Easy to prepare and loved by children and adults alike, hot dogs are a staple in many American homes.
However, sometimes you buy too many natural hot dogs or a package gets pushed to the back of the refrigerator for a few weeks. By the time you’re ready to cook the hot dogs, you may find yourself wondering whether they’re still good to eat.
We’re going to cover how long hot dogs last as well as how to tell if they’re fresh so you and your family can safely enjoy them. Table of Contents
How Long Do Hot Dogs Last?
As mentioned above, an unopened package of hot dogs should be used by the “use-by” date or within two weeks of other dates. However, proper storage is essential to helping your hot dogs last as long as possible!
While hot dogs are cured and cooked, you still need to store them in the refrigerator. If they sit out at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, you should toss the package in the trash.
If you’d like to store your hot dogs for a longer amount of time, you can place an unopened package of hot dogs in the freezer, and they will remain good for one to two months.
Understanding the Expiration Date on Hot Dog Labels
To understand how long your hot dogs are good for, it’s helpful to become familiar with product labels.
On packaging you may find a date with “best-by,” “sell-by,” or “use-by” which can be a little confusing.
The USDA states that “sell-by” refers to how long a store should display the product for sale—check to see if this date hasn’t passed when you’re purchasing hot dogs in the store. A “use-by” date is the last day a producer recommends eating a hot dog, and a “best if used by” date indicates when the hot dogs will pass peak quality.
In general, you should consume uncooked hot dogs before the “use-by” date or within two weeks of the “best-by,” “sell-by,” or “best if used by date.”
Dogs in a Jar – Pressure canned Hot Dogs
FAQ
How long do jarred hotdogs last?
How long are Hebrew National hot dogs good after opening?
How do you know when hotdogs go bad?
Do unopened hot dogs expire?
How long do hot dogs last in the fridge?
Hot dogs can last in the fridge for up to 7 days if cooked and up to 2 weeks if unopened. Hot dogs are often processed and filled with preservatives, so they can last for a longer time than the average unprocessed meat product. However, hot dogs can last longer if properly stored.
Do hot dogs expire?
But remember that hot dogs, like a lot of other proteins, usually have a sell by date and not an expiration date. Because of this distinction, you may safely eat them for a short time even after the sell by date has lapsed if they were stored properly. How to tell if Hot Dogs are bad, rotten or spoiled?
How long does a hot dog take to spoil?
It is also important to make sure that packaging is airtight because if there are any openings, then the hot dogs will become dry, discolored, and may even spoil after about a week. This practice can help you avoid eating any nasty bacteria that may have grown on the hot dogs.
Do hot dogs need to be refrigerated?
Keep Them Cold: As soon as you get home from the store, pop those hot dogs right into the fridge. This keeps them fresh and slows down any bacterial growth. Original Packaging is Key: Keep hot dogs in their original packaging unopened until you’re ready to use them. It’s designed to maintain freshness.