Mail Order Meat Services Are Your Barbecue Savior. Here Are Our Favorites.
Cooking butcher-quality burgers and Michelin-starred Korean barbecue at home is easier than ever thanks to these DTC meat brands that will deliver prime protein straight to your door.
The pandemic has changed a lot about how we go about our days, not the least of which is grocery shopping. While thankfully we’ve moved beyond the binge buying that ran rampant in the early days of lockdown, we’ve picked up a few bulk-buying tricks along the way. At first we did it to limit exposure to the virus in tight spaces (and still do) but we also learned that having more than a few days worth of groceries on hand, well, just makes sense: less time spent in the car, less money on gas, more time for doing the things we enjoy (when we’re not going stir crazy at home). But the fact remains: Cooking is delicious escape. While you certainly can and should support your local butcher, it’s nice (and crazy convenient) to be able to have some of the top meat in the country shipped straight to you. Whether you’re in the mood for beef with a old-school New York pedigree, or the sort of prime Wagyu typically only available at the finest restaurants, there’s a mail order meat service to fit your taste. Here are four we love.
1 /4 Courtesy of Belcampo The New School Butcher: Belcampo
Belcampo is known primarily for their beef, which is pasture-raised on Mount Shasta and about as clean and lean and full-flavored as you can get. But their non-beef offerings, such as pork chops, whole chickens, bone broth, and hot dogs make them a one-stop, full-service butchery.
The price: $129 for a month’s worth of steak, chicken, sausage, and beef sticks; belcampo.com
The payoff: Paleo fuel
2 /4 Courtesy of A-Five Meats The Prime Purveyor: A-Five Meats
This Bay Area-based high-end purveyor of carnivorous delights offers regular deliveries of exquisitely marbled Wagyu beef and other heritage breeds typically only available to top restaurants. Case in point: Altair, an Australian farm offering a rare grass-fed version of Wagyu that combines health benefits and luscious meat in one. If you’re only going to eat beef once a week and can afford it, this is the way to do it. Insider tip for San Francisco residents wanting a taste of how the pros cook Wagyu: The A-Five founders also run Japanese restaurant GOZU, which just added patio dining.
The price: $350 per month; a5meats.com
The payoff: Prime beef at a premium
3 /4 Courtesy of Pat LaFrieda The Old-School Butcher: Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors
Every day the legendary New York butcher makes some 75,000 burger patties from custom blends, and while you can get nearly any cut of black angus (from tomahawks to New York strip), you’re not going to find a better burger to throw on the grill.
The price: $16 for four brisket hamburger patties; lafrieda.com
The payoff: Socially-distanced barbecue in the park
4 /4 Courtesy of Goldbelly Full Service Feast: COTE via Goldbelly
Sometimes you want to open up a box of beef and not even think about how you’re going to make the most of it. Enter the Original Butcher’s Feast from Michelin-starred New York Korean Steakhouse COTE: You get prime marinated galbi, toothsome hanger, and tender ribeye, plus all the banchan pickled sides and ssamjang you need to pretend you’re eating at a smoky, packed, Korean steakhouse, like the old days.
The price: $249 for a 6-person feast (which comes out to roughly $40 bucks a pop for a Michelin-quality meal); goldbelly.com
The payoff: A top-flight Korean steakhouse pops up in your backyard