The Best Meat Delivery Services of 2023

Subscription services, online grocery shopping, and meal kits are extra popular these days. Even those who may have previously felt a little skeptical about purchasing meat sight unseen have been warming up to the roster of new (and existing) services that offer individually packed-and-sealed cuts of meat, quickly shipped frozen straight to their front door.

To help you narrow down which services you may want to try, we ordered, cooked, and tasted our way through a plethora of beef from online meat vendors, and Good Chop (available at Good Chop) is the best meat delivery service we tested. We found that Crowd Cow (available at Crowd Cow) offers the largest variety of products, and for special occasions and prime cuts, we recommend Snake River Farms (available at Snake River Farms) as the best upgrade meat delivery service.

---

Other Meat Delivery Services We Tested

How We Tested Meat Delivery Services

The Testers

The Reviewed Kitchen & Cooking team has collaborated over the years to test meat delivery services. From professional chefs to avid home cooks, this team is well-versed in cooking everything from chateaubriand to hot dogs. We also represent a range of tastes and preferences, but all with a discerning eye for quality and value.

The Tests

We chose a mix of cuts from each service so we could try out some that are meant to be cooked quickly (e.g., filet mignon) versus slow braised (e.g., short ribs), as well as a few economical cuts (e.g., skirt steak). If there was an option for a fancier or specialty cut, like a Japanese wagyu, we ordered that as well.

For quick-cooking cuts, we seared the meat on a stovetop and roasted in the oven if necessary until medium rare. For slow-cooking cuts, we pressure-cooked the beef until it reached a shreddable consistency—anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour, depending on how large each cut was.

For beef, we did not use any additional flavorings beyond salt and black pepper, so we could fully taste the meat. We evaluated the meat for tenderness, juiciness, depth of flavor, and consistency of quality across cuts.

We evaluated cuts like chicken breasts, cod, salmon, and prepared meats in weeknight recipes we cook often to get a feel for what it's like to use the service on a regular basis.

What You Should Know About Meat Delivery Services

Why Should I Buy Meat Online?

Buying meat online can be a convenient and reliable way of stocking your fridge and freezer with a wide range of meat options. When it comes to meat delivery services, meat is generally frozen very quickly after it’s cut, so the meat retains its flavor and texture. Plus, delivery means you don’t have to frequent a grocery shop or butcher. Many services are also focused on working with smaller farms, so you’re also able to support small businesses in the process.

Since your meat will arrive frozen, you’ll have to factor in some thaw time before you can cook the meat you’ve ordered—make sure to have your delivery arrive one or two days before you plan on cooking it. If you typically cook for a large group or family, meat subscription services can also learn your favorite cuts and auto-ship them to you every month.

How Much Do Meat Delivery Services Cost?

The price range for meat delivery services is quite large. You can buy anything from a $20 steak to a $150+ box of various prime cuts. It really depends on what you’re looking for and how many folks you’re feeding.

If you’re looking for affordable options for a regular weeknight meal, perhaps opt for a mixed box with options like beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. If you’re purchasing a centerpiece for a holiday, perhaps it’s worth splurging for a premium cut that can feed many people.

Many of these services offer both à la carte and subscription options, with discounts available for the latter.

How long does meat last in the freezer?

Freezing is very useful for keeping meat safe to eat for a longer period of time by significantly slowing down yeast and bacteria growth. This is why you’ll often see the text “use or freeze by” on meat you purchase at the grocery store.

Meat delivery services take care of that step for you. When freezing food, the key to keeping it fresh is minimizing the air space around it, which is why meat delivery services vacuum-seal their products.

Dave Ellerby, Reviewed's chief scientist explains, "Most foods, including meat and seafood, have a high water content, which turns into ice when frozen. One of water's most interesting properties is that it can sublimate and turn directly from solid ice to water vapor without becoming a liquid. This can happen at any temperature but speeds up if your freezer is too warm."

Water vapor can escape the meat and turn back into ice, which is why you see ice crystals around loosely packed items in your freezer. This slowly dries out the meat, and exposure to air in loose packaging can also discolor the meat.

The advantage of vacuum packing is that it eliminates space around the meat for water vapor to collect. This prevents drying, or what we move commonly call freezer burn, and the lack of air limits discoloration.

Once products arrives at your house, however, you’ll need to keep an eye on your freezer temperature so it doesn’t fluctuate too much. Also make sure the freezer fan has enough space to properly circulate cold air. If you’re buying frozen meat, it’s generally still best to consume the meat within six months, though some companies state that products can be stored for up to one year.

How Do I Thaw My Frozen Meat?

You should always thaw frozen meat in a refrigerator, slowly, under controlled conditions so it evenly thaws from outside-in. Depending on how large the cut is, this could take anywhere from one to three days—make sure to plan ahead.

What are the Cuts of Meat on a Cow

Filet Mignon: One of the most popular premium beef cuts, this is a small medallion-shaped piece that is taken from the tenderloin. The tenderloin runs along the spine of the cow and is not used often, so it’s tender but also lean. It’s an expensive cut because there is very little tenderloin per animal. Often cooked with a high-heat method and served rare to medium rare.

Ribeye: A cut from the rib section of the cow, which is slightly worked but considered a well-marbled and tender part of the cow. Ribeyes can be bone-in or boneless. (A bone-in ribeye with at least five inches of bone intact is called a tomahawk.) It’s fattier than filet mignon, and still tender but less so. Often cooked with a high-heat method and served rare to medium rare.

NY Strip Steak: Also known as the strip loin steak or just strip steak, this cut was popularized by the New York-based steakhouse Delmonico’s. It’s cut from the short loin section of the cow, which also houses part of the tenderloin, and is a section that does little work on the animal. While not as tender as the filet mignon, it offers nice marbling and great flavor. When served with the bone, this is a T-bone steak (also called a porterhouse steak).

Short Ribs: A cut that comes from the chuck, rib, or plate section of the cow, from the parts at the end of the ribs near the breastbone that can’t be cut into steaks (hence the name, short ribs). While short ribs come in a variety of different styles, they all contain pieces of the rib bone.

The “flanken” style is cut across the bone and left relatively thin, making for easier grilling. (You’ll recognize this as galbi, for example.) The “English” cut slices parallel to the rib bone and yields thicker, square-like short ribs that are more often slow-cooked. The ribs from the back area of the cow, in the rib section, are referred to as “back ribs” or “dinosaur ribs.”

Boneless short ribs specifically refer to chuck short ribs, which are a little tougher than other short rib cuts but very meaty and flavorful. These are quite different from bone-in short ribs from the plate or rib section (as it comes from a whole other section of the cow), and not interchangeable.

Skirt Steak: A long cut of beef from the plate section, which is at the belly of the cow. This is an area that is exercised often, so this cut isn’t particularly tender but is very flavorful. You often find this marinated and cooked via high heat to medium-rare, then sliced against the grain, cut into pieces for a quick stir-fry, or braised until soft. It’s often confused for flank steak because it looks similar, but the two come from different parts of the cow.

Flank Steak: Somewhat similar to skirt steak, flank steak is a thicker and wider cut of beef that also comes from the belly area of the cow but farther back than skirt. It’s also known as the bavette, London broil, and jiffy steak. It’s a tougher cut of beef—and quite lean—so it’s often tenderized and either cooked at high heat and sliced against the grain, cut into thin pieces for a stir-fry, or gently stewed under fork-tender.

Stew Meat: Beef stew meat is generally cut from parts of the cow that have a lot of tough connective tissue. Given that this beef will be cooked for a long time, it’s best to find stew meat that also offers a lot of collagen, which will break down with heat and time to give your final product a nice glossy texture and rich mouthfeel. The chuck section is a good place for getting stew meat, though some stew meat may also come from the round section.

More Articles You Might Enjoy

• The Best Meal Kit Delivery Services
• The Best Nonstick Cookware Sets
• How to clean a rusty grill
• How to grill the perfect corn on the cob