What is a Meat Delivery Service?

Meat delivery companies source, cut, package, and ship high-quality protein products to meat lovers across the country.

Most meat delivery companies sell their meat, seafood, and other products in one of two ways:

• Online menu. Like ordering from your local butcher, many meat delivery companies feature an à la carte online menu. Customers can pick and choose from various proteins and ship the order directly to their home (or, if it’s a gift, right to a friend’s home!).
• Subscription. Foodies can sign up for a meat delivery subscription, in which a meat delivery company prepares a customizable protein selection and ships it right to the customer’s home on a recurring basis (weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly). Most meat delivery companies allow customers to customize each shipment, featuring add-ons such as proteins, sides, and rubs.

Every company specializes in its own range of products, most online butchers sell all or some of the following:

• Beef: filet mignon • New York strip • ribeye • Wagyu • beef tips • ground beef
• Pork: pork tenderloin • sausage • bacon • ground pork
• Poultry: turkey (whole, sausage) • chicken (breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings)
• Seafood: salmon • cod • scallops
• Lamb: ground lamb • rack of lamb
• Sides: grains • pastas • potatoes • vegetables • dried meat snacks • cheeses
• Extras: seasonings • rubs • wines • knives and other cutlery

How Does Meat Delivery Work?

It’s extremely easy to sign up for a meat delivery company, with most companies only requiring customers to complete three online steps:

1. Select your menu items

Start by selecting your desired proteins. If you’re selecting from an à la carte menu, you can build your box piece-by-piece, choosing individual proteins for your online cart. If you’re going the subscription route, you’ll select one from a series of curated protein boxes, each containing a unique mix of options.

2. Customize your shipment

Once you’ve chosen your menu items or subscription box, you’ll be offered a few options. Most meat delivery companies allow subscription customers to select add-on products (e.g. extra proteins, rubs, or cooking utensils) and set their shipping schedule (i.e. weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly).

3. Ship and pay

In the final steps, customers choose their preferred shipping address and pay. If you’re interested in giving a meat delivery as a gift, simply enter the recipient's address and pay on their behalf! Products straight to your home, usually within a week of purchase.

How Do Meat Delivery Companies Ship Products?

Most meat delivery companies vacuum-seal their proteins, flash-freeze each sealed item, and package everything together in a recyclable box that contains dry ice or disposable ice packs to keep proteins frozen during shipping.

When your box arrives at your house, your proteins arrive frozen, so that they’re both safe to eat, if you choose to thaw and cook them right away, or ready to go into the freezer for later. If you aren’t planning on cooking in the next day or so, make sure to keep them in the freezer. Although details vary from company to company, frozen meats are typically safe and delicious to eat up to 6 months after purchase.

Once you’re ready to eat, make sure to include some defrost time into your cooking plan. Frozen, smaller-sized proteins can usually be left out overnight to thaw before cooking. If you forgot to take your protein out the night before cooking, most meats can be submerged in cold water for an hour to thaw before cooking. (Always check your local food or health department for full recommendations on defrosting meat safely.)

What to Look for in a Meat Delivery Company

When it comes to choosing the perfect meat delivery company, it’s all about what features matter the most to you. Bargain hunters tend to put a low price above all else, whereas quality aficionados might care most about a protein’s sourcing.

To find the best meat delivery company, start by asking these questions:

What proteins would you like?

This is the best place to start. Does the meat delivery company in question offer the protein you’re looking for? Some meat delivery companies will specialize in steaks, others in chicken, and others will aim for a wide variety of proteins: pick the one that has what you’re looking for!

One-time delivery or subscription?

You’ll want to make sure that your preferred meat delivery company not only sells the proteins you want, but also sells them in the style that you want. Most meat delivery companies offer two shipment structures—à la carte online menu or recurring subscription box—but some may only offer one structure or the other.

How much would you like to spend?

Protein shipments from meat delivery companies can vary widely in price, depending on factors such as sourcing, quantity, and add-ons. For context, a great-quality meat subscription shipment can cost about ~$150 (including ~10 pounds of protein), whereas an excellent-quality meat subscription shipment can cost +$300 (including ~8 pounds of protein).

Is sourcing important to you?

In meat delivery, “sourcing” refers to where, and from what, a protein product was farmed. Any meat delivery company worth its sea salt will provide in-depth information on its protein sourcing. Sourcing might refer to the quality of a protein (animal breed, protein origin), farming practice (organic, hormone-enhanced), or even treatment of cattle (balanced diet, humane practices).

Is this a gift?

Some companies will go above and beyond, offering gift boxes, gift cards, and personalization options. Alternatively, other companies may have few to no gifting customization options available outside of changing the shipping address.

Meat Delivery Gifting Guide

Meat delivery shipments make great gifts for the foodies in your social circle, family, or office, but not all meat delivery companies handle gifting the same way. When choosing the way you’d like to gift a meat delivery box, keep the following methods in mind:

Altered shipping

This is the most low-key, hands-off method of gifting: to gift a meat delivery company this way, simply change the shipping location in checkout to the address of your intended gift recipient. No frills, no personalization, just great protein for a friend or family member.

Personalized shipment

This style is a bit more formal than simply altering the shipping. When sending a personalized meat delivery box, customers can add a unique note or memo attached to the meat delivery box.

Premade gift box

Many meat delivery companies design meat shipments for gifting. Perfect as a corporate or wedding gift, pre-made gift boxes typically contain a variety of popular proteins, a handful of rubs or sauces, and may even feature a discounted seasonal price.

Gift card

Many meat delivery companies allow customers to simply purchase and send a gift card to a friend or loved one. Recipients can use the gift cards to purchase any products they like, giving them the final word when it comes to what ends up in their box.