To find good-quality meat, you don’t necessarily need to make a trip to the butcher. And honestly, you don’t even have to leave your home. Everything you need can be found just with a click. Whether you’re looking for heritage pork, wild game, or premium beef, all of this can be delivered right to your doorstep. You can also find one-stop shops and monthly subscription boxes that the whole family can savor. Here’s our list of the top places you can order meat from, online.
Rastelli’s: Best Overall Selection
Rastelli’s in New Jersey is a family-run business. It offers a wide variety of protein choices as well as gifting options. From sausage to salmon, their products can be frozen for up to a year.
DeBragga: Best Homely Butcher
You might’ve stepped into an old-school butcher shop at some point and logging into the DeBragga website feels just like that — but with a wide range of offerings. From smoked meats to game selections like venison, there’s something for everyone.
Fossil Farms: Best Wild Selection
If you’re on the lookout for interesting meats to try, Fossil Farms is your best bet. You’ll find a rare variety of meats such as wild Scottish game, kangaroo, python, and alligator.
Carnivore Club: Best cured meat
For monthly boxes packed with cured meats, meat sticks, or jerky, Carnivore Club has a range of unique offerings from across the globe. It’s a perfect choice if you’re craving a protein-heavy snack or building a charcuterie board.
FAQS
What Do You Consider When Buying Meat Online?
Transparency
A majority of online meat retailers promise to provide high-quality meats. Many of them also commit to selling meat that adheres to sustainable agricultural practices, is humanely raised, and/or excludes hormones and added antibiotics.
Many online butcher shops provide information about their meat sources and the location and name of their ranches and farms so you can be sure that what you receive is the same as what’s advertised. However, if you are keen on buying meat that has been raised according to specific standards like grass-fed cattle, you will have to do your research and check the sourcing information.
Frozen vs Fresh
It’s convenient to choose frozen meats when purchasing in bulk. However, if you order repeatedly on a weekly basis or need meat for a dinner party, pick fresh meats as you can save time on thawing.
Shipping
Renowned online meat retailers will specify their shipping procedures on their websites. A majority have a cut-off day every week for same-week shipping to avoid perishable items getting stuck en route over the weekends. So, you can expect meat delivery to take between 2 and 4 days. We suggest buying meat from a retailer that offers tracking information.
Is Buying Meat Online Cheaper?
Not always. Meat is often priced per pound just like grocery stores. Online butchers and purveyors sell heritage breeds, specialty cuts, poultry, and meat that has been pasture-raised without any antibiotics or hormones. This makes it more expensive than conventionally farmed steaks and chicken breasts you find in big grocery stores.
However, it is possible to save more per pound when you buy in bulk since online meat suppliers provide freebies or free shipping sometimes.
Do Online Grocery Stores Offer Meat?
Many of them do. Plus, they also offer doorstep delivery. Check out what your preferred online grocer has to offer by looking up their virtual meat aisle. But you need to ensure that there is a person at home at the time of delivery since these services do not package the meat to be temperature controlled.
