After months of living under stay-at-home orders, we've found all sorts of kitchen workarounds: substituting and swapping ingredients, growing our own produce and herbs, maybe even adding a chicken coop in the backyard. But as COVID-19 now threatens America's meat supplies and grocery stores limit how much chicken, pork, or beef we can buy, we're challenged to find a stand in.
Enter, online meat delivery services. With the help of the internet, you can still get quality cuts of beef, pork, and chicken, as well as many seafood options, delivered right to your door. You're not only guaranteed to snag the protein you need, it's a smart way to support sustainable farmers and butchers while also reducing your risk.
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Of course, just like with online meal kits, each service offers something a little different. From bulk orders of family-friendly options to specialty cuts from free-range ranchers, there are dozens of options out there. So to help you find the right fit for your needs, we rounded up the 12 best online meat delivery services available now.
Whether you're looking for fresh steaks from sustainable ranchers, a special occasion splurge, or to beef up your stockpile in the freezer, the selection below offers something for every meat-lover. Read on to find out more about each service, then pick your favorite for high-quality meat delivered with the click of a button.
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New Jersey-based Rastelli's has been distributing meat for decades and specializes in US-sourced products that are free of antibiotics, hormones, and steroids. The family-owned business has streamlined from 60 products to 29 to accommodate the increased volume of orders since COVID-19, but also introduced plant-based proteins to ensure customers have enough to choose from. Currently, it offers crowd-friendly boxes, like organic whole chickens, sirloin steaks, ground turkey, and salmon filets, all of which are vacuum-sealed, blast-frozen, and can keep in your freezer for up to a year.
Prices vary, from $35 skinless chicken thighs to $59 sirloin steak boxes, and shipping is free on orders $200 or more. You can buy any box as a one-off purchase, or save 5% on your order if you subscribe.
To buy: starting at $19; rastellis.com
A perk of picking up meat from the local butcher is knowing you're getting the freshest cut. So if you're searching for that same quality combined with the convenience of the world wide web, head to Porter Road. The online butcher shop was founded by former restaurant chefs who regularly visit partner farms to ensure animals are raised outside, given proper attention at every stage, and fed vegetarian, non-GMO feed. Every piece of meat is meticulously hand-cut at the brand's Kentucky facility and the majority ship fresh, not frozen (with the exception of ground beef, sausages, and larger roasts).
Porter Road offers beef, pork, lamb, and chicken a la carte, plus curated boxes and subscription orders. If you opt for a subscription, boxes will arrive at your door every two, four, or eight weeks, and you can select add-ons to craft a box exactly to your needs. The brand's Stay at Home package, which is $90 (or $3.07 per serving), comes with five pounds of dry aged ground beef, two pounds of ground pork, two pounds of loose Italian sausage, and two pounds of country breakfast sausage, while the $127 Butcher's Choice Box includes two dry aged steaks, two pork chops, one pound of ground beef, and one pound of bacon ($4.82 per serving). Unsurprisingly, demand is particularly high, so expect shipping delays and limited selection when it comes to rarer cuts.
To buy: Starting at $90 per box; porterroad.com
Ordering quality meat online can add up quickly, but some options are more budget-friendly than others. FarmFoods is a collection of organic, humane farms across the country that not only offers value packs of meat but also sells more affordable cuts like liver, tendon, tongue, and heart. Also, shipping is free on orders 10 pounds or more.
The site features dozens of meats, from familiar beef, pork, and chicken to more exotic options like elk and bison. FarmFoods features each of its partner farm's history and practices so you can choose which product is right for you.
To buy: starting at $8; farmfoodsmarket.com
Crowd Cow started out as a unique idea of a few friends buying shares of a single cow before it was butchered, packaged, shipped, but has now transformed into one of the country's premier online meat delivery services. The company works with independent suppliers to source grass-fed beef, heritage pork, free-range chicken, lamb, bison, and even a selection of sustainable seafood. Crowd Cow claims to personally know each producer it works with and expertly taste-tests to ensure every delivery is both delicious and raised ethically, cleanly, and sustainably.
The site is easy to navigate, and you can shop either by cut or by searching through farms selected for impeccable practices and products. Crowd Cow also offers selections of Butcher's Specials and gift boxes. Order a la carte or sign up for a subscription for free shipping and 5% off every order.
To buy: starting at $8; crowdcow.com
Looking to feed a crowd? Snake River Farms has you covered. Known for its premium beef and pork, the brand also offers extra large shipments of its most popular products. You can order 12-serving packages of filet mignon, ground beef, and more, in addition to its classic lineup of top-rated Northwestern-raised beef and heritage-breed pork.
Specifically, Snake River Farms (and its partner, Double R Ranch) is known for high-quality American Wagyu, which has rich marbling, tender texture, and mouthwatering flavor. It offers a variety of individual Wagyu cuts, like tomahawk steaks, filet mignon, and porterhouse, as well as burgers and hot dogs.
To buy: starting at $10; snakeriverfarms.com
It's easy to keep a stocked fridge or freezer with the help of a subscription service's consistent deliveries. ButcherBox offers monthly or bi-monthly shipments of grass-fed beef, heritage-bred pork, and free-range organic chicken straight to your door. Simply select one of the site's four curated boxes, or customize your own shipment with up to 21 different high-end cuts. All boxes come in two sizes: classic, which holds up to 30 meals, and big, which holds 60.
Another benefit of the subscription model is affordability. The curated boxes start at $129, but that breaks down to just $5.38 per serving—plus shipping is free with all orders. (Unfortunately, due to coronavirus-related demand, ButcherBox has started a waitlist for new customers.)
To buy: starting at $129 per month; butcherbox.com
Dry aging steaks is a process where butchers hang meat in a dry climate-controlled room for days, or even months. As moisture evaporates and enzymes break down the muscle fibers, the meat develops an incredibly concentrated flavor. The time-consuming and expensive method makes dry-aged steaks a special splurge, so you want to get them from the best.
DeBragga supplies most of New York city's top steakhouses, and the old school butcher shop can also deliver to your home. It specializes in dry-aged and Wagyu beef, but also offers poultry, veal, sausage, smoked meats, and lamb from Australia, Colorado, or New York. All of its products are free of antibiotics and hormones, and are available for delivery nationwide. And if you're looking for steakhouse-quality cuts for the long haul, DeBragga is offering Eat Well From Home kits filled with enough provisions to last for weeks.
To buy: Starting at $13; debragga.com
If your local grocery store is struggling to keep chicken and beef on the shelves, specialty meats like rabbit, duck, and veal probably aren't making the cut. Thankfully, D'Artagnan Foods is stocked with hard-to-find cuts. The gourmet shop not only sells a variety of high-quality beef, but also exotic finds like milk-fed pork, Australian lamb, heritage turkey, quail, and poussin. What's more, D'Artagnan touts that its hormone-free and antibiotic-free meats come from free-range animals who were humanely raised and harvested.
You can shop the selection by cut, cooking method, or themes like Spring Favorites or French must-haves. Also make sure to check out the gourmet shop's prepared food. It sells dozens of different charcuterie, caviar, truffles, mushrooms, and more.
To buy: Starting at $25; dartagnan.com
Since 1997, Fossil Farms has specialized in high-quality farm-raised game and all-natural meats. Its selection includes more than 200 different proteins, including bison, elk, wild boar, pheasant, and even exotic meats like ostrich, kangaroo, and camel. Another notable offering: Fossil Farms has a section dedicated to customers with alpha–gal allergy, the meat allergy caused by tick bites.
The brand is committed to sustainable and humane practices, working with its network of farmers and ranchers to ensure all animals have access to pure water, open pastures, wholesome grass, and supplemental vegetarian grains without animal byproducts. Due to increased coronavirus demand, Fossil Farms is operating at a limited capacity and some deliveries are delayed.
To buy: Starting at $6; fossilfarms.com
One of the nation's first mail-order meat companies, Omaha Steaks has been slicing and sending specialty steaks across the country for more than a century. The brand is famous for its variety of cuts, like top-notch filet mignons, sirloins, ribeyes, and T-bones, but also has a wide selection of other meats, seafood, sides, dessert, and even wine. It also sells tons of gift packages across a range of price points. From under-$60 gift baskets filled with wine and cheese to a Butcher's Share option that sends 95 pounds of Private Reserve beef in multiple shipments, there's something for everyone.
To buy: Starting at $10; omahasteaks.com
Building your own impressive charcuterie board has never been easier with the help of Carnivore Club. The subscription service delivers premium cured meats from around the world, like Italian salumi, Spanish smoked ham, or South African Biltong, focusing on a different artisan every month. You can also order individual products and past boxes from popular makers on the site if you don't want to commit to a subscription.
To buy: Starting at $25 per box; carnivoreclub.co
Frankly, it's hard to think of dishes bacon can't improve. It's the perfect way to round out a breakfast sandwich, add an extra surprise crunch to leafy greens, or even infuse smoky goodness into cocktails. So, if you're bacon-obsessed, add this subscription from Goldbelly to your cart.
Each month you'll receive a fresh box of up to five pounds of the good stuff from purveyors across the country. Past shipments came from Nashville's Loveless Cafe, Brooklyn's Peter Luger, and James Beard Award-winning Smoking Goose Meatery.
To buy: $59 for three months (originally $69 for three months); goldbelly.com