool the cooked pork before storing it in the said containers.
You can do it with zip bags, a freezer bag, or even excellent high-quality aluminum foil if there are no airtight sealed containers.
It is crucial to keep it tightly sealed to keep it fresh before putting it in the fridge.
How To Put The Cooked Pork In The Fridge?
Even the place or position in the fridge where you put the cooked pork could affect the shelf life.
It would be best to put them in the lower part of the fridge, preferably at the back.
The reason is to shell the cooked meat from air exposure once you open the fridge.
As we said, exposure to air and other elements can increase the chances of spoilage due to bacteria build-up.
Spoilage can still occur due to harmful bacteria even if you store them, so you must mind where to keep them and protect them from various elements.
So What Are The Ideal Ways To Reheat The Leftover Cooked Pork?
Some ideal ways to reheat cooked pork are based on the cut or the meat part, or cooking are:
Pork Roast
Food safety experts suggest that cooked pork roast be reheated at an internal temperature of around 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Preheat the oven to 320 degrees, place the pork roast in the pan and cook it for 20 minutes.
Use a meat thermometer to get the internal temperature.
Pork Chop
You can heat the chop up to 145 degrees of internal temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, put the meat into the roasting, and add some drops of liquid like water, stock, or beer before putting it in the oven.
Depending on the cut, it may reach 145 degrees faster; 10 minutes for thinner cuts will do, while half an hour is enough for thicker cuts.
Pork Loin
A frying pan with a lid is the best way to reheat a grilled pork loin.
Add oil to the pan, then put the pan at medium heat, then when the oil is finally hot, the pork loin is ready for reheating.
Put the meat in the pan, cover it, then flip it up after every minute.
That should be enough to cook both sides, and after three to five minutes of doing it, remove the meat from the pan.
This procedure is ideal for pork loin cut into half an inch thick.
Final Thoughts
Proper frozen meat storage is essential in preventing pathogenic bacteria from spoiling the raw meat and causing food poisoning.
We must be mindful of how we thaw meat in the fridge to keep them fresh and safe for consumption.
The question of how long cooked pork is good in the fridge depends on many factors, but if the condition is ideal, it can last nearly a week, up to five days.
That is quite a long time to enjoy your pork dish, so do your best to store them properly.
