There’s an essential question the world should ask itself about mail-order meat: why order it?
Online meat purveyors offer more diverse, more interesting and frankly better cuts of meat than what's found at a standard grocery store. And where does the intrepid cook whose town doesn’t have a proper butcher get their hands on heritage chickens? Or aged Osso Buco? Or internationally-renowned country ham and bacon? Or just a steady stream of meat to put on the table that’s better than whatever is available to them? Without these companies, the answer is nowhere. These are the best places to buy meat online in 2020.
Crowd Cow was founded when its founders caught wind that their friends were all going in on a cow from a local ranch. They thought that this practice could be streamlined and simplified, so they created Crowd Cow, which essentially acts as crowdfunding for the purchasing of beef. Instead of calling up a dozen ranches, coordinating shipping and storing what is frankly way too much meat, Crowd Cow allows you to buy high-quality meats (it’s not just beef) from local ranchers at fairer prices.
There is little fame to be had in the world of meat production. Unless you’re Pat LaFrieda, who’s been called “the Magician of Meat.” His company supplies beef to some of the best restaurants in the country and just so happens to offer a good portion of its protein online. LaFrieda’s client list speaks to the quality, but if you’re going to try the marquis meat purveyor of almost 100 years, you’d be wise to steer toward the burger mixes, which are equal parts revolutionary and plain delicious.
Porter Road started because chefs James Peisker and Chris Carter were annoyed with a lack of truly good meat for their newborn catering business. That frustration turned into a full-service butcher shop, which has since evolved into a sizeable online collection of beef, chicken, lamb and pork. All of Porter Road’s meats are raised sans antibiotics or filler feed. They’re also priced moderately and arrive (unfrozen) within two days of ordering. As an added bonus, the cooling foam inside the packaging can be disposed of by running it under the sink for a few seconds.
Must Try: Certified A5 Kobe Wagyu Filet Mignon ($299)
Holy Grail Steak operates under what it calls the the Golden Rule of the Cow, which dictates that a steak only tastes as good as it was raised. This mantra led the mail-order meat outlet to become one of six retailers of certified Kobe beef, and the only official online retailer of Kobe beef, what’s widely considered the most sought after meat in the world.
Major league level beef brought to you by former major leaguer Adam LaRoche and his Fort Scott, Kansas cattle ranch. All beef E3 sells is antibiotic-, added hormone- and steroid-free. The red and black angus cows are permitted to roam and graze before a grain finishing, a process which adds a final bit of tasty fat to the eventual cuts. Plus, it's all processed in-house and wet-aged for nearly a month by E3's butcher team.
Allan Benton was a high school guidance counselor. Now, his name is on menus at some of the best restaurants in the country. Benton’s Bacon, which by sheer prestige has made itself a proper noun, is prized by chefs and pork lovers across the country. What’s available on his web store changes with regularity (peak holiday season will see less of the good stuff available as demand eclipses a limited supply), so bookmark and wait for what you want.
As the name might imply, D’Artagnan is luxurious. Its store is filled to the brim with game birds, duck fat, foie gras, wagyu beef, lamb racks and all other things that trigger thoughts drooling and thoughts of bank accounts past. The outlet partners with local farms and farmers with tight ethical and quality standards.
Founded in 1968, Idaho’s Snake River Farms produces a lot of headliners — American wagyu, dry-aged tomahawk steaks, huge hams among them. But the crowd-favorite is the Kurobuta pork, which is often described as the Kobe beef of pork, and Snake River Farms is one of few to carry it, much less sell it online.
Peter Luger Steakhouse may be shorter on hype and blog posts than the small plate restaurants that pepper the surrounding neighborhood, but it does not need those things. Named best steakhouse in New York since 1984, the restaurant famous for its porterhouses, sky-high prices and a prickly wait staff was good enough to earn a Michelin star in 2006. It is a destination restaurant for anyone with a taste for steaks, and nowadays a load of its house-aged beef is available online.
Heritage Foods ethically sources, butchers and sells a wide variety of meats — turkey, chicken, beef, pork and so on. But the Brooklyn-based company is perhaps most notable for its treatment of goat through its “No Goat Left Behind” program, which supports farms that allow goats to mature more before heading to the abattoir. The result is a meat that’s lighter than lamb and carries a naturally herbacious flavor.
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The V10 used to be Dyson's top-tier stick vacuum, but it was eventually replaced by the slightly more powerful (and much more expensive) V11. This makes the V10 a great value, as it's usually $150 less than the V11. Thanks to this sale, it's even a better value than the V11 right now.
The CPO jacket is a classic silhouette that never goes out of style. Todd Snyder upgraded this one with premium a cotton-linen Herringbone that will break in and only get better over time.
All-Clad's big factory seconds sale is on, which means there's no better time to buy factory seconds from the superior cookware brand. Like this Copper Core 10-inch Fry Pan, which is a big-time upgrade for your kitchen that you can score for just a Benjamin.
Is anything left to be said about the Eames chair? This is one of the most iconic pieces of furniture to come out of the 20th century and is a must-have for any furniture aficionados (if you can afford it).
A fleece pullover fits in any wardrobe, adding a great layering piece that is warm enough to stand on its own but also light enough to wear under a jacket. This one adds a kangaroo pocket for good measure.
Using half bison fiber and half wool, the Bison Ultralight weighs less than a pound and offers extremely well insulation. It also sports a recycled ripstop shell with a PFC-free DWR coating and compactly folds into its own pocket. At half off, this is a steal. READ OUR DOWN JACKETS GUIDE
Four-way stretch, seamless construction, and extreme breathability make this our pick for the best premium workout shirt. It is simple, and simply good.
Not only is this one of the most versatile packs around, it eschews some of the "ugly" features on a standard outdoor pack for a look that is actually super stylish. We welcome an outdoor pack that values both style and function.
Perfect for winter, these boots are made with fully waterproof leather and vulcanized rubber, keeping you dry whether you're sloshing through snow on the way to work, doing work in the yard, or going out for a hunt.
Everlane does basics extremely well — it's kind of Everlane's thing. The brand's 18-wale corduroy fabric shirt is a great option for the winter months and at half off you truly cannot beat it. READ OUR GUIDE TO CORDUROY SHIRTS
Hydro Flask really needs no introduction at this point, so when you can get a 32-ounce wide mouth with its Temp-Shield insulation at 25 percent off, you do it.
The complete package, this sound bar connects via Bluetooth, has its own subwoofer and passive radiators, is wall-mountable, and can connect via HDMI, optical or AUX connections.
Carhartt is everywhere right now, with good reason. The brand's hardy garments are the epitome of workwear, this shirt jacket included. Flannel speaks for itself, but additional hand pockets and fleece lining round out this wardrobe staple.
This chronograph re-issue of Timex's original military-style watch has an aluminum 40mm case that provides strength without the weight. If you're looking for a daily knock around with chronograph features, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better deal.
If you're a student, there's never been a better time to get a Hulu subscription. The discount also doesn't expire — it lasts as long as you're enrolled as a student.
If you are working out a lot, you're going to need more than one mask. Under Armour has created one of the best sports-specific masks and right now if you buy two you get a great deal.
Todd Snyder's collaborations with Timex always hit. Paired with a vintage military-inspired band, this bullseye design is straight from the Timex archives.
Whether you want to move some of your most frequently used herbs indoors or don't have space outside for a garden, the AeroGarden Harvest is a perfect solution, with clearance for up to a foot of growth and room for 6 plants that grow five times faster than soil.
Gore-Tex uppers and Primaloft insulation combined with the classic Bean Boot silhouette make this a no brainer for deep winter, whether you're digging out the driveway or stomping around in puddles.
Adidas used sustainable Parley Primeblue material to make its Primeknit upper even better, then combined it with Boost midsoles to make the ultimate earth-conscious workout shoe.
The Jabra Elite Active 65t are sports-focused headphones (IP56) with better great sound quality for listening to music and taking calls. Also compatible with Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant, this is one of our top picks for sports-focused earbuds.
