Ground beef, stew meat and raw sausage: how long they keep
Both charts give ground and chopped meat a much shorter fridge time than whole steaks and roasts, and a shorter freezer time too.
Both charts print the same fridge and freezer times for these, so each row shows a single figure.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Ground beef, ground pork, stew meat | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
| Fresh pork sausage, raw | 1–2 days | 1–2 months |
✓ 2 sources checked per row A single figure means both charts print the same time.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Food Storage: Refrigerator & Freezer (HGIC 3522) (revised March 31, 2020) — checked 2026-09-27
- Pacific Northwest Extension (University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Washington State University), Storing Food for Safety and Quality (PNW 612) (revised March 2023), Table 2, p. 14 — checked 2026-09-27
Good to know
- Fresh sausage here means raw sausage. Both charts give smoked sausage a longer refrigerator time; see the ham and smoked sausage page.
- Clemson says raw meat should be wrapped securely so it does not leak onto other foods, for example by setting the store package on a plate.
Both charts give these times for best quality and call them guidelines, not hard limits. How the rows are matched: our method. Spotted a row that does not match its chart? Tell us and we will recheck the original.