Butcher Box Review: Is Butcher Box Worth The Money?

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I’m so excited to bring this Butcher Box review to you today. My intent is to tell you how Butcher Box works, what their meat is like, how much it costs and whether it’s worth the money. Also, you’ll get my advice on how to know if you should give it a try.

I’ve been LOVING testing products & companies out for you and providing you all the details so you can make the best decision for YOU and YOUR circumstances (ooh, and don’t forget the discount codes. Everybody loves discount codes.).

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And now this in-depth honest review of Butcher Box. If you’re here JUST to find a discount code, click here to check out their current promotion.

Alright, let’s get into the review, shall we?

What is Butcher Box?

Butcher Box is a company that delivers grass-fed & grass-finished beef, heritage pork, free-range organic chicken, and wild seafood to your door. You choose the box you want, as well as how often you want it delivered. A few days later you’ll see this on your doorstep:

BIG TAKEAWAY:

Butcher Box is an excellent choice for high quality meat for anyone who is looking to save time without sacrificing the quality of their meat. But, it’s not for everyone.

How does Butcher Box work?

Butcher Box sources meat and seafood from their partners.
YOU pick one of their curated boxes (or make your own with their custom box option).
YOU decide if you want any add-ons (extra bacon, for example).
YOU decide how frequently you want a box delivered.
YOU get your Butcher Box on your doorstep a few days later.

It’s a pretty smooth process, really.

Is Butcher Box worth the money?

Your grocery budget is a real thing. And, as a frugal shopper, I know how hard it can be to feel like you’re “wasting money” or you’re “not getting the best deal”.

So let’s talk price, and…is it really worth it?

How much does Butcher Box cost?

The price depends on which box you choose. You’ve got two categories for their boxes.

And within those categories, you get to choose how big of a box you want. The Classic Box? Or the Big Box?

Custom Box

Their custom box is a box where you get to choose which cuts you want each month.

Their custom box is $149 for the Classic Box (9-14 lbs of meat, 30 meals) and $270 for the Big Box (18-26 lbs of meat, 60 meals).

So that’s $10.64 – $16.55 per pound for the Classic custom box, $4.97/meal

And $10.38-$15 per pound for the Big custom Box $4.50/meal

Curated Box

Their curated boxes are pre-selected (meaning you don’t have control over which cuts of meat you get). Within the curated box category, you do get to choose between mixed box (beef, chicken & pork), beef & chicken box, beef & pork box & all beef box.

Their curated boxes are $129 for the Classic Box (8-11 lbs of meat, 24 meals) and $238 for the Big Box (16-22 lbs of meat, 48 meals).

So that’s $11.73- $16.13 per pound for the Classic curated box, $5.38/meal

And $10.82 – $14.88 per pound for the Big curated Box $4.96/meal

Clearly you get a better deal on the meat when you buy the Big Box, but that’s also quite a bit of meat. Think about whether you have the freezer space for it.

This image may help any visual learners understand the four boxes & what’s included.

What comes in a butcher box

Here’s a sampling of what your Butcher Box could include:

Mixed Box (Classic) – 2lbs of ground beef, 2 new york strip steaks, 4 top sirloin steaks, 1lb of whole pork tenderloin, 3lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast.

Beef & Chicken Box – 2lbs of ground beef, 2 New York Strip Steaks, 4 Top Sirloin Steaks, 3lbs drumsticks, 3lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast.

Beef & Pork Box – 2bs ground beef, 2 New York Strip steaks, 4 top sirloin steaks, 1lb of whole pork tenderloin, 4 boneless pork chops.

All beef box – 2 lbs ground beef, 2 New York Strip steaks, 1lb premium steak tips, 2lbs chuck roast, 4 top sirloin steaks.

Custom box – contains 20% more meat than the curated boxes, you get to choose the cuts in every order.

On my most recent order, I ordered the Beef & Chicken box, and got:

3.3 lbs Free-Range Organic Chicken thighs
3 lbs Free-Range Organic Chicken breast
2 lbs Grass-Fed & Grass-Finished Ground beef
1lb Grass-Fed & Grass-Finished Top sirloin cap
20 oz Grass-Fed & Grass-Finished Ribeye steak
13 lb Free-Range Turkey (FREE)
2 Packages of bacon (one FREE they offered at checkout (woop woop), one as an add-on)

I paid $136 (the curated – custom box + add-on of bacon).

I’m still working through trying all the different meat cuts we got in our box, but so far I’ve tried the bacon, chicken thighs, and ribeye steak. All have been exceptional in flavor and quality.

Butcher Box price comparison

I think it’s important to compare prices at other stores. Because finances are REAL, and while I believe in prioritizing the quality of food OVER the price, that doesn’t mean I suggest you ignore your budget altogether.

I did some market research in a few of my local grocery stores. One thing to keep in mind is that often meat in grocery stores will be labeled “Grass fed”, when that doesn’t mean they are exclusively grass fed. All that means is at one point they were fed grass. Meaning..they could be raised on grass, then fed a bunch of grain before they’re slaughtered.

Butcher Box beef is 100% grass fed AND 100% grass finished – meaning all that cow ate was grass. So, take these numbers with a grain of salt. We don’t REALLY know how these animals were raised. Labels can be misleading, as you may already know.

Safeway:

Organic Grass Fed Beef Ribeye Steak – $19.99/lb
Organic Grass Fed Beef Top Loin New York Strip Steak – $19.99/lb
Open Nature Grass Fed 93% lean Ground Beef – $8.99/lb
Open Nature Grass Fed 85% lean Ground Beef – $6.99/lb

Fred Meyer:

Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef – $6.99/lb – $8.99/lb
Organic Grass Fed Sirloin Steak – $17.98/lb
Organic Grass Fed Ribeye Steak – $23.98/lb
Organic Grass Fed Strip Steak – $23.98/lb

New Seasons (A Health food store similar to whole foods):

Grass-fed stew meat: $8.99/lb
Grass-fed ground beef: $5.99/lb
Grass-fed Wagyu Chuck Roast: $9.99/lb

Costco:

Grass fed ground beef – $5.99/lb
Organic chicken thighs – $4.49/lb
Organic chicken breasts – $4.99/lb
Organic whole chickens – $2.36/lb
Bacon: $3.99/12oz

How to afford butcher box on a budget

If you’re ready to get high-quality meat delivered to your door, the next question you might ask is…How do I make this fit in my budget?

Here are a few ideas for you:

Add meatless meals to the rotation. Beans and lentils are an inexpensive way to get some protein. While I personally don’t recommend substituting ALL your meat for plant-protein, one or two meals a week would certainly help the budget.
Use some of these grocery budget tips for the other food items you buy each month. You’d be surprised how much a dollar here and a dollar there adds up.
Adjust other areas of your budget to make more room in your food budget. For our family, our food budget gets prioritized ahead of things like entertainment and new clothes. Because we know that food fuels us, and high-quality unprocessed foods are the best fuel.

Is it cheaper to get meat from a butcher?

When you’re shopping for meat, or groceries of any kind, the question “is it cheaper to get it somewhere else” often comes to mind.

If you want farm-fresh meat (better quality than your supermarket can provide) maybe you decide to go to the butcher instead, or buy it straight from the farm.

Is Butcher Box cheaper? Or is the butcher cheaper?

Speaking from personal experience, buying straight from the farm is going to be cheaper every day of the week.

We typically get our meat in bulk (by the ¼ or ½ cow) from local farms. By purchasing the meat in bulk, you’re able to get a MUCH better deal than the individually sold cuts from the store (or Butcher Box).

So, if you’re comparing Butcher Box with buying straight from the farm, Butcher Box is not cheaper.

You’ll need to check your local butcher’s prices (as they will vary) to see if buying individual cuts from the butcher is a better price. But make sure you ask about the quality of meat from the butcher. You may think you’re getting a great deal on “natural” meat. But make sure you know what the labels really mean before you start comparing them to Butcher Box.

With Butcher Box you pay a little more for convenience. You get a manageable amount of meat for a standard household freezer, and you get it delivered straight to your doorstep already frozen. And you know the quality of meat you’re getting because they tell you right on the website.

Where is ButcherBox meat from?

While they don’t provide specific farms where they source their meat, they do tell the conditions in which the animals were raised.

They source the majority of their beef from Australia, where pasture-raised meat is more the norm than it is here in the US. They’ve got the climate and pastureland so the cattle can spend their entire lives grazing (rather than supplemented with hay or grain).

Their pork is raised on pastures or in hoop barns, and are raised with traditional, sustainable farming methods.

Their chicken is raised according to the Certified Organic standards, following the Global Animal Partnership (GAP 3) certified protocol. Learn more about their meat here.

Quality of butcher box meat

If you’re going to the store to compare prices, it’s a good idea to know what you’re comparing. Here’s what you can expect from the quality of Butcher Box meat.

The beef from Butcher Box is:

100% grass-fed and grass-finished
humanely raised
never given antibiotics or added hormones
Pasture-raised
a source of Omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals.
Get their beef in their Custom box, Mixed box, beef & chicken box, beef & pork and their all beef box

The pork from Butcher Box is:

Heritage-breed pigs for fine marbling and flavor
All vegetarian fed
Humanely raised
Never given antibiotics or added hormones
You can get their pork in their Custom Box, Mixed Box & Beef & Pork Box.

The chicken from Butcher Box is:

Free-range chicken
Chickens fed an Organic diet
Humanely raised
You can get their chicken in their Custom Box, Mixed Box & Beef & Chicken Box.

The seafood you get from Butcher Box is:

Sustainable seafood
Wild caught seafood
You can get their seafood in their Custom box.

How long can Butcher Box stay outside on the front porch?

Our first box stayed on our porch for several hours before I got home to bring it inside. And when I opened it up, there was still a block of dry-ice inside, and the meat was fully frozen.

Their help page says to get the meat inside within 6-8 hours of delivery. If the meat is NOT frozen when you open it up, discard the meat and contact their customer service department and they’ll get it taken care of.

Butcher Box: Final thoughts…

Honestly I have mixed feelings about Butcher Box. This is my HONEST review of Butcher Box, and I want to give you all the positives and negatives about Butcher Box, the way I see it…so that you can make an informed decision about whether it’s right for YOU.

Why I like butcherbox:

They offer better meat than what’s in most supermarkets.
They’re opening people’s eyes to free-range, grass-fed, pastured meat.
It’s SO convenient. I’m not sure how you get any MORE convenient than free shipping, delivered straight to your doorstep, already frozen.
You get to try new cuts of meat that you maybe wouldn’t otherwise.
I love their sign-up bonuses, and LOVE that we got a free free-range turkey from them in November.
Free shipping & you can cancel at any time.

Negatives of Butcher Box:

It’s still expensive. We typically buy our meat in bulk from local farmers and get a much better deal on the same quality of meat. In order to do that though, you have to have a lot of freezer space AND have access to a local farm. I get that not everybody has that.
“Free range” chicken can mean a lot of different things, and it’s not clear on their website how much free ranging the chickens actually get.
I’d love to know more about where their meat comes from, but unfortunately I don’t see much information about the actual farms on their website. I’m all about full transparency and Butcher Box doesn’t have that at this point.

So, that’s MY opinion. But what about you? How do you know if Butcher Box is right for YOU?

Is Butcher Box right for you?

Butcher Box is good for you if:

You like the convenience of getting groceries delivered to your door.
You don’t have access to nearby farms or stores that sell this high-quality meat.
You don’t like searching the shelves in the store to make sure the meat you’re buying is the quality you expect (sustainably & humanely raised, grass-fed & finished beef, free-range Organic chicken, wild caught seafood, etc.).

Butcher Box is NOT good for you if:

You live near farms and you have a lot of freezer space so you can buy ¼ or ½ cow in bulk. This is what we do for our meat, because we live in the country and have a big freezer dedicated to meat.
You don’t care about grass fed meat, or pastured pork, or free-range chicken.
You’re a bargain shopper and your top priority is the lowest price rather than the quality of your food.

Butcherbox discount code

Butcher Box has rolling deals that continue to make me drool. At one point they had free bacon for life, sometimes they have free ground beef in your first box.

When I signed up, they had their free turkey promo going on. How do you know what their current promo it? Click this link and you’ll see their current promo, if there is one.

Here’s a picture of our box we got a couple weeks ago.

Do I have other options?

If you’ve tried Butcher Box before, or just aren’t sure it’s the right service for you, don’t worry…you’ve got options! Here’s a big list of the best places for online Grass Fed & Sustainable meat box delivery services.

And if you want a side-by side comparison of Butcher Box vs Crowd Cow (one of my favs). I’ve got you covered, there too.

Butcherbox recipes

When you get your first Butcher Box, be sure to check out these recipes to make the most of your meat.