Here's How Long That Opened Pack Of Pepperoni Will Last

Pepperoni's one of those all-around useful things you can keep in your kitchen. You can do a ton of things with it, like put piles of it on pizza, pan fry it to turn it into meat chips, add it to sandwiches, put it on a simple cheese plate, or eat it straight from the package as a midnight snack. For me, at least, it's best in measured doses since it's a cured and salty meat product that doesn't shy away from the fat. That means it's fair to say that you'll usually have some leftovers in the package for later, which means you'll want to keep an eye on how long it's been in the refrigerator. So, how long does pepperoni stay safe to eat once it's opened? 

Thankfully, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an official statement on the matter. It says, "After opening, refrigerate [the pepperoni] for up to 3 weeks." That's right, from the government's lips to your ears, you've got a three-week recommended window in which to eat your pepperoni.

One of my favorite (and fastest) ways to use leftover pepperoni is to turn it into chips or little crispy bits to mix into other dishes. You can simply achieve that by preheating a non-stick skillet to low and tossing the whole pepperoni right in without any additional oil since the pepperoni itself will start rendering its own fat into the pan. Flip the slices occasionally, and as the pepperoni cooks down, you'll find that it gains a crunchy texture. Once it's at the crispness level you prefer, take the chips out of the pan and drain them on a paper towel.

You can eat them as-is, but I like chopping the crispy pepperoni into little bits to use instead of bacon crumbles (like in salad) or garnishing things like eggs or pasta. It's a pretty fun use of the leftovers, and you can get particularly creative with how you like to mix them into things.

Or, of course, you could just go the Little Caesars' route by dumping 100 pepperoni on a pizza or making your own pepperoni rolls, which are popular in West Virginia. Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll be just fine, because if there's anything most people agree on, it's that pepperoni is awesome.