The Rise of Mail-Order Meat
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No longer are discerning carnivores limited to ordering from Omaha Steaks or venturing far afield to satisfy their protein cravings. Whether you’re a charcuterie lover, paleo dieter, or baconvore, you have options, and the journey requires little more than a few mouse clicks with these online mail order and subscription meat services.
Related: 10 Best Steakhouses in the World
For Paleo Dieters: ButcherBox
Pricing: $129/month
What You Get: 100% Grass-fed beef, chicken, and/or pork
Delivery: Monthly Subscription
The Difference: "ButcherBox has quickly become the leader among grass-fed beef delivery services because of its taste-test-winning beef, standout brand, and easy online ordering system. Their unique monthly membership service simplifies the process and gives you all the meat you need for the month.“ —Mike Filbey, ButcherBox
Tip: Subscriptions are flexible. You can choose to receive a box every one, two, or three months.
For Sustainability-Conscious Carnivores: KutBox
Pricing: Most boxes, like the Foodie and Fit options, are priced at $125; a six-count 45-day dry aged steak box will cost $299
What You Get: Quality meat from sustainable, family-owned farms across the U.S.
Delivery: Monthly Subscription
The Difference: "We work with the very best small farms in the U.S. All of the animals we purchase before getting processed must pass vet checks to ensure the animal was properly cared for its entire life. The small farms we work with follow old style practices and raise their animals the way they should be raised without shortcuts, and you can taste it in the meat. Most meat companies buy boxed meat and they cut it into portions. Not us, we purchase whole animals.” —Beau Davis, KutBox
Tip: Launching mid-January, KutBox will be offering individual cuts that can ship within 48 hours, along with adding a full range of farm fresh produce and seafood from some of the best small farms and fishermen in the country.
Related: How to Make the Perfect Steak
For Charcuterie Lovers: Carnivore Club
Pricing: $50/month
What You Get: Artisanal cured meat
Delivery: Monthly Subscription
The Difference: "We source our meats from a wide variety of emerging artisans, providing smaller, lesser-known operations with incredible quality products the opportunity to introduce themselves to a vast audience. Many of the meat subscription services out there today are being run by the supplier of the meats themselves, looking to extend their reach. By contrast, our goal is to seek out something new, delicious, and perhaps previously undiscovered — we want every month to be interesting and unique for our subscribers, while still guaranteeing the premium quality of food they expect.“ —Lauren Craig, Carnivore Club
Tip: Carnivore Club offers memberships throughout the U.S, United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.
Related: Where to Get the Best Pizza in America
For BBQ Aficionados: Pig of the Month
Pricing: From $199 for three months to $699 for one year
What You Get: All-natural, preservative-free slow cooked meats
Delivery: Monthly Subscription
The Difference: "The biggest difference is our commitment to using quality ingredients and doing everything the long way — by hand. We’re still hand-pulling our pork, and slicing our briskets one at a time. I’ve believed in using local, family farms for our meat for as long as I’ve been in business, and I truly think that better ingredients do make a better product (not to sound too much like Papa Johns…). Fresh meat from a free-range, humane farm is truly tastier and better for everyone in the long run.” —Lea Richards, Pig of the Month
Tip: Pig of the Month also offers monthly bacon subscriptions.
For Japanese Cuisine Foodies: Snake River Farms
Pricing: Varies. A bone-in Kurobuta ham is priced at $119, and an American Kobe New York strip is $55.
What You Get: American farm-to-table Kobe beef, Kurobuta pork, and premium Northwest beef
Delivery: Mail Order
The Difference: "We influence every step of the beef lifecycle, which includes genetics (we have our own herd of real Japanese Wagyu — the breed of cattle used for Kobe beef), ranching, cattle feeding, and animal nutrition, and we own our own processing facility. This comprehensive vertical integration is rare in a business of our size and allows us to produce American Kobe and Northwest beef of consistently amazing quality. Snake River Farms is served in the best restaurants in the world including The French Laundry, Per Se, CUT, and Craft Steak to name a few.“ —Dave Yasuda, Agri Beef Co.
Tip: Save money by buying in bulk. The unit price is discounted for larger purchases of some Snake River Farms products.
Related: Where to Get the World’s Best Bacon
For Adventurous Eaters: Fossil Farms
Pricing: Varies. From $6 for a tray of quail eggs to $455 for a 10–14 lb Wagyu ribeye, it all depends on what you’re looking for.
What You Get: Pheasant, alligator, bison, even yak and kangaroo… Fossil Farms isn’t lacking in their selection of exotic and game meats.
Delivery: Mail Order
The Difference: "Fossil Farms is committed to offering all-natural and farm-raised game meats that are free of antibiotics, growth hormones, and steroids. We carefully select the farms and ranches we partner with based on their animal and husbandry practices. We feel this is the most important step in producing quality and integral products. This is why 100% of our animals are source verified from the farm of origin.” —Lance Appelbaum, Fossil Farms
Tip: The site has great sales, but keep in mind that shipping prices can be as high as $98 if you live in states that don’t qualify for ground shipping (most states outside of the East Coast).
For…Bacon Freaks: Bacon Freak
Pricing: The Bacon is Meat Candy Bacon of the Month subscription (two packs of gourmet bacon per month with a three-month subscription) is priced at $145.95 without any add-ons, while the Pay As You Go Monthly Bacon of the Month subscription is priced at $49.95/month.
What You Get: Two packs of bacon/month, or any other bacon-related product imaginable if you order additional items
Delivery: Subscription and mail order
The Difference: "Bacon Freak has been delivering the Bacon of the Month Club to hungry bacon fans since 2001. Their dry-cured bacon comes in over 50 varieties, so the recipient receives different flavors every month, and the Club is available in nitrate-free, gluten-free, and pepper-free options.“ —Dawn Hubbard, Bacon Freak
Tip: There’s much more to Bacon Freak than their subscription boxes. Be sure to check out their additional items including bacon pet treats and bacon pancakes.
By S. Zainab Williams
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