The Best Meat Delivery Services
Updated: Mar. 05, 2024
If you've got meaty items on your grocery list every week, try the best meat delivery services to get the nation's most premium cuts delivered directly to your doorstep! We found the best-of-the-best so you can buy with confidence.
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If you’re looking for ultra-premium meat, then an online meat delivery service might be just what you need. A slew of companies across America ship a wide variety of meat, poultry and seafood straight to your door, giving you access to the best of the best regardless of where you live. Even if you live close to a supermarket or butcher shop, it’s highly unlikely you’ll have access to all the uniqueness a meat delivery service offers.
Many companies have organic, free-range and ethically raised meats. Others prioritize sourcing from small, local farms and sustainable butchering practices. Of course, the best meat delivery services keep quality, freshness and flavor top of mind, too.
We put some of the most popular companies to the test to find out whose meat reigns supreme. Here are the best mail-order meat companies on the market today. (Don’t sleep on the best chicken to order online, either.)
Allison Robicelli for Taste of Home
Best Overall
Porter Road
In a quest to source high-quality meat, two chefs opened a butcher shop and partnered with small, local farms to form Porter Road. The company began selling meat online in 2017 and is one of the best places to buy chicken online.
We tried a wide assortment from the brand, including ground chorizo, chicken breasts, pork chops, ribeye steaks, bacon, burgers and breakfast sausage. Each cut was deeply flavorful and cooked up beautifully. The steak browned nicely using a reverse-sear method, and the bacon was meaty—well worth the calories! We were also impressed with the breakfast sausage.
The spices scream “breakfast” but are not so overwhelming that it tastes like they’re covering something up. This cut truly tastes like pork, and quality pork at that. All in all, Porter Road is an excellent option for regular ordering. They’ve got a little bit of everything—and it’s all good.
Editor’s Tip: There are so many good reasons to buy chicken online, but which poultry is worth the premium price? We tested 10 services to find the best-of-the-best chicken delivery.
Pros
- Outstandingly flavorful
- Responsibly raised
- Supports small American farms
- Free of hormones and antibiotics
Cons
- Pricey
via merchant
Best Value
Farm Foods
Like many of the other mail-order meat companies on this list, Farm Foods sells premium, ethically-raised meat sourced from small American farms. What sets it apart is the sheer variety of cuts available. In addition to standard cuts like steaks and chops, Farm Foods also offers braise-able shanks, pork belly, lard and organ meats. But the biggest draw is the value packs, which let you buy in bulk at a discounted price.
We tried Farm Foods’ whole chicken, beef strip steaks, salmon, ground beef and ribeye. The quality was evident in every bite, whether we were browning the ground beef for a simple stir-fry (it had so. much. flavor!) or roasting a chicken. (Spoiler: The leftovers made killer stock, too.)
Though the meat still costs more than the flavorless, factory-farmed stuff you’ll find at your local supermarket, it’s a bargain when compared to store prices on premium meat. Even better, everything tastes incredible, and the quality is clearly evident.
Pros
- Excellent value
- Wide variety of available cuts
- Sustainably-raised
- Supports small farms
- Good for buying in bulk
Cons
- Even though it’s a good value, quality meat is still pricier than supermarket meat
ALLISON ROBICELLI FOR TASTE OF HOME
Best Sausage
Rastelli’s
Since 1976, Rastelli’s meat delivery has been a reliable choice for buying responsibly raised, all-natural meat and wild-caught seafood. We tried the brand’s Italian sausage, chicken breasts, sirloin steaks, filet mignon, ribeyes, ground turkey and salmon. While we were impressed with many of the cuts on this list, the sausages are what reign supreme.
Exploding with flavor, supermarket sausage can’t possibly compare to Rastelli’s offerings, which cook up unbelievably juicy. In a sausage and pepper hero, Rastelli’s meat more than holds its own against bigger flavors, resulting in a sandwich that’s equally balanced between meat and toppings. The sweetness of caramelized peppers and onions can easily overwhelm inferior sausage.
Pros
- Pork and turkey sausages available
- Remarkable flavor
- 10% discount for active military, veterans, first responders and medical professionals
- Offers subscription and à la carte ordering
Cons
- Shipping is free for orders over $200; $25 for orders between $100-199, and $50 for orders under $100
Allison Robicelli for Taste of Home
Best for Pork Chops
Butcher Box
Grass-fed meat, sustainable seafood and organic chicken are included in a curated ButcherBox subscription. But you can also customize a box of high-quality meat. Nothing is raised using hormones or antibiotics. And when it comes to taste, you’ll agree that all those things make a big difference.
Everything we’ve tried from ButcherBox has been stellar (check out our full ButcherBox review), but the boneless pork chops are especially notable. Conventional pork chops often cook up dry with underwhelming flavor unless they’re brined or marinated, but ButcherBox’s humanely raised pork is (literally) an entirely different animal—one that remains juicy and succulent during cooking. With so much flavor, it isn’t necessary to marinate or slather with strongly flavored sauce.
Pros
- Meat comes packaged in individual portions
- Remarkable quality
- Delivered frozen solid
- Eco-friendly packaging
- Company has strict sustainability standards
- Only works with humane, ethical farms
- Certified-B corporation
- Free shipping
Cons
- Pricey (though worth it)
- Seafood, bison and turkey are only available in custom boxes
Allison Robicelli for Taste of Home
Best for Steaks
Good Chop
Good Chop is another online subscription butchery with high-quality grass-fed beef, pork, chicken, bison, turkey and seafood. Everything is sustainably sourced from American family farms and fisheries. The company offers two fully customizable subscription boxes. The meat delivery services can be paused or canceled at any time.
When we tested the steaks from Good Chop, we were floored. The filet exceeds expectations in the most delicious of ways, abundant with flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Good Chop’s ribeyes were also mind-blowingly impressive, with the perfect ratio of meat to fat 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. See everything we tested in-depth with our full Good Chop review.
Pros
- Remarkable quality
- Good variety of meats to choose from
- Meat comes packaged in individual portions
- Strict sustainability standards
Cons
- Requires subscription
via merchant
Best for Burger Lovers
Pat LaFreida Goldbelly
There aren’t many butchers in the world that have name recognition, but Pat LaFrieda’s name has become so synonymous with extraordinary meats, that he’s a bona fide celebrity! Founded in Brooklyn in 1922, this fourth-generation family-owned company provides the steaks for the top restaurants in New York City, bringing in the best beef available from small, family-owned farms. Even if you’ve never been to NYC, you may have tasted their famous burger blends before—Pat LaFreida provides all the meat for Shake Shack!
You can buy a wide variety of cuts from Pat LaFreida’s Goldbelly shop, from prime Porterhouse steaks to seasoned Porchetta roasts, to showstopping racks of lamb. But to taste what put LaFreida on the map, get a box of their Gold Label Burgers, which are inspired by the custom blends they make for Michelin-starred restaurants, and made from a blend of American Black Angus short rib, flat iron, and dry-aged rib steak.
Pros
- Proprietary burger blend
- Outstanding quality
- The same meat served in New York City’s top steakhouses and restaurants
Cons
- Pricey
- Delivered in a styrofoam cooler
Allison Robicelli for Taste of Home (2)
Best Splurge
Snake River Farms
You may have heard of Wagyu beef, which is known to be the tenderest and tastiest beef on earth. Traditionally only found in Japan, Snake River Farms is one of the only sources of American Wagyu, and if you’re wondering if it’s worth the hefty price tag, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Wagyu is worth every bit of the hype surrounding it. The flavor is otherworldly; the texture is meltingly tender. Truly, adjectives don’t do these steaks justice, and they must be tasted to be believed.
Snake River Farms produces Wagyu beef with high standards, controlling everything from breeding and beyond. The beef is humanely raised and butchered at their farm. Compared to supermarkets, Snake River Farms is pricier, but the quality is as good as any steakhouse. Check out our Snake River Farms review and you’ll see what we mean.
Pros
- Best mail-order steaks money can buy
- Extraordinary quality
- Eco-friendly farming practices
- Humanely-raised and butchered beef
Cons
- Pricey (but worth every penny!)
Reina Galhea/Taste of Home
Best Specialty
Campo Grande
If you’ve ever been to Spain, you’re likely familiar with jamón ibérico. The specialty charcuterie meat comes from a rare breed of Iberian pigs that primarily eat acorns, making for an especially rich, nutty flavor. While iberico is most often served as a thin shaving of cured meat to accompany cheese and bread, it’s just as delicious as the staple protein in your dinner.
Enter Campo Grande, the meat delivery service bringing you Spain’s finest type of pork for oven-cooked ribs, pork belly sandwiches, pork loin roasts and so much more. We tried the brand’s charcuterie selection, pork belly and two types of ribs—all from Iberian pork. The quality is top-notch, and the flavor is rich, complex and indulgent.
But that flavor comes with a lot of fat to trim, and even after trimming it could be overwhelming. This type of meat is for experienced cooks who know how to render fat very well. It’s also for those who like a lot of umami flavors and aren’t afraid to try something new. Our favorite was the charcuterie, as it allowed me to savor the nuanced flavors in small portions.
Pros
- Specialty Spanish pork
- Intense umami flavor
- Variety of cuts, everything from charcuterie to ribs
Cons
- Requires a lot of trimming
- Pricey
What to Look for When Ordering Meat Online
When ordering from meat delivery services online, look for sourcing options that include grass-fed beef and free-range chickens. Furthermore, the best meat delivery services ship their goods frozen solid. Additionally, check the shipping costs and look for the different types of meats that are offered.
Why You Should Trust Us
I’ve been a professional cook since 2002, and I’ve tested hundreds (if not thousands!) of recipes. Plus, I’ve written three cookbooks and know what great beef, pork and chicken should taste like. My meat delivery service recommendations are worth the price.
How We Found the Best Meat Delivery Services
To find the best places to order meat online, we ordered beef, pork, chicken and seafood deliveries from over 10 meat delivery services. We tested a mix of conventional meat as well as meat raised to the highest standards. The best options put humane treatment, eco-consciousness and the avoidance of hormones, antibiotics, steroids and other substances front and center.
We roasted, grilled and air-fried our deliveries. We stuck to simple preparations, initially cooking with little more than oil and Kosher salt so that the full flavor and quality of the meat would be apparent. To judge texture, we overcooked some cuts and cooked others to absolute perfection. We wanted meat that didn’t require you to be a master chef to make it taste good. After testing, we ranked every service per our strict testing methodology. We considered selection, price point and, of course, quality.
FAQ
Are meat subscription boxes worth it?
Yes, meat subscription boxes are worth it. Meat delivery services provide ethically raised meat and give you access to a wider variety of types and cuts than your local supermarket or natural foods store.
Originally Published: March 02, 2022
