I can’t even remember how I heard about Butcher Box but my guess is it was a Facebook ad, isn’t that how we learn about everything? An ad on social media?
For a few years, I had been buying organic meat at the grocery store but then after watching the documentary Food Inc., I knew I couldn’t ever buy anything else. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a must watch.
So 10+ boxes in, I thought it was a good time to share my thoughts in my own Butcher Box Review.
If you’ve been looking for alternatives to the grocery store or you have been contemplating Butcher Box, this review is for you.
Disclosure: Butcher Box has a referral program for all customers. If you make a purchase via a link on this blog post, you’ll receive a discount on your first purchase and I will receive a credit on my next purchase. Cool beans! Once you buy, you can grab your own referral code.
Note: This is not a sponsored post.
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What is Butcher Box
Butcher Box is a subscription service that delivers grass-fed/grass finished beef, free range chicken, heritage breed pork and wild caught salmon (plus a few other things) straight to your door.
They aren’t the farm or a grocery store, they are a distributor.
Grab the Butcher Box Black Friday sale before it’s gone.
What is the Mission of Butcher Box
It’s pretty simple, according to their website, they strive to bring high quality meat to customers while ensuring the humane and sustainable treatment of animals. Isn’t that what we all want?
Ready to give it a try? Receive $15 off your first order.
Where Does the Meat Come From
The beef comes from Australia, the chicken and pork come from the United States and Canada and the salmon comes from the United States.
Quality of the Meat
Our experience has been that the meat and salmon are delicious.
The beef is 100% grass-fed and grass-finished which means the cows are grazing in their natural habitat which leads to a tastier cut of meat. The cows dine on natural grasses and may be fed other grasses or minerals in the winter months. They are not given antibiotics or added hormones.
The chicken is free range, humanely raised, certified organic and not given hormones or antibiotics (Federal regulations prohibit using hormones or steroids in poultry). It is also GAP-3 certified. GAP is an animal welfare partnership.
The pork is Heritage Breed, humanely raised, vegetarian fed, never given antibiotics or added hormones (Federal regulations prohibit use of hormones in pork). According to the Butcher Box website, Heritage Breed pork has a flavor profile with high fat marbling throughout the meat, which equates to a rich, juicy, deep flavor.
The seafood is wild-caught, sustainably harvested and not given any additives, antibiotics or hormones. Butcher Box offers salmon, scallops, halibut, lobster and cod. We have only tried the salmon and it’s been delicious.
How Much Does Butcher Box Cost
When it comes to the cost, boxes start at $129 (based on current rates) and go up to $270 (before any Add-ons or Exclusive Deals).
Snag a $15 Butcher Box discount code right here.
From what I can tell, they typically have specials for new customers, for instance, when I joined they were offering 2 pounds of ground beef free with each box for the life of my subscription. So that’s in addition to what’s already in the box type you choose.
They offer Add-ons like bacon, breakfast sausage, etc in addition to extra packages of chicken, ground beef, etc. that can be added to every box.
There are also Exclusive Deals like lobster, cod, spare ribs, a burger and hot dog bundle, etc. that just get added to your next box (if you choose them as an add-on). In our last box we added on a chicken breast and top sirloin steak bundle.
Around prime grilling holidays like Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day, I have seen grilling bundles. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, there have been bundles of meat specific to what is traditionally eaten on those holidays.
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How Does it Work
It’s super easy, you sign up, choose your box size (Classic or Big Box), then choose the types of meat or seafood you’d like.
There are two box sizes:
- Classic – contains 8-14 pounds of meat for $129-$149 per box
- Big Box – contains 16-22 pounds of meat for $238-$270 per box.
Next choose the meat and seafood:
- Mixed – beef, pork, and chicken
- Beef & Pork – you get a combination of both
- Beef & Chicken – you get a combination of both
- All Beef
- Custom – you choose the mix of meats and seafood (this is the one we get)
finally, set your delivery frequency. You can have a box delivered every month or every other month. We have ours delivered every other month.
I can buy organic chicken and organic ground beef at the grocery store at a slightly cheaper rate so the reason I opted to give Butcher Box a try was to get humanely raised pork (again, watch Food Inc. and you’ll understand) and different cuts of organic beef.
Is Butcher Box Affordable
Now that I’ve shared the cost, how do you make Butcher Box affordable? One of my concerns when I started was food waste, were we going to wind up wasting food?
Some of the cuts of beef and pork were not cuts we typically ate nor did I know what to do with. This is another reason I chose the Custom box, I could choose the cuts I knew we would eat.
There’s nothing worse than making a 3 pound pot roast and then having all the leftovers go to waste because no one wants any more and you don’t know how to make a new meal with the leftovers.
Cost and food waste all come down to meal planning. You’ll know exactly what cuts of meat you’re getting when you place your order and then you can plan accordingly. Don’t forget to hit up Pinterest for ideas on how to use up leftovers.
How is it Packaged
All the meat is vacuum sealed and frozen. It’s delivered in a 100% recyclable cardboard box (even the insulation is recyclable) made from recycled materials.
According to the Butcher Box website, the insulation is specially designed to keep the meat at an optimal temperature and dry ice is used when necessary.
I’m a stickler for packaging waste. I’d love to see the meat vacuum sealed in something other than plastic but I have no idea what that would be.
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Butcher Box Review – My Thoughts and Experience
Quality of Customer Service
One month in the summer, we had a box that was delivered and I noticed when I unpacked the box, the meat felt a bit warmer than room temperature. That sent up red flags!
I was afraid I had spent $149 for a box of meat that was going to make us sick. I called customer service and after a quick chat, the agent credited the money back to my account. In 10+ boxes, that was the only problematic box I received.
Who is Butcher Box Good For
You should give Butcher Box a try if you:
- are concerned about humanely raising animals
- want a good quality product
- love having groceries delivered
- don’t have a good source for grass-fed/grass-finished beef, heritage breed pork and organic chicken close by
- want good quality beef but can’t afford to buy or have no where to store half a processed cow
- want a meat delivery in mostly eco-friendly packaging
Who Isn’t Butcher Box Good For
I wouldn’t recommend trying Butcher Box if you:
- already have a source for grass-fed/grass-finished beef, heritage breed pork and organic chicken
- currently have a tight budget
- only eat seafood
Is Butcher Box a Good Deal
For our family, yes I do believe it is.
We have opted for the more expensive box however, because humanely raised pork and beef is important to me and we like salmon throughout the year, this box was the best fit for us. If you’re a fan of wild-caught salmon, you know that’s not easy to find year round…well at least not where I live.
Having the ability to customize each box and have it delivered enables me to more easily plan out our meals and reduce food waste.
Can You Cancel
Yes, if you try it and aren’t satisfied, you can cancel at any time. You also have the option to delay a shipment for a month if you’re not ready for more.
Don’t forget to snag $15 Butcher Box discount code right here.
My Butcher Box Review
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