My bacon arrived warm – is it safe?
If your bacon arrives at room temperature or warm – that’s totally okay! Your bacon can take the heat because it’s cured. Curing is a traditional way to preserve meat that pre-dates the invention of refrigeration by several thousand years. Curing keeps meat safe by making it inhospitable to the microbes that would otherwise cause rot. Most commonly, this is done by salting, smoking, and drying.
When cured slowly and traditionally, these techniques not only make the meat safe to keep, they also make it extra delicious. The bacon is safe at room temperature and/or without refrigeration for up to two weeks.
How does it ship?
In the warmer months (early April to mid September), we ship bacon with two business day service plus warm weather care. Dry ice will evaporate, ice packs may melt, but they will have done their job of preventing the bacon from cooking on its journey. The rest of the year (late September to the end of March), the bacon will ship with our flat rate service (1-4 business days).
When should I be concerned?
There are some uh-oh signs. If the packaging is puffy or torn, if the color looks grey or un-bacony, or if there are any unusual odors, then that means the bacon might not have survived the trip. Let us know and we’ll make it right! But, if it looks like bacon and it smells like bacon, it will be delicious.
How to store your bacon
When your bacon arrives, you can store it in the refrigerator or the freezer. Once the bacon is opened, it will be good in the fridge for about a week. Unopened bacon in the vacuum-sealed package will keep for about 3 weeks in the fridge and up to 18 months in the freezer, so seize the opportunity to stock up!
If the box is left outside for a couple extra days, or if you forget the package of bacon on the counter overnight, don’t worry! The bacon can take the heat.