Does the idea of receiving a delivery box full of hand-butchered steaks and chops each month sound appealing? Cue the meat delivery subscription box, a wonderful way to keep your kitchen stocked with your favorite proteins, try a new style or cut of meat, and spice up your dinner routine. Whether you are a beef jerky aficionado and crave a monthly fix of cured meat or you love a good splurge and want to sink your teeth into an award-winning Japanese A5 Wagyu steak, there is a meat delivery subscription box for you. Read on to discover our seven favorites.
Best Meat Subscription Boxes of 2023
Best Overall: ButcherBox
Key Specs
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Free Shipping: Yes
- Products Arrive: Frozen
Why You Should Try It
ButcherBox takes pride in providing accessible, high-quality meat and seafood at a reasonable cost. In addition to sourcing foods that uphold strict animal welfare standards, this company is dedicated to supporting racial equity among farmers and fishermen and focuses on sustainability as well as environmental and charitable giving initiatives.
Pros and Cons
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High animal welfare standards
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Flexible subscription options
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Free shipping and easy cancellation
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Good value
Overview
ButcherBox offers great subscription flexibility and plenty of boxes to choose from. Customers begin by selecting from a custom, curated, or basic plan. With the custom plan, your box will contain tried-and-true favorites from over 25 protein options. The curated plan lets you choose your proteins but not the type of cuts, and seafood is not included. The basic plan consists of smaller protein portions selected by ButcherBox butchers and is geared towards smaller households.
After choosing a plan, you select a box size–classic or big–and the subscription frequency of four, six, or eight weeks. You also pick the combination of protein in your box, such as beef, chicken, pork, or all beef, and there is an option to add on extra proteins, such as ground beef, burgers, or sausages.
Items arrive portioned and frozen in an eco-friendly delivery box. Shipping is always free, and you can cancel your subscription at any time.
Best for Variety: Goldbelly
Key Specs
- Delivery Area: 50 states
- Free Shipping: Yes
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Craving double-cut Kurobuta bacon or dry-rub barbecue ribs from a North Carolina smokehouse? Now you can get your bacon and barbecue fix thanks to a Goldbelly subscription. Each month, enjoy a unique variety of meats from the nation’s top butchers.
Pros and Cons
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Rotating variety
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Free shipping
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Rewards program
Overview
When it comes to variety, Goldbelly is our top choice. The famed gourmet mail order delivery service offers curated subscriptions, like a bacon-only plan and a barbecue club. Goldbelly sources from across the country, so you can order finds like bacon from Snake River Farms, Central BBQ’s dry-rub ribs, or Snow’s famous ribs and sausages. Shipments are sent monthly; you can choose from a subscription duration of three months or six months, and shipping is free.
Best for Pasture-Raised Meat: Porter Road
Key Specs
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Free Shipping: Yes, with $125 minimum
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Porter Road procures pasture-raised meat and poultry from small, family-operated farms. If you want hand-cut meats but don’t have access to a local butcher shop, Porter Road may be for you.
Pros and Cons
Overview
Porter Road butcher shop was founded by two friends who were determined to make reasonably-priced, humanely-raised meats widely accessible. The company prides itself on only sourcing from farms that adhere to strict sustainability and humane meat husbandry practices.
Customers can select from an assortment of five curated boxes, such as the Butcher’s Choice box or the Weeknight Heroes box. Delivery preferences can be set for two, four, or eight weeks, and there are also options for add-ons, such as hot dogs, bone-in chicken breasts, pork spare ribs, and seasoning salts. Most meat is shipped fresh rather than frozen (depending on location) and is sent using sustainable packaging.
Best for Snacks: Carnivore Club
Key Specs
- Delivery Area: 50 states
- Free Shipping: Yes
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
For those who love assembling a charcuterie board, consider Carnivore Club, a service focused entirely on cured meats and jerkies. It’s an excellent choice for on-the-go snacking or creating a cheese board that is sure to impress.
Pros and Cons
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Subscription box dedicated to meat snacks
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Subscribe-and-save option
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Most items are shelf-stable
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Experience new items each shipment
Overview
Carnivore Club curates and sources cured meats, jerkies, and charcuterie from around the world. With four different snack boxes options–such as Snack box and Jerky club–subscribers receive a new selection of artisanal meat-based snacks and goodies each month. From Spanish jamon to chorizo to American jerky, you can try new cured meats every other month or on a quarterly basis.
In addition to the subscribe-and-save model, you can shop for other curated gifts and sets, such as a Wild Game meat sampler or a charcuterie serving board and knife set.
Best for Restaurant-Quality Meat: Crowd Cow
Key Specs
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Free Shipping: Yes, with $125 minimum
- Products Arrive: Frozen
Why You Should Try It
If you covet the unique marbling of an exclusive Japanese Wagyu or a luscious grass-fed New York strip steak, you can now enjoy these delicacies at home, no reservations required. Crowd Cow partners with trusted global purveyors to send meat and seafood lovers restaurant-quality proteins minus the steakhouse markup.
Pros and Cons
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Access to rare and exotic meats
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Subscriber discounts
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Referral credits and points system
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Compostable and recyclable packaging
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Some items sell out
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$75 minimum order
Overview
Crowd Cow offers carnivore lovers high-quality meats that have been hand-selected and taste-tested to ensure optimal quality. The service has both a curated best sellers box option and a build-your-own custom box. The Best of Crowd Cow uses a mix of best-selling proteins, such as steaks, bacon, chicken, and sustainably-caught seafood. The Crowd Cow team assembles the box and alerts customers with an email or text that it’s time to review the shipment. You can customize cuts, swap proteins, or approve the selection before the shipment is processed. If you prefer, the custom box lets you select your protein preferences from Crowd Cow’s online marketplace, where you can choose from an impressive selection of meats, sides, desserts, and seasonings.
Proteins are vacuum-sealed and sent packed in dry ice to ensure they arrive frozen. With the subscription program, delivery is defaulted to monthly shipments, but you can specify delivery days, control frequency, and cancel your subscription in your account settings.
Best for Pork: Good Chop
Key Specs
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Free Shipping: No
- Products Arrive: Frozen
Why You Should Try It
Good Chop is a one-stop source for everything from bone-in pork ribeye chops to pork tenderloin. All of their pork is pasture-raised, and you can also find other sustainably-sourced meat and seafood products on their site.
Pros and Cons
Overview
If you want to know where your pork is coming from, Good Chop is our top choice. All of its meats are sourced from U.S. farms that adhere to strict farming and agriculture practices. Pigs and hogs are raised in climate-controlled barns and fed a vegetarian diet and farmers are trained in animal welfare wellbeing and Pork Quality Assurance Plus practices.
Good Chop has a medium and large box subscription model. The medium box is geared towards smaller households with about 36 portions of meat, while the large box is great for bigger households, featuring 72 portions of protein per box. Both are fully customizable. Choices include beef, chicken, pork, and seafood. Meats and seafood are frozen at peak freshness and shipped with dry ice. Shipments are sent monthly, but you can pause and skip your subscription as you please.
Final Verdict
Not only does ButcherBox offer grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and wild-caught seafood, but the company takes pride in sustainable agricultural and fishing initiatives and fair labor practices. With plenty of subscription boxes to choose from, customers can enjoy a variety of meats and cuts each month. ButcherBox subscriptions are also very flexible; you can choose your delivery frequency, and shipping is always free.
Compare the Best Meat Subscription Boxes
| Company | Delivery Area | Free Shipping | Products Arrive | Same-/Next-Day Shipping? | Minimum Purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ButcherBox Best Overall | 48 states | Yes | Frozen | No | $99 subscription box |
| Goldbelly Best for Gifting | 50 states | Yes | Fresh | No | $65 subscription box |
| Porter Road Best for Pasture-Raised Meat | 48 states | Yes, with $125 minimum | Fresh | No | $120 subscription box |
| Carnivore Club Best For Snacks | 50 states | Yes | Fresh | No | $19.99 subscription box |
| Crowd Cow Best for Restaurant-Quality Meat | 48 states | Yes, with $125 minimum | Frozen | Yes | $75 for a minimum order |
| Good Chop Best for Pork | 48 states | No | Frozen | No | $149 subscription box |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Meat Subscription Boxes?
Meat subscription boxes offer customers recurring deliveries of butcher-quality meats to their front door. Depending on the service, meat subscription companies may create custom packages of meat and various cuts, grades, and styles, or let the customer build their own package. Having a meat delivery subscription is a great way to both sample new proteins and savor your tried-and-true favorites.
When subscribing to a meat delivery service, you will select the preferred type of subscription package and shipping frequency. There may be an opportunity to add on additional proteins, seafoods, sides, and desserts. Count on inputting your credit card payment details, confirming your delivery details, and placing your order. Your subscription will arrive in a matter of days and, in some cases, overnight. Depending on the service, your proteins will either be fresh or flash-frozen, and will need to be refrigerated or placed in the freezer immediately upon receipt of delivery.
Not sure how to cook your protein or just need some inspiration? Many meat delivery companies feature free cooking tips, resources, and recipes on their website.
Are Meat Subscription Boxes Worth the Money?
If you are a carnivore who appreciates having meat delivered on a recurring basis, then subscribing to a meat delivery subscription box may be worth it. While some meat subscription services may cost more than visiting your local supermarket, the quality, grade, and styles of meat can be worth the splurge. Plus, investing in a meat subscription box is probably more cost effective than going out to a high-end steakhouse.
Many meat subscription boxes offer customers high-quality, premium meats that are sourced from family-run farmers and ranchers, ensuring high animal welfare standards. You may be introduced to a cut of meat that normally wouldn’t be available at your local grocery store. Additionally, many meat delivery services offer special discount options, rewards programs, or sales promotions, which help cut down on costs.
Can I Choose Which Type of Meat Comes in a Delivery Box?
Depending on the meat subscription box you choose, you will have the option to build your own box or select from a curated meat delivery box. Many services have preselected boxes, while other services let you build as you go. While many services may hand-select the meat in each shipment, several services let the customer pick their proteins.
Can I Cancel a Meat Subscription Box?
Yes, you can cancel, though each service may vary slightly in how it handles cancellations. Some services enable the customer to control the subscription via their online account. Others may ask you to reach out to customer service for the company to cancel the subscription.
Methodology
Our team independently reviewed over 30 online meat delivery services. Researchers looked at many factors, including the variety of meat delivery offerings, pricing, animal welfare standards, shipping fees and timelines, delivery areas, customer service, and gift options. After careful review, our team identified which meat delivery subscription services were best for a variety of categories.
