It used to be that everybody had a local butcher they frequented when it was time to fire up the grill or just fill up the freezer for the week. You’d walk in and see that glass display case filled with the freshest, most mouthwatering cuts of meat and poultry, and you’d walk out with those paper-wrapped prizes knowing you had a seriously amazing meal about to happen.
Sadly, many of those little local joints are gone, and even though the big grocery chains fill in admirably, you might not be all that enthused to spend too much time shopping among crowds these days.
What you need is for the best and most succulent meats to come to you, at home. Through the power of the laptop or phone you’re reading right now, you can load up on meats, poultry, and even seafood, and in many cases help out sustainable farmers and butchers while you do it. There’s no shortage of meat delivery and subscription box services out there, so we took a browse to show you some of the best ones.
Keep reading for the best meat delivery services available in 2020.
1. Moink Box
BEST FOR ETHICAL CARNIVORES
Moink (think moo + oink) runs out of Missouri and offers four subscription boxes, each full of great staples at really good prices. The Medium box has an awesome array ranging from sirloin steaks to pork breakfast sausage to sockeye salmon filet, and there are also no-pork and no-salmon choices. But the best part of supporting Moink is that you’re also supporting ethical farming. All of their animals are raised free-range and outdoors. Even the chickens live in moveable pens pulled outside by tractors. Anyone offended by the nightmarish factory farming that produces the vast majority of the meat consumed in this country should check out Moink.
2. Marx Foods
BEST SAMPLERS
If you’re looking for a little bit of dis and a little bit of dat, head straight to the sampler page at Marx Foods. Thirty different options, from the Supreme Steakhouse and Little Italy to sausage, caviar, and heirloom potatoes. There’s no substituting items, but with this kind of selection, why would you want to? (Also, your neighbor will likely be thrilled to get a little something.) The already-good prices are even better when you realize that they include shipping. Beyond the samplers, Marx has a huge range of options including produce and seafood. Set aside a good chunk of time to check out the massive selection here.
3. Crowd Cow
BEST FOR BUDGET
Crowd Cow is all about the basics, although ground Wagyu beef (shown below) is a little extra and a lot awesome. Also, sustainable seafood, including wild Atlantic scallops and Icelandic Arctic char, which is pretty great. The best part of Crowd Cow is they won’t detonate your wallet. pound of ground beef costs eight bucks, which considering the fact it’s being sent to your door is pretty reasonable. The minimum order of $50 is lower than most sites, shipping is free on orders over $149, and signing up for a subscription of over $99 per month earns you 5 percent off. Delicious fresh meats at a good price without setting foot outside of your house sounds like a pretty good deal.
4. Omaha Steaks
THE OLD STANDARD
Omaha Steaks has been in business for over 100 years, and chances are they were the first online meat-delivery service you ever heard of, since they were the first ones to plant their flag in the burgeoning online industry. They’re still there, and they’re still really good. The menu is enormous, including starters, desserts, and even wine. But it was quality meats that got Omaha Steaks rolling in the first place, and it’s still their main draw. The huge selection, though, means they offer more customization than pretty much any other site. Omaha Steaks may be the oldest ride in the park but it still has the longest line.
5. Goldbelly
OMG! BACON!
If you’re signing up for a monthly home delivery of meats and you can’t get bacon, seriously, what’s the point? Goldbelly offers monthly subscriptions for everything from pizza to cakes and pies, but we’re here for the bacon. Every month you receive a box of up to five pounds of the sizzly goodness, curated from different providers across the country. Peter Luger in Brooklyn and the James Beard Award-winning Smoking Goose Meatery in Indianapolis are just two. At $59 per month for three months, the only problem you’ll have is deciding which food you want to improve with your awesome bacon, because bacon improves everything.
6. White Oak Pastures
SOUTHERN COMFORT
White Oak Pastures says the climate in its native Bluffton, Georgia is ideal for pasture-raised cattle. Check out their steaks and how big and beautifully marbled they are, and you’ll be a believer. White Oak has been run by six generations of the same family, going back to 1866. Like Moink, all of White Oak’s animals are free-range and grass-fed without any hint of hormones, steroids, antibiotics, or any of the other evils of factory farming. And the range of meats is impressive: beef, pork, goat, lamb, turkey, duck, and more — even rabbit. (Don’t tell the kids!) The poultry in particular is lean and delicious — the lean part due to the fact they are not all jacked up on breast-boosting drugs. So they may be a little smaller, but they’re a hundred times more tasty and better for you.
