We Asked Hormel The Best Way To Store Bacon

There are a lot of mistakes to avoid when handling meat. From failing to cook it to precise, bacteria-busting temperatures, to improper refrigeration or thawing techniques, there's a lot that can go wrong. And when things do go wrong, the result can be a painful bout of food poisoning. When it comes to bacon, the danger of bacterial infection comes from both Salmonella and Staphylococcus. Thankfully, Erinn Aulfinger, brand manager for Hormel Black Label Bacon, spoke with Chowhound to share some practical advice about safe bacon storage.

Once you've literally brought home the bacon (ideally one of the best store-bought bacon brands), Aulfinger says, "Keep it refrigerated at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and for best results, store it in a drawer or on the bottom shelf near the back of the fridge, where temperatures stay most consistent." If you're not cooking an entire package of bacon all at once, you need to finish it up within three to five days, she instructs. And even then, be sure to keep it in an airtight bag or sealed container. Cooked bacon (again, stored in a sealed container) should also be used within three to five days.

You should be able to keep an unopened package of bacon safely in your fridge until the use- or freeze-by date, Aulfinger tells us. If you're approaching that use-by deadline, go ahead and pop it in the freezer, where it should stay good for three to six months. Beyond that, you risk freezer burn. Signs that your bacon has been in the freezer too long include a bland or sour flavor, tough, crumbly texture, or dull gray color, explains Aulfinger. 

Hormel itself has optimized its production process to help its bacon stay fresh for longer. "At Hormel Foods," explains Erinn Aulfinger, "we start with only fresh, never-frozen pork bellies, then hardwood smoke and slice our bacon in a clean, modern environment to ensure superior flavor, texture, and freshness." Once sliced, the bacon is immediately transferred to a specialized vacuum-sealed package, which, says Aulfinger, "locks in flavor while protecting against oxygen and moisture." 

Some of Hormel's bacon products (Aulfinger refers to the company's Black Label Original Thick Cut Bacon Stack Pack) come in a resealable package, which is very helpful if you've ever found yourself puzzling through how to store a pack of bacon in a sandwich-sized Ziploc because you forgot to buy larger bags. "And if you're looking for something even more convenient," she suggests, "Hormel Foods has fully cooked options that don't need refrigeration until opened, such as Black Label Fully Cooked Bacon or Applegate Naturals Fully Cooked Sunday Bacon." 

Whatever type of bacon you're working with, Aulfinger left us with a bacon storage trick that makes this iconic pork product easier to cook with later: chopping the raw bacon and then freezing it in an airtight container. "It makes it super easy to cook what you need and toss it straight into recipes ... with no extra prep needed," she explains. It also gives you more flexibility in terms of storage space, and when you have a fridge full of ingredients with their own use-by dates to watch out for, that's one less weight off your shoulders.