Cooked pork and pork leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. This is great news for food preppers and those wanting to minimise food waste. Follow our food storage safety guidelines below for guaranteed success.

Handing cooked pork safely

Freshly cooked pork must not be left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature, as harmful bacteria can begin to grow to dangerous levels. Food safety guidelines recommend you cook pork once, freeze it once, defrost it once and reheat it once.

Tips for freezing cooked pork

To get the best results from freezing cooked pork:

1. Remove the bone from cooked pork joints and slice the meat before freezing.
2. Freeze in the format you plan to use it - keep whole for slicing or cut into chunks for soups and curries.
3. Double wrap cooked pork in freezer-proof wrap or foil then place in an airtight freezer bag. Make sure to squeeze out any excess air to prevent freezer burn which causes food deterioration.
4. Freezing cooked pork in small individual portion sizes offers greater flexibility with meal planning. Smaller portions are also quicker to freeze and defrost.
5. Diced and whole sliced pork pieces can be frozen for up to 3 months.
6. Pork cooked in sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
7. Write the new use by date on the label so you don’t forget when you need to thaw and eat the meat.

Defrosting and reheating cooked pork

When you’re ready to use your frozen cooked pork, remove from the freezer, place in the refrigerator and allow to defrost overnight. Consume within 3 days. Once defrosted the pork can be reheated in a pan on the hob, in the microwave or the oven. Check that the internal temperature has reached 74℃ before serving. Slow cooker or crock pots are not recommended for reheating pork because these methods are based on low/slow cooking and the internal temperature will not reach the safe level of 74℃.

How to tell if frozen cooked pork is bad

If air gets into the packaging, you may find ice crystals on the surface of the pork. This indicates freezer burn and severe dehydration and often happens if the packaging is damaged, the meat dries out, begins to shrivel up and becomes discoloured. Once thawed, the texture will be tough and unpleasant to eat and is best thrown out.

Shop pork