The Best Meat Subscription Boxes That Give Your Local Butcher a Run for Their Money

Why sign up for a meat subscription when you can just run to the grocery store? Simple: the meat is just better. Sure, having high-quality cuts show up at your door is convenient, but that’s not the real selling point—it’s the quality. Most grocery store meat comes from large-scale producers focused on volume, not flavor, and by the time it hits the shelf (or worse, ends up with that “manager’s special” sticker slapped on…), freshness is a gamble.

Meat delivery services, on the other hand, work directly with small farms and trusted suppliers that prioritize animal welfare, sustainable practices, and taste. You get meat that’s been raised right and shipped fast without any mystery supply chain in between.

• Best for meat snobs who want to stock up: Snake River Farms
• If you're feeding a family: Butcherbox
• Best substitute for your local butcher: Porter Road
• For the best pork you've ever had: Campo Grande
• Best for a wagyu experience: KOW
• For amazing, eco-conscious ground meat: Force of Nature
• Best for poultry: Pasturebird
• Best replacement for your weekly grocery run: Good Chop
• For the beef gourmand: Vermont Wagyu

There are plenty of boxes to choose from, so we did the hard work for you (and by hard work, we mean eating over a hundred pounds of steak, chicken, pork, and even fish). After weeks of cooking and tasting, these are the best meat subscription services worth your fridge and freezer space. Once you try them, you might never go back to grocery store meat again.

Snake River Farms Subscription Box

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Snake River Farms

If you take your meat seriously, Snake River Farms is the subscription to know. The Idaho-based brand specializes in American Wagyu, but its offerings don't stop there. Consider SRF a one-stop shop for prime cuts of beef, Kurobuta pork, and various types of seafood. Commerce writer Alaina Chou tested multiple boxes and found that nearly every cut delivered on quality and flavor.

Tested and reviewed by: Alaina Chou, commerce writer

The ordering process: The SRF ordering process is pretty easy: just add at least six products to your box, select a frequency (4, 8, or 12 weeks), check out, and your order will be processed and shipped (mine arrived in just a few business days both times I ordered, once to CA and once to NY). You'll receive the same selection in every future delivery unless you edit your order, which is easy to do from your account. Canceling your subscription is also simple—which isn't the case with a lot of the meal delivery services I've tested, which tend to bury the cancel button.

My orders were each packed in insulated zippered bags with dry ice and arrived frozen through as promised. I like that SRF ships its products frozen because it means I don't feel rushed to use everything up in a week. Instead, I can defrost things I want to cook as I want to cook them (just make sure to do so a good 24 hours in advance to allow the meat to thaw fully in the fridge).

What we loved: I tried an SRF Gold-certified Wagyu New York Strip Steak, a USDA Prime-certified New York Strip Steak, an SRF Black-certified Wagyu Bavette, Kurobuta pork bacon, Wild Caught King Salmon, Wild Caught Northwest Pacific Halibut, Wagyu beef jerky, and Kurobuta pork chops.

I cooked the two strip steaks simply in a cast-iron pan, finishing them by basting with butter and garlic. Both were incredibly tender—like, melt-in-your-mouth tender. I don't think I could've screwed up cooking them if I tried.

I marinated the bavette steak in bulgogi marinade overnight. If I had access to a grill, I would've grilled it, but instead I pan-seared it and finished it in the oven. It was delicious in lettuce wraps and over rice.

The halibut filets were beautiful—all uniform in shape in thickness. I cooked them simply in a pan and topped them with lemon shallot butter before serving.

The salmon filets were quite uneven in shape and size, with some of them clearly cut from the center and some from the thinner ends. I ate some raw as poke, which was tasty, though the texture of the salmon was a bit soft/mushy for this preparation. I cooked the rest with some of the bulgogi marinade poured on top, and it was great.

The pork chops were such a hit. They're each 1.5 inches thick, which is to say very thick. This allows you to get a really nice sear on the outside without overcooking the inside. I coated each in a rub of brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper, then grilled them. I served them with a sauce of finely chopped mixed herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, and torn olives—so delicious. Juicy, tender, flavorful, would definitely order again.

And last, the jerky! This was (perhaps unsurprisingly) very good, and some of the best jerky I've had. I shared it with the two tech bros I was staying with, and one of said tech bros, who apparently eats a lot of jerky, says it's the best he's tried, too. We polished it off in two days.

What we’d leave: This doesn't really feel worth purchasing as a subscription versus just ordering a la carte. You only save 5% on 6–10 items, and then 10% on 10 items or more, which really isn't much. If you were making a very large order or just want the certainty of a box of great meat showing up on your doorstep at regular intervals without needing to reorder or think about it, it might be worth it for you.

This is nitpicky, but when ordering, I accidentally started my cart over several times because if you go back after you get to the cart, it fully clears.

As I mentioned, I didn't like how uneven the salmon pieces were, as it makes it hard to cook all 4 pieces at the same time.

Check out our full review of Snake River Farms here.

ButcherBox is a meat subscription service that brings the best meats and seafood straight to your door in just a few clicks. The company only offers quality cuts from pasture-raised beef, pork raised crate-free, animal welfare certified chicken, and sustainably harvested and responsibly farmed seafood. They offer both customized and curated boxes with a flexible shipping schedule.

Tested and reviewed by: Inés Anguiano, associate test kitchen manager

The ordering process: I appreciate how no-nonsense their box-building process is, allowing you to curate your favorite proteins, in the quantities that work for you. The site itself is super straightforward, offering already curated options along with the opportunity to create your own. There’s a good variety of seafood, red, and lean meats. In true protein girly fashion, I built my box up with a ton of steaks and chicken. After placing my order, I was able to pick my preferences as it pertained to the frequency of my subscription box, which is super convenient and felt truly tailored to my needs. It took my box two days to arrive, arriving frozen and staying frozen until I got home, four hours after it was delivered. My meats were neatly stacked, chicken on the bottom, everything else on top, in alignment with food safety guidelines.

What we loved: Over the last couple of weeks, I have been cooking my way through my box, often keeping my proteins frozen until the day I want to use them. I am genuinely impressed with the quality of their meats. The first night, to celebrate, I seared off a tomahawk, which I will happily report was my best steak this year. I totally think ButcherBox is worth it.

As someone who often just cooks for one, I've had no problem pacing myself through this box and enjoying a little something different every night. I’d say ButcherBox is for the cook who likes to switch it up while having a reliable vehicle (in this instance, whichever protein your heart desires) to do so. At the price point it’s at, I would subscribe and consider gifting it to a friend (that I like a lot).

What we’d leave: I have no negative notes!

Best Of Porter Road Box

$128

Porter Road

Founded by two chefs and butchers in Kentucky, Porter Road’s mission is to make truly great, responsibly raised meat accessible outside the butcher counter. They partner with local farms in Kentucky and Tennessee, hand-cut every piece in-house, and dry-age their beef for unmatched tenderness and flavor.

Tested and reviewed by: Olivia Tarantino, senior commerce editor

The ordering process: Incredibly easy. Pick a curated box, enter your info, and you’re done. I went with the Butcher’s Choice box, which arrived right before a weekend with friends and family at the Jersey Shore—perfect timing for a grilling marathon.

What we loved: The bavette steaks were the star of the weekend. I grilled them for fajitas, and they developed a caramelized crust while staying tender and juicy inside, thanks to the dry-aging. The bacon was another standout. If you've ever gotten grocery store bacon, you know sometimes the bacon is more fat than meat. That was nowhere near the case with Porter Road. The cut of bacon was thick and meaty, and miles better than the fatty, inconsistent grocery store stuff. Even the ribeye, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, blew us away.

While I didn't have a chance to taste the pork chops myself (thanks to my dad and sister cooking them when I wasn't home because they were so excited to try them), they reported back that they were the best, juiciest pork chops they've ever had. By the end of the weekend, my sister was so impressed with the quality of the meat that she placed an order for herself.

What we’d leave: The only frustration was not knowing exactly when the box would arrive. It’s processed in 3–5 days, but there's no set timeline. That said, the packaging is excellent and keeps the meat cold for hours, even if you’re not home to grab it right away.

Campo Grande Ibérico Pork Box

$169

Campo Grande

Campo Grande Charcuterie Sampler

$37 $33 (11% off)

Campo Grande

Campo Grande offers various cuts of Iberico pork, and it is some of the juiciest pork you will find anywhere, thanks to its particularly high fat content. The cuts may look a little unfamiliar to a lot of people—the secreto steak (from the shoulder) or the pluma—but they're incredibly versatile.

Tested and reviewed by: Noah Kaufman, senior commerce editor

The ordering process: The service has pre-assembled boxes that will give you a good overview of what they offer, or the option to make your own. Both are available as one-off purchases or subscriptions. They've also branched out into both beef and charcuterie; both are quite impressive.

What we loved: If you haven't had Iberico pork before, you are missing out. Even under skilled hands, pork can dry out more quickly and more thoroughly than some beef because it's leaner. But Iberico has a lot more fat and can end up with a much more buttery texture than the standard tenderloin off the grocery store shelf. The spare ribs I smoked, for example, became so much more tender than standard pork spare ribs, and the meat pulled away from the bone as the fat had rendered after a couple of hours. Don't miss the paleta (it's as if prosciutto had a richer cousin) and the other charcuterie, which will make a better meat and cheese board than anything you've put out before. Campo Grande also offers some real showpieces, like their 8" thick Vaca Vieja, which is basically three or four prime rib cuts in one.

What we’d leave: It's pricey enough (a standard box averages about $27 a pound) that this feels like more of a special occasion sort of purchase.

KOW Steaks

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KOW Steaks

KOW Steaks is a sixth-generation ranch in Iowa that helped bring Wagyu to the U.S. They were the ones who flew the first Japanese cattle over on a custom 747 in the 1970s and have been perfecting their craft ever since. Today, they supply everyone from Gordon Ramsay to David Chang to Nobu, and now, you!

Tested and reviewed by: Olivia Tarantino

The ordering process: I received three cuts à la carte—ribeye, filet mignon, and burger patties—but KOW also offers a limited monthly VIP box (only 50 members at a time). My shipment arrived the next day, thanks to their ultra-fast processing. Orders placed before noon CST ship overnight.

What we loved: I mean, what isn't there to love about Wagyu? The marbling was unreal. Both the ribeye and filet melted like butter, producing that rich, velvety texture only Wagyu can deliver. I pan-seared everything in cast iron, including the burgers, to keep every drop of that prized fat intact.

What we’d leave: Not much! The only thing I'd say is that I probably wouldn't order the ground beef again. It’s good, but not life-changing, and for the price difference, I’d rather save Wagyu for steaks and roasts. Otherwise, the quality, service, and shipping are all top-tier.

Force of Nature Big Ol' Beef Box

$210 $189 (10% off)

Force of Nature

Force of Nature Grill Master Box

$225 $202 (10% off)

Force of Nature

Force of Nature sells individual portions of "fancy" meat—grass-fed beef, heritage breed chickens—but the place they really shine is in their gamier meats like elk and venison, and their ground "ancestral" blends, which include some offal. You can get boxes that include steaks (beef, bison, or venison) as well as ground meat, although I've had more delicious, better marbled steaks delivered from other services.

Tested and reviewed by: Noah Kaufman

The ordering process: The default option is to do one-off orders of anything you want, but it's easy enough to select a subscribe and save option instead to get recurring deliveries. It's worth noting that if you want to try FON out before committing to any kind of subscription, its ground meat is regularly available at Whole Foods.

What we loved: I don't usually get too excited about packaged ground meat, but the ancestral blends (ground beef, bison, or elk) that includes liver and heart in the mix has a rich flavor to the meat that is so unlike the normal bricks I buy in the grocery store I'd absolutely pay the extra four or five dollars to have it as a treat. All the meat also comes from regenerative farms, which is the kind of agriculture I think we should be helping support if you have the means.

Editorial operations manager, Kate Kassin, also tried FON and had a similarly great experience: “I loved that it took me out of my comfort zone and had me try products I maybe wouldn't buy at the store (i.e. the breakfast sausage with beef and bison was perfectly spiced and SO good even for dinner, the steaks were so different from beef steaks and fun to experiment cooking with, or the ancestral blend was really tasty and not too gamey). It was great to have all of this in the freezer so I always had a reliable source of high-quality meat to eat when I didn't feel like going to the store. The online ordering also allows you to try some of the products they don't have in stores yet.”

What we’d leave: Not really. This isn't really a company created with subscription in mind, so other than the minor convenience of not needing to remember to reorder, there isn't a big advantage over making one-off purchases. But for what it is: an eco-conscious butcher with a focus on excellent ground meat, it hits the mark.

Pasturebird

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Pasturebird

Pasturebird delivers pasture-raised chicken straight from their farm in Butler, Georgia, where they are moved to a different pasture each day to ensure the animals have a fresh area to graze. According to the website, "A varied diet of bugs, grass, legumes, and grains"—which the chickens have access to in the pasture each day—"contributes to the health, taste, and nutrition of the final product." All birds are raised without antibiotics and fed a non-GMO diet.

Tested and reviewed by: Abbey Stone, senior commerce director

The ordering process: You can purchase a few staple products from Pasturebird: chicken thighs; drumsticks; boneless, skinless chicken breasts; "party wings"; and whole rotisserie chickens. The prices are higher than what you'd get from Whole Foods, but you are getting a premium product. The chicken arrived neatly packed with dry ice. All products were fully frozen in air-sealed packages. According to the brand, all packaging is recyclable.

What we loved: The pieces of chicken I received were all plump, with lots of meat on the bone. I cooked the boneless, skinless breast in a cast-iron pan with just oil, salt, and pepper in order to be able to taste the chicken; it easily cooked to a nice golden brown, remained moist, and was full of flavor.

What we’d leave: This isn't a service you'd use if you're looking to save costs, but if you care about sourcing and quality, it’s worth every penny.

Abbey Stone

Good Chop

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Good Chop

Good Chop is basically your high-quality, all-American grocery replacement. The company sources exclusively from U.S. farms and fisheries that meet strict animal welfare and sustainability standards. The boxes are fully customizable, so you can mix and match ribeyes, pork chops, salmon, or shrimp depending on what your freezer needs.

Tested and reviewed by: Wilder Davies, commerce writer

The ordering process: You pick your box size, choose your cuts, and wait for your shipment to arrive. While my sample box arrived without much notice, the packaging kept everything cold, and the quality of the meat was impressive.

What we loved: I really liked the quality of the steak; I thought the meat was miles better than what I can get at my grocery store. I also appreciated the transparency about sourcing and third-party certifications. It’s an easy, affordable way to restock your freezer with high-quality proteins.

What we’d leave: The shipping updates didn't give me a lot of time to plan (although this may have been due to them sending me a sample). It's also not an á la carte service; you are limited to a particular number of items and slots depending on the selected subscription size.

Wilder Davies

Vermont Wagyu Subscription Box

$225

Vermont Wagyu

Vermont Wagyu is a small, family-owned farm in southern Vermont focused on raising fullblood Wagyu since 2008. While American beef can be referred to as Wagyu even if it's crossbred with Angus or Holstein to the point of only containing 46.9% Wagyu genes, Vermont Wagyu ensures that every cut of meat comes from 100% DNA parent-verified fullblood Wagyu.

Tested and reviewed by: Nina Moskowitz, associate cooking editor

The ordering process: I ordered the July subscription box from the Vermont Wagyu website. The box is sent quarterly, and you receive a rotating selection of 100% full-blood Wagyu products. It's $225 for 3-4 cuts, burgers, sausage, and guest products from local producers. Navigation of the site was easy, and the service provides clear and trackable estimated arrival times. I received two 1lb. packs of ground beef patties, two 1lb. packs of smoked beef chorizo, two beef tenderloin steaks, 1 beef sirloin steak, 1 beef NY strip tips, and two Ninjacue dry rub seasonings.

What we loved: I grilled the steaks, tips, and sausage, and had friends over. The steaks had beautiful marbling and were incredibly tender (I'm still thinking about the melt-in-your-mouth tenderloin). The smoked beef chorizo was snappy, spicy, and unbelievably juicy. I also made stove-top burgers in a cast-iron skillet for a weeknight dinner. The patties were consistent and succulent. Overall, the quality of the meat was superb.

What we’d leave: Unfortunately, three of the products I ordered came with slits in the packaging. When I notified the Vermont Wagyu team, they immediately remedied the issue by sending replacement products. This seemed to be a one-off hiccup, and the quality of the meat and expeditious service made up for this fluke.

We had multiple BA staffers test each meat delivery service for at least one full order. Most testers were able to place their own orders to get a true sense of the shopping experience. We evaluated how easy it was to navigate the site, shipping speed and accuracy, packaging quality, and of course, the meat itself. Then we cooked, seared, and grilled our way through the boxes, paying attention to texture and flavor. Finally, we compared price points, variety, and overall value to find the services worth subscribing to.

Omaha Steaks Spring Savings Bundle

$281 $140 (50% off)

Omaha Steaks

Tested and reviewed by: Abbey Stone

Betcha you've heard of this one! Omaha Steaks has been shipping quality beef—all cuts available today are USDA Certified Tender and sourced from farms in the Midwest US of A—to meat lovers since 1917, when the company was started as a family business (although it was called Table Supply Meat Company then). Over the next 100-plus years, Omaha Steaks has grown to become almost synonymous with meat delivery.

Today the “steaks” in the name is a bit of a misnomer—Omaha offers a veritable grocery store of products, including chicken, pork, seafood, and even sides, desserts, and wine. Yes, you can get a bottle of California Pinot delivered in the same order as your burgers, dogs, and steaks.

I sampled the brand's Butcher's Cut Filet Mignon; as promised, the cut was lean and clean with limited excess fat (the way I like it) and seared up nicely with some salt, pepper, and butter on the stovetop. The caramel apple tartlets included in my delivery were also a nice surprise—sweet, homey, and easy to heat in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.

Boxed Halal Wagyu Steak Box

$199

Boxed Halal

Tested and reviewed by: Christopher Hastings, contributor

If you want boxes of meat delivered to your door at regular intervals and you also keep Halal, this article ends here. But I have fabulous news. Boxed Halal kicks ass. Their best in show bone-in chicken legs elevated a simple sheet-pan dinner and a supremely rich stock. I saved some of their party wings to smoke on the grill, and it was one of the best meals I had during my "research" period.

Their ground beef had a friend text later, "Where did you get those burgers, again?" and made me cackle as my wife asked about what new secret ingredient must have been in some tacos. While I don't think their Australian wagyu could stand up against the most spectacular steaks I tested across the subscription brands, it was still better than any I've taken home from a supermarket butcher case. If you're already buying through Boxed Halal and you want a treat, throw in the steaks.

Ranchers Favorites Box

$194

Good Ranchers

Tested and reviewed by: Christopher Hastings

Good Ranchers is on a mission to connect people with better quality meat from American farmers not as a special-occasion rarity but something we should eat every day. As much as I like a weekend cooking project, Good Ranchers was perfect for helping me throw together something that's healthy-ish, tasty enough to get excited about, and weeknight-level easy.

I turned their chicken breast into perfect katsu, juicy chicken sandwiches, and a comforting poached chicken and rice on a sick day. Their beef top sirloin became an utter treat of lunchtime carne asada, and their bacon did fine work propping up some braised kale.

These subscription boxes are about keeping a well-stocked freezer, and when the freezer is packed, I need it to be organized too. More often than not, I reached for the Good Ranchers simply because it was easiest to find. As silly as it is, Good Ranchers' tidily butchered cuts and color-coded freezer bags went a long way in making my life a lot easier on those dreaded "what are we gonna have for dinner?" Tuesdays.

Finally, a shout-out to the huge honkin’ T-bone in my box, which I can only describe by asking you to imagine Homer Simpson drooling on a loop, because that is what I transformed into when I partook of that wondrously buttery steak.

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