Cooked pork should be covered and refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking and eaten within 3 to 4 days. It can be eaten cold in a salad or sandwich or reheated to 74℃ until piping hot.

The rules for pre-packed cooked pork bought from the supermarket differ and you should refrigerate and consume this by the use-by-date on the packaging.

Tips for storing cooked pork in the fridge

Always follow the correct food safety steps when handling, cooking and serving raw and cooked meat. That’s because foodborne bacteria can multiply in the wrong conditions and could cause illness. Here’s what we recommend for pork:

1. Check the internal cooked temperature of the pork has reached 74℃. Use a meat probe or thermometer for accurate measurements.
2. Cover and cool leftover cooked pork quickly and place in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. (Reduce to 1 hour if the kitchen temperature is above 32℃). Cooked meat left out longer than this time is a food poisoning risk and must be thrown away.
3. Store in an airtight container in the middle shelf of the fridge for no longer than 3-4 days. Label with the new use-by-date.
4. Alternatively you can freeze cooked pork as long as it is wrapped in a freezer bag or airtight container and placed in the freezer within 2 hours of cooking.

Cooked pork and its use-by-date

Fresh raw pork must be cooked before the use-by-date specified on the label. Once cooked it can be refrigerated for an additional 3-4 days or frozen for later consumption.

Tell tale signs your cooked pork is unsafe to eat

Bacteria are invisible to the naked eye so it isn’t always possible to see the organisms that cause food poisoning. Look out for any signs of food deterioration starting with an unpleasant smell, a green hue and tough texture.

If in any doubt, throw it out.

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