Does Prosciutto Go Bad? (Whole & Sliced)

Prosciutto goes bad mainly due to exposure to oxygen; it depends on the shape and size of the prosciutto you have. There are some tricks to help keep it fresher for longer. I’ll go through them as well.

I’ve savored, produced, and enjoyed Prosciutto for decades; visitors often ask whether this preserved, dry-cured meat goes bad or goes off somehow, since it technically is a preserved salt-cured meat.

Prosciutto is one of the most famous Italian cured meats in appetizers and pasta dishes.

This thinly shaved pork has a delightfully salty-sweet flavor. However, if you eat it past its expiration date, it can potentially be ‘too dry’ or make you sick (expiry dates are relevant even for this preserved cured meat). 

Prosciutto lasts a long time if in a whole or chunk peice, but eventually drys out to a point where it’s not enjoyable. Its shelf life depends on how it is packaged and stored. Sliced fresh prosciutto only lasts a few days, while the whole prosciutto, cured and dried pork leg, can last for many years in hermetically sealed packaging. 

Prosciutto can last a long time if it’s properly stored. However, you must know how to inspect it to ensure it’s safe to eat. Keep reading to learn more about how long different forms of prosciutto can be stored without going bad. 

All Prosciutto Goes Bad; eventually, it will dry out to the point where it is inedible.

Even though prosciutto is a form of cured pork, this curing process only partially preserves the meat. Like all meat, prosciutto will eventually begin to break down from bacteria in the environment and rot.

Here’s a breakdown of the shelf life expectations you can have for each type of prosciutto: 

• Freshly sliced prosciutto: This will last 5-7 days in the refrigerator before spoiling. Sliced prosciutto is perishable because the flat slices expose more oxygen to the surface area.
  
• Whole Prosciutto: It can be stored in refrigeration for up to 12 months if the packaging hasn’t been broken. Once the hermetic seal has been broken or the skin has been cut, the prosciutto can be stored for up to 40 days.

• Frozen prosciutto: Freezing prosciutto is not generally recommended as a storage option since freezing and defrosting the meat can negatively impact the flavor and texture. Once frozen, a piece of prosciutto can last for up to 12 months without spoiling.

References: My Own Experiences and also (Source: Parma Crown) (Source: Foods Guy)

Proper packaging and refrigeration can slow the process of the prosciutto going bad, but these safeguards won’t stop it entirely. 

How it Spoils and Ways to Prevent it

The amount of time prosciutto can be stored before spoiling depends entirely on how it is packaged and stored.

The shelf life of whole vacuum-sealed prosciutto pieces is much longer than that of pre-sliced fresh prosciutto in the grocery deli section.

For my experimenting and testing at home, I’ve found that 2-3 years is the maximum I will vacpac store the prosciutto in the fridge, with no light – ideally in a brown paper bag.

I vacuum pack all my finished whole-muscle dry-cured meats in reusable sous vide bags. They have lasted 1-2 years without issues.

I’ve had a friend who brought a frozen piece of Parma prosciutto on a hunting trip. We sliced it and ate it with no issues. But he had no idea it was cured/dried meat!

As with all spoiled meat, it is far safer to throw questionable prosciutto out and get some fresh from the store than to be hospitalized with food poisoning – common sense tries to prevail.

How Does it Last (Sliced vs. Whole)

Whole prosciutto can last so long in the fridge because it is created by curing pork leg in salt. This is an art and craft; it is then carefully dried for 12 months to 3 years to develop flavor and lose weight.

Unwanted bacteria do not like the low water activity that this procedure produces. 

How to Store to Keep Fresher

If you want to store prosciutto for a long time without it going bad, it’s probably worth the trouble to purchase a large vacuum-packed whole rather than pre-packaged slices.

Buying whole vacuum-sealed prosciutto for fridge storage will give you much longer preservation, regarding how long the meat will last before spoiling. Large cuts of prosciutto are also suitable for this.

How to Tell If It Has Gone Off or Is Bad

Like many types of meat, it can be pretty easy to tell when prosciutto is beginning to go bad.

Humans have evolved for hundreds of years to be able to tell when food is safe to eat or not, so don’t be afraid to depend on your senses to determine whether prosciutto can still be eaten if you’re not entirely sure of the expiration date. 

Below are a few indicators that your prosciutto has begun to spoil. If you see these qualities in your prosciutto, discard it and replace it rather than risk food poisoning. 

• Coloring: Fresh prosciutto should have a rosy-red, brownish-red, or pinkish color throughout, with white stripes of fat running through the meat. If your prosciutto has begun to take on a grayish or greenish tint, this is a clear indicator that it is spoiling and should be thrown out. (Source: eHow)
  
• Smell: Fresh prosciutto should smell salty and sweet, with secondary notes of the pepper or herbs it was preserved in. If you smell any bitter or sour notes coming from the meat, this is usually a sign that the meat has gone off. 
• Dryness: When it gets too dry if it is sliced – it’s not pleasant to eat anymore.

Note that it isn’t a good idea to taste prosciutto that you think is questionable to tell whether it’s spoiled.

Even just eating a little bit of spoiled pork can cause you to become violently ill if it’s contaminated with harmful bacteria.