How long can smoked sausage be left out before it goes bad?
There are no hard and fast rules about the length of time food
will keep. That will depend upon several factors including
1. the handling of the food prior to storage
2. the type of packaging used for storage
3. the actual conditions of storage (temperature, humidity,
light, etc.)
Spoilage is the point at which food is considered no longer
edible. The indicators of spoilage include appearance, texture,
odor and flavor. The cooked sausage will have spoiled when someone
decides it is inedible.
Even trying to determine when cooked sausage is not safe to eat
is difficult to determine since physical factors might not be
obvious and bacterial load, contamination, handling and storage are
all unknowns.
The only thing available to people are guidelines and good
sense. Use the cooked sausage within a few days and examine any
leftovers carefully for signs of spoilage before using them. And
food safety experts recommend reheating leftovers to 165°F before
consuming.