How Do I Know If My Johnsonville Sausage Is Expired?

Johnsonville sausage is a staple in many households. From bratwursts to Italian sausage, their products liven up backyard barbecues, weekend brunches, and family dinners. With such tasty and versatile options, it’s no wonder these sausages fly off grocery store shelves.

But with perishable meat products, it’s crucial to pay attention to expiration dates. Eating expired or spoiled sausage can cause severe foodborne illness. So how can you tell if your unopened or previously opened Johnsonville sausage has gone bad?

Locating the Expiration Date

Johnsonville sausages do not have a typical “use by” or “sell by” date printed on each package. Instead they use two other date indicators

• Best Flavor By – For frozen products, this date is printed on the case label and indicates when peak freshness and flavor is ensured.

• Sell By – For refrigerated products, this date is printed on the case label and indicates the last recommended day for retailers to sell it.

So to find the expiration date, you need to locate the case label, not the individual sausage package. Sell by dates are meant to guide retailers, not consumers, so sausage can still be safely eaten past that date as long as it was properly stored.

Spotting Visual Signs of Spoilage

In addition to checking case label dates, you can visually inspect the sausage for signs it may be expired:

• Sliminess – Fresh sausage should feel firm. Discard if the meat feels sticky, slimy, or excessively soft.

• Discoloration – The surface should not have gray, brown, green, or blue-tinged mold. Interior meat should not show significant color change.

• Off odors – Sausage past its prime gives off a rancid, sour, or ammonia-like smell. Trust your nose.

• Packaging – Bulging, leaking packages may indicate gases from spoilage. Make sure seals are intact.

Identifying Changes in Flavor

Your taste buds can also detect spoiled sausage. Signs that sausage is past its prime include:

• Unpleasant flavors like bitterness, sourness, or putridness

• Odd textural changes like mushiness or hard/dry bits

• Lack of juiciness – expired meat dries out

• Overall lack of flavor or “off” taste

If you notice any of these indications while cooking or tasting the sausage, do not eat any more.

Watching for Visual Changes During Cooking

The cooking process can also reveal expired sausage. Be on the lookout for:

• Odd or gray coloration rather than brown or pink meat
• Excessive oozing, runny juices
• Overly soft, mushy texture when cooked
• Crumbling, rather than holding shape
• Rancid smell when cooked

Don’t Rely on Freeze Dates

For frozen Johnsonville sausage products, don’t depend on the frozen state to determine if they’re spoiled or not. Sausage can still deteriorate in the freezer over time. Do not consumer frozen sausage past 1-2 months.

Check Sausage Juices

You can perform a simple poke test with cooked sausages. Poke them with a fork or knife tip. If expired, they may release brown or gray liquid rather than normal juices.

Mind Storage Times

Follow USDA guidelines that raw sausages last just 1-2 days and cooked links 3-4 days. Do not eat sausages past these limits, even if frozen previously.

What if You Can’t Find a Sell By Date?

If you don’t locate a sell by or best flavor by date on the case label, you should discard the sausage if:

• You see other visual signs of spoilage
• You notice off colors, textures, or smells
• You detect strange flavors when cooking
• It’s been in the fridge past 5-7 days or in the freezer past 1-2 months

Don’t take risks with mystery meat. When in doubt, throw it out.

Storing Sausage Properly Matters

To get the most life out of Johnsonville sausage:

• Refrigerate promptly after purchase below 40°F. Freeze extra packages.

• Keep sausages in original packaging or sealed freezer bags.

• Don’t let raw meats touch other foods during storage.

• Cook within 1-2 days of purchasing raw sausages.

• Use cooked links within 3-4 days. Discard leftovers after that.

• Label frozen foods with date frozen and use within 1-2 months.

Proper, continuous refrigeration gives you more leeway with sell-by dates. But don’t push limits too far.

Reheating Leftovers with Caution

Only reheat fully-cooked sausages once after initial cooking. Heat to 165°F and use immediately after reheating. Do not re-freeze previously cooked sausages.

Trust Your Senses

Rely on sight, smell and touch in addition to dates. sausage can show signs of spoilage before sell-by dates and even when frozen. Always do the sniff test before tasting mystery meat. If in doubt, throw it out.

How to Tell When Cooked Sausage Goes Bad

The signs of spoiled cooked sausage overlap with raw, but also include:

• Drying out faster, even when sealed
• Rapid mold growth
• Strong sour or acidic smell
• Separated meat and juices
• Liquid oozing out when reheated

Discard cooked sausage after 3-4 days, or sooner if you notice any of these red flags. Don’t take chances with leftovers.

Can You Eat Sausage after the Sell By Date?

Sausage is still safe to eat for a period past the sell by date, provided it was stored properly continuously at 40°F or below. The sell-by is meant for retailers, not consumers. But the period past the sell-by is limited.

For raw sausage, consume 1-2 days beyond the sell-by at most. Cooked links, 3-4 days. And be alert for any signs of spoilage. Generally it’s better to freeze extra packages before the sell-by rather than trying to push limits too far.

Is Expired Sausage Dangerous?

Yes, consuming expired, spoiled sausage comes with real health risks. Sausages can harbor bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter.

These bacteria multiply rapidly in expired, temperature-abused meat. Consuming spoiled sausage can cause severe food poisoning symptoms including:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Fever, chills, dehydration
• Headaches, muscle aches
• Bloody stools, vision issues
• For young children, elderly, those with compromised immune systems, the affects can be even more dangerous and lead to hospitalization. In some cases, contaminated meat can even cause death.

So treat sausage expiration dates with caution and care. When in doubt, throw it out.

Preserving Homemade Fresh Sausage

If you make your own fresh sausage at home:

• Cook or freeze raw sausage within 1-2 days of making it.
• Cook sausage to 160°F minimum internal temperature.
• Divide cooked sausage into small portions before freezing, and use freezer bags or airtight containers. This prevents freezing into a solid lump.
• Label packages with the date frozen and use within 2-3 months for best quality.

Sausage Storage Chart

For easy reference, here are USDA-recommended maximum storage times for sausage:

Trust Your Instincts

Ultimately, you know your sausage best. If anything seems “off” about the look, smell, feel or taste – do not consume it. Play it safe and discard sausage at the first signs of spoilage. Your health is too important to take risks with expired meat. Follow safe sausage handling and listen to your common sense.