Save my bacon! Or don't!

November 20, 2018 2:25 AM

Fletcher's bacon from Costco, been in the fridge since we bought it, never frozen. Two weeks or so past it's use by / freeze by date. Looks fine, smells fine, fwiw and I know that's not definitive. What say you, Metafilter, bake it up today or toss it? (I tend to eat stuff like this which is why I felt I'd better ask what others thought.)
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

Best answer: Eat it. It's cured and smoked, and the use by is almost certainly a very conservative estimate. I bet it's delicious.
posted by mishafletch at 2:54 AM on November 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I would still eat it.
posted by Captain_Science at 2:55 AM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Personally, if the package was sealed and not bloated/inflated (due to bacteria producing gas), and it looked and smelled OK I would probably eat it, but only because it was bacon and thus had a longer shelf life. I would not eat fresh meat that old.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:56 AM on November 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: 100% eat it.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:37 AM on November 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Eat it without fear.
posted by h00py at 3:46 AM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Bacon was first invented to last a long time without refrigeration. I’d eat it with gusto, but sooner rather than later.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:49 AM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Bacon, egg and cheese sammie here we come!
posted by AugustWest at 4:50 AM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

I’d eat it with gusto

Me too. Or at least as long as the gusto was still before use-by; that stuff doesn't keep well once opened.
posted by flabdablet at 5:45 AM on November 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

Better be safe and give it to me (eat it)
posted by chasles at 5:48 AM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Usually for these questions I am the person saying to throw it away, but I would eat this without any worries.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:29 AM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Two weeks wouldn't make me hesitate. For reference I'm still working my way through the last of my (individually sealed, normal appearance/smell, delicious) smoked meat packages from Costco that expired in August, with no issues yet. That is much longer than I would suggest for someone else (I like to live dangerously) but sealed+preserved things like this do stay good considerably longer than the "best before" date....unlike things like fresh meat.
posted by randomnity at 7:20 AM on November 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

(of course, if I never post here again, you should probably disregard my previous comment)
posted by randomnity at 7:23 AM on November 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Eat it!
posted by aspersioncast at 7:49 AM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Please please do not eat this. Send it to me and I will dispose of it safely.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 10:26 AM on November 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: for what it's worth, I've found bacon to be pretty obvious about going bad. blue spots, fuzzy white mold, etc.
posted by rhizome at 12:00 PM on November 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I know what we're having for dinner! (Plus lots of water, that stuff is salty.)
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 12:47 PM on November 20, 2018

I know it's slightly off-topic but..

If it's too salty, you can simmer a small amount of water, dip the bacon in for a minute or so, pat dry and fry as normal. Lots of the salt flavor will come out but you will slightly lose the crispiness on the fry side. Not bad, but slightly less.
posted by youknowwhatpart at 11:13 AM on November 21, 2018 [1 favorite]