Sausage left to thaw more than 2 hours - is this safe to eat? I have a package of sausage that I intended to use yesterday. It was taken out of the freezer to thaw at about 4 o' clock. At 9 o' clock it felt fully thawed but we ended up putting it back in the refrigerator where it sits as we speak. When used the sausage is going to be baked in the oven for half an hour. Are we safe to eat this?
The rule of thumb is over 40 F for more than 4 hours.  At best small portion of the sausage was over 40 F for 4+ hours. If bad stuff happened then baking will not fix it. I would eat it.