Most raw meat will keep for up to 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
Cooked meats usually keep for up to 7 to 8 days in the fridge.
Raw meats that are not being cooked within 4 days really should be frozen and when frozen the raw meats will keep for 6 months to a year.
Freezing temperatures keeps the bacteria from growing on the meat.
Beef will safely keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days depending on the temperature setting of your refrigerator.
The colder your refrigerator the longer the beef will keep in the refrigerator and the warmer your refrigerator the less time the beef will keep.
But for most beef it will keep in a cold refrigerator for 4 to 5 days before it spoils.
Beef can safely be left out at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it goes bad.
If you don't plan to cook the beef within 2 hours you should keep it refrigerated until ready to use it.
If beef is left out at room temperature longer than 2 hours then it can grow bacteria and spoil and should be thrown out.
In the refrigerator raw beef can last for 3 to 5 days but if you plan to keep the beef longer than 4 days you should freeze it and then thaw the beef out in the refrigerator overnight.
After thawing the beef out the beef will last in the fridge after thawing for around 3 to 4 days.
If you want to keep the raw beef longer than 4 days it should be frozen because the refrigerator does not keep the thawed raw beef cold enough to prevent the growth of bacteria.
If the raw beef has been in the refrigerator longer than 4 days then it should be thrown out even if it smells okay as bacteria can grow in the beef.
Also smell the beef and look for a change in color or check for a slimy feeling of the raw beef.
If the raw beef smells bad, changes drastically in color or has a slimy feeling to it then it's bad and should be thrown out.
Always keep beef frozen if you are not using the beef or eating the beef within 3 to 4 days to keep bacteria from growing on it.