Good Chop Review: This Meat Subscription Brings Quality Cuts Directly to Your Door
Updated: Jul. 23, 2024
Sure, you could run to the butcher store. Or, you could have quality meat, chicken and seafood delivered directly to your door. Here's our honest Good Chop review.
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Ethically raised meat may be pricier than the stuff you can find in the supermarket, but there are so many good reasons to consider making the switch. Sustainably-sourced meat and seafood are better for the environment. Meat raised without hormones or antibiotics is healthier. And, most importantly, high-quality meat simply tastes better! So, do the Good Chop reviews live up to the sustainability hype?
Depending on where you live, it’s not always easy to find a wide variety of good meat, and that’s where Good Chop comes in. This online butchery lets you shop for meat online and ships it straight to your doorstep. But just because it’s sustainable doesn’t necessarily mean it’s flavorful, so I tried some of their bestsellers to see if the raving Good Chop reviews I’ve read are legit.
What is Good Chop?
Good Chop is an online subscription butchery that brings high-quality grass-fed beef, pork, chicken, bison, turkey and seafood from the farm to your front door. Everything they sell is raised responsibly without the use of hormones or antibiotics and is sourced from American family farms and fisheries that are committed to using sustainable agricultural practices.
Meat and seafood from Good Chop comes packaged in vacuum-sealed portions that are frozen rock-solid shortly after they’re butchered, and arrive packed with dry ice and eco-friendly insulation in a 100% recyclable box. The company offers two different sizes of fully customizable subscription boxes, which are shipped out every four weeks. And if you don’t need your regularly scheduled meat delivery, pause or cancel your subscription at any time.
VIA MERCHANT
We Tried It
Good Chop
Get high-quality American meat & seafood with no antibiotics or added hormones, ever.
Good Chop Features
Good Chop offers two box options. The smaller box costs $149 and includes 14 pounds (approximately 36 portions) of meat and/or seafood. A large box is double the size, with 28 pounds (or 72 portions) of meat/seafood for $269. As for what your order will contain, Good Chop’s plans are fully customizable to build your own box with whatever cuts you like. You can either modify your selections every month or create a regular order that will restock your freezer without worry every four weeks.
In addition to quality meat and seafood, Good Chop offers an array of sides and delectable desserts as well. Here’s what you’ll choose from when ordering from Good Chop:
- Angus Beef: Ground beef; ribeye steaks; strip steaks; ranch steak; filet mignon; sirloin steaks; porterhouse steaks; flank steaks; T-bone steaks; tri-tips; burger patties; sirloin tips; diced beef; grass-fed hot dogs
- Free-Range Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs; wings; drumsticks; organic ground chicken; Italian chicken sausage, apple chicken sausage
- Humanely-Raised Pork: Boneless pork chops; thick-cut uncured bacon; tenderloin; whole loin roast; boneless butt; St. Louis ribs; mild Italian sausage (ground and links); Bratwurst; Chorizo links; pulled cooked pork; ground pork; charcuterie
- Seafood: Alaskan Sockeye salmon; sea scallops; Alaskan halibut; Pacific cod; Florida pink shrimp; Gulf shrimp; smoked Sockeye salmon; rockfish; sable fish; Maryland-style crab cakes
- Other meats: Ground bison; ground turkey
- Side Dishes: Macaroni and cheese; potatoes gratin; smashed red potatoes; Parker House rolls
- Desserts: Cheesecake; Key lime pie; chocolate lava cakes
How We Tested It
Good Chop reviews aren’t worth their salt without rigorous testing. My custom delivery from Good Chop included Alaskan Sockeye salmon, filet mignons, ribeye steaks, boneless, skinless chicken breasts and party-cut chicken wings. Here’s what happened when I cooked these items at home.
Filet Mignons
I’ve tested over eight mail-order meat services, and I can confidently say that Good Chop’s filet mignon was some of the finest I’ve ever tasted. This cut is prized for being the tenderest cut of beef, but it’s also the leanest, meaning that when it comes to flavor, fillets often pale in comparison to well-marbled cuts like ribeyes and New York strips. Not so when it comes to Good Chop’s filet, which is so flavorful that it puts steakhouses to shame.
I made my filet using the reverse-sear method, cooking it low-and-slow in a 225-degree oven for 40 minutes before searing each side in a red-hot cast iron skillet for 30-45 seconds to get a beautiful dark-brown sear on every inch of the steak. The filet practically melted in my mouth, and literally brought a tear to my eye. A fine steak like this one is a splurge, so when you get one, it better deliver on every front. Good Chop’s filet doesn’t just deliver—it exceeds expectations in the most delicious of ways.
Ribeye Steak
Ribeyes are arguably the perfect steak, with just the right amount of marbling to make them tender and juicy, with an intense flavor that shows off beef at its very best. It’s not hard to make ribeye taste good, which is why to put these to the test, I committed the “sin” of cooking them til they were well done. (People who like well-done steaks deserve good meat, too!) I’m thrilled to report that even when cooked to 155 degrees, Good Chop’s ribeyes were insanely tender and juicy—a feat most inferior steaks are incapable of accomplishing. Not only that, but the flavor was off-the-charts delicious, causing me to reconsider my stance on well-done steaks.
Salmon Fillets
When it comes to salmon, sourcing is everything. Wild-caught salmon is exponentially more flavorful than pallid, flaccid farm-raised salmon, which often is treated with coloring agents to make it look pinker than it actually is. Meanwhile, wild-caught salmon is a vibrant shade of pink that borders on red, with a firmer, meatier texture. Good Chop’s salmon is spectacular and needs almost nothing to make it sing. And because it’s truly that good, it makes for just about the easiest dinner imaginable; salmon fillets can be air-fried directly from the freezer without the need to defrost. All it needs is a sprinkle of good salt, and it’s wonderful.
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Straight out of the bag, the first thing you’ll notice is how much smaller Good Chop’s chicken breasts are in comparison to the conventional ones at the supermarket. And that’s a good thing! Chicken breasts that are colossally large aren’t natural, and without the use of hormones, antibiotics or inhumane farming practices, there’s no way for Good Chop’s chicken to be gargantuan. These breasts are a perfectly normal size, and perfect for making chicken cutlets as well.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts don’t have much in the way of flavor, which is why we do so much when cooking them. Hello, marinade! What’s important when cooking chicken is that it doesn’t dry out while cooking, which is something that’s outstandingly easy to do. That’s why I decided to test it by making a dish where the chicken gets cooked twice: Chicken Parmesan. After breading, frying, smothering in sauce and baking, Good Chop’s boneless skinless chicken breasts remained moist, succulent and tender.
Party Wings
Good Chop’s party wings are the exact size they should be—not too big that they’re practically a drumstick, but not so small that you’re searching for meat. They cook up crisp and juicy when air-fried, and when tossed in Buffalo sauce, these wings have the perfect balance of spicy, tangy and meaty.
Pros
- Remarkable quality
- Good variety of meats to choose from
- Meat comes packaged in individual portions
- Delivered frozen solid
- Eco-friendly packaging
- Company has strict sustainability standards
- Only works with ethical, sustainably-focused family farms and fisheries in the U.S.A.
- Free shipping
- Scheduled orders can be skipped
Cons
- Pricey (though worth it)
- Requires a subscription
Why You Should Trust Us
I’m a James Beard-nominated cookbook author, recipe developer and food writer. As a former professional chef, I am the go-to writer at Taste of Home for putting cooking tools to the test and sharing what’s worth adding to your home kitchen. A few of the things I’ve personally reviewed at Taste of Home include HexClad cookware, All-Clad cookware and the Beautiful by Drew Barrymore cookware set. Formerly the chef-owner of Robicelli’s Bakery in Brooklyn, I currently reside in Baltimore, Maryland, with my kids, cats, pots and pans.
FAQ
Is Good Chop worth it?
Yes, Good Chop meat is worth it. All of Good Chop’s meat and seafood are sourced from highly reputable farms and fisheries.
Is Good Chop fresh or frozen?
All of Good Chop’s meat and seafood is individually packaged and quickly frozen shortly after butchering for the freshest possible product. Once your Good Chop order arrives, simply put it straight in the freezer and defrost it as needed.
Where is Good Chop located?
Good Chop cuts come from animals born, raised, and harvested in the United States. The company is privately held and based in New York, New York.
Good Chop vs. ButcherBox
Of all the best meat delivery services out there, Good Chop is most similar to ButcherBox, which also sells superlative, sustainable meat. According to Good Chop reviews and personal experience, what sets them apart is the fact that Good Chop’s boxes are customizable. In contrast, ButcherBox offers three specially curated “butcher’s choice” meat boxes in addition to a custom option. Good Chop also offers sides and desserts, which ButcherBox does not. In contrast to other well-known mail-order meat brands like Omaha Steaks, Good Chop is a subscription-based service, delivering a new package every four weeks.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a convenient way to buy environmentally friendly, ethically raised and high-quality meat, you should absolutely consider giving Good Chop a go. After reading all the Good Chop reviews and testing it myself, I can honestly say the quality is well worth the price. Plus, I love the customizable options. There’s a good chance you’ll never need to step foot in a butcher shop again.
Where to Order Good Chop
Visit the Good Chop website to set up a subscription, which can be paused or canceled anytime. You can customize a 14-pound box for $149 or a 28-pound box for $269. Delicious dinners await!
VIA MERCHANT
We Tried It
Good Chop
Enjoy quality meat and seafood from domestic family farms and fisheries with flexible deliveries and 100% customizable boxes.
Originally Published: November 28, 2023
