I Tried ButcherBox Monthly Meat Subscription. Here's All You Need to Know

9.0

ButcherBox

Buy at ButcherBox

Like

• High-quality meats
• A worthy mission to source only humanely-raised and antibiotic-free meat
• Wide range of meats and seafood options to choose from
• Free shipping and the ability to cancel at any time

Don't like

• A bit pricier than your average grocery store meats
• No dedicated seafood box
• A lot of products for a single person with a small freezer space
• Not many lean, low-fat options

ButcherBox has the meats (sorry, Arby's). The popular online meat delivery service is hoping to take a slice out of your local supermarket's share of the pie by sending monthly boxes of high-quality meat, including 100% grass-fed & grass-finished beef, organic chicken and wild-caught seafood. 

I, for one, love getting a good meat sweat going, so when given the chance to try a Custom Box of ButcherBox's top cuts to satisfy my protein cravings, I couldn't refuse. 

Best Meat Delivery Services for 2023 See at Cnet

So did the popular company and its offerings live up to the hype? Check out my ButcherBox review below. 

How ButcherBox works

ButcherBox is a meat delivery service specializing in premium cuts of meat, from poultry and pork to beef and seafood. When ordering from ButcherBox have the option to choose specific box sizes, delivery times and add-ons to round out your order.

Signing up for the meat subscription is as simple as it gets. Choose one of four boxes of meats for delivery at a frequency of your choosing (more on your options below) and ButcherBox ships express to your home. Meats arrive frozen so you can store them in the freezer for later or let them thaw in the fridge for cooking.

Plans start at $146 a month for custom and curated boxes. You're able to pause deliveries, skip shipments and change your box type at any time so the commitment is minimal and the service is flexible. 

Depending on the promotion the brand is running, ButcherBox also includes a free gift like free bacon, ground beef or sirloin steaks in each shipment for either a full year or for the life of your subscription.

Different ButcherBox options

ButcherBox offers four different boxes (one custom and three curated) to choose from. Here is a breakdown of each type: 

Custom Box (most popular)

• 9 to 14 pounds of meat, which you pick yourself
• $169 a month ($306 for the Big Box)
• Makes 30 meals (60 meals for the Big Box)

Mixed Box

• 8 to 11 pounds of preselected meat, typically a selection of 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, and crate-free pork
• $146 a month ($269 for the Big Box)
• Makes 24 meals (48 meals for the Big Box)

Beef & Chicken Box

• 8 to 11 pounds of preselected beef or chicken
• $146 a month ($269 for the Big Box)
• Makes 24 meals (48 meals for the Big Box)

Beef & Pork Box

• 8 to 11 pounds of preselected beef or pork
• $146 a month ($269 for the Big Box)
• Makes 24 meals (48 meals for the Big Box)

How often do you get ButcherBox?

Shipment frequency is completely up to you and your family's needs. Every four weeks is the maximum, though the company also offers six- or eight-week options for those who go through meat a little slower. 

Shipping is completely free and you can cancel your membership at any time. 

ButcherBox quality

ButcherBox prides itself on a commitment to offering humanely raised, antibiotic-free meat including organic chicken and 100% grass-fed beef. It also sustainably harvests and wild-catches all seafood to mitigate environmental impact. 

To get a sense of the quality across all types of proteins, I ordered the Custom Box (ButcherBox's most popular option) where I was able to pick six varieties in total. I generally found the products to be tasty and a step up from the packaged stuff in grocery stores, which you have to inspect like crime scene evidence before adding to your shopping cart. 

Here's what I thought of each type of ButcherBox meat included in my delivery.

Ground chicken

I eat a lot of ground chicken, which typically becomes repulsive after the third day of leftovers. But not in this case. This was the biggest surprise of the bunch with an earthy, almost buttery flavor that didn't acquire the notorious gameyness after being reheated in the microwave (and doused with hot sauce, of course). If I were to buy another Custom Box, this is the first thing I'd add to it. 

Sirloin tips

I cooked these down in a slow cooker, which resulted in oh-so-tender bites that soaked up the bone broth I rested them in. Sirloin tips can be on the fattier, sinewy side, but these were rich, not chewy and ultimately dangerous because they made me realize just how much I was missing red meat in my life. 

Ground Italian sausage

This tasted the most decadent of the bunch with a fennel-forward blend of ground pork, spices and herbs. And while I could have easily housed an entire serving on its own, it made a fantastic base for a sausage-based tomato sauce that simmered for literal hours. My Sicilian great-grandmother would be proud. 

Chicken tenders

I was least enthusiastic about these because let's be entirely honest: No basic chicken tender will taste as good as a breaded one straight out of the fryer. But while my preparation (grain-free breadcrumbs and egg yolk) lacked a crunchy texture, excess oil and all-around inspiration, I will say that the meat held up just fine -- moist and free of the gag-worthy cartilage, fat pockets and blood vessels found in many mainstream brands. 

Sockeye salmon

It was solid. Salmon isn't the most exciting fish in the world since it's so readily available, but I had zero complaints after roasting it in the oven with a simple lemon, dill and Dijon mustard marinade. This is a great option if you need a meal in a pinch and don't want to follow a long and arduous recipe. 

Scallops

I seem to always forget that scallops make a wonderful addition to any seafood pasta dish, so that's precisely how I fired up these bad boys, along with shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari. There were a few that tasted a bit rubbery, but that was likely the result of my own cooking skills and adding them to the skillet a touch too early. 

Final verdict: Is ButcherBox worth it? 

If you've taken the time to read this review, it's likely that you're a fellow carnivore who may be looking to expand their meat horizons. And if butcher shops are too expensive or you're tired of the subpar quality of grocery store meats, ButcherBox is absolutely worth a try to see if it will enhance your weekly meals. 

The Custom Box not only offers an extensive array of cuts and protein types, but it can also make a great gift for anyone who's one loincloth away from being a certified caveman or woman. (For some reason, I still get the image of our human ancestors gnawing on large chunks of meat.) But if you're indecisive or have a preference for certain products, leave fate in the hands of ButcherBox's experts, who'll curate one of the three preselected boxes so every shipment is a surprise. 

Sure, the meat is on the pricier side, but as with all the finer things in life, you get what you pay for. And with the company's commitment to sustainably sourced meat, you're paying for quality that directly benefits smaller farms and fishing companies that share the same vision and values. 

I'd recommend buying at least one box to fire up the grill. Give it a shot, and then determine what you think. You're under no obligation to continue if, for some reason, you're not impressed with the outcome -- though my bets are on anyone becoming a certified ButcherBox lover after the first delectably charred bite. 

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