Here's How Long That Opened Pack Of Hot Dogs Will Last

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While you shouldn't eat hot dogs straight from the package, they are fully cooked, which means they can be stored in the fridge for a lot longer than fresh meat. Most raw meats, depending on the type, will only last between one and five days, but hot dogs can be kept for up to two weeks if stored in the fridge at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the package is unopened. Once you open it, though, the clock starts ticking — they need to be finished off within a week.

Even though hot dogs fall into the category of cured meats, they won't last as long as certain other cured sausages. This includes both cured and so-called uncured hot dogs, the latter of which are simply preserved using more natural ingredients. For example, hard, dry sausages, like many varieties of salami or pepperoni, can be kept unopened at room temperature for up to six weeks and refrigerated for three weeks once opened. 

On the other hand, hot dogs — whether opened or not — can't spend more than two hours at room temperature. That time window shrinks to just one hour when the environment is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. The reason for this is simple: The moister the environment, the better for bacterial growth. Hot dogs contain no more than 10% water by USDA standards, but they're still pretty squishy as sausages go and thus more prone to spoilage than drier products.

Once you've breached the seal on a plastic package of hot dogs, the remaining wieners will come into contact with the moisture and oxygen from air inside the fridge. This, in turn, can facilitate bacterial growth, so it's best to limit air exposure as much as possible. 

To delay spoilage, roll up the empty part of the package and seal it using a bag clip or a rubber band. Better yet, put the hot dogs inside a resealable bag or storage container. (You can take them out of the packaging to do so, but this step isn't strictly necessary.) If you're super picky about moisture, you might want to use a product like the Silivo fridge produce saver with a drain tray, since refrigerated hot dogs do tend to leak a little.

Once you've cooked the hot dogs, they'll last about three to four days, as most cooked meats do. During that time frame, leftover hot dogs can be turned into breakfast dishes such as huevos con salchicha (scrambled eggs with sausage), a comforting casserole, or a loaded burrito. If you're not a morning meal eater, try slicing them up and adding them to Japanese-style spaghetti Napolitan.

In case hot dogs aren't on the menu this week, you can also stick them in the freezer for long-term storage. They freeze so well that you'd never be able to tell they were ever frozen as long as they're thawed and eaten within their peak time frame. While they'll keep indefinitely in the freezer, their quality begins to degrade after a month or two. They'll still be edible after two months of freezing, but they might not be quite as good.

If your package of hot dogs is unopened, you can just stick it right in the freezer. Alternatively, portion out the hot dogs into freezer-safe bags or containers so you don't have to defrost all of them at once. Some people even recommend flash-freezing them individually on a sheet pan first. This way, they won't stick together. And don't forget, you can store all those extra hot dog buns in the freezer, too.

If you're not sure when exactly you stashed those hot dogs, one of the sure signs that they have spoiled is the smell that greets you as soon as you open the container they were in. Rotten meat has a pungent odor that's foul, sour, and slightly sweet. Hot dogs should smell meaty, but if you're catching hints of off smells, you should toss them in the garbage. 

Even if your hot dogs' smell isn't too distinctive, you can also tell if they've gone bad by how they look. If they have darkened considerably, taken on a gray, green, or brown hue, or developed spotty coloring, you should throw them out. 

Hot dogs can develop a sticky film or slime when they've gone bad, which is different from the watery juices that are in the package or that might be released during storage. This, too, is an indication that it's time to get rid of those dogs.