ButcherBox Review | Is ButcherBox worth it?

My ButcherBox review with information about the brand, quality/cuts of meat, how much it costs, and more!

As you all know, I cook a lot. Yes, some of it is to test and shoot for this blog, but I also just prefer to cook homemade meals unless we are going out to a great restaurant for a date night or dinner with friends. 

This means that I grocery shop a lot – but ever since COVID, I kind of of dread going to the store. So when I realized how many options ButcherBox now has, I knew I needed to give it a go. I mean, a freezer full of proteins means I can go to the grocery store less and my lists can be shorter. Yes, please!

Overall, I have been really impressed with everything we’ve gotten from ButcherBox – there’s a LOT to love about this service and their products. Plus, new customers get free wings, ground beef, and ribs in their first box between 3/14 and 3/19! Just click here to redeem!

ButcherBox Review

What is ButcherBox?

ButcherBox is a subscription service on a mission to make high-quality meat more accessible. Their meat comes from animals that have been humanely raised without any added hormones or antibiotics. I really appreciate that they support farmers and fisherman who meet their high standards for quality, plus they ship everything to you frozen at the peak of freshness.

What kind of meat can you get?

Beef

I can’t speak to the quality/taste of their beef because I don’t eat beef, but I can tell you that it is 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, pasture-raised, and like everything else from ButcherBox, there are no added hormones or antibiotics.

They also have a lot of different variations! You can choose between ground beef, sirloin tips, tri tip, burgers, ground sirloin, chuck roast, NY Strip Steak, Filet Mignon, brisket and more! 

Chicken

Chicken is the category I have the most experience with, and it’s been good EVERY time. All of their chicken is Free-range, USDA Certified Organic +, Global Animal Partnership certified, and humanely raised without antibiotics or added hormones.

You can order a whole chicken if you’d like, but you can also get chicken breasts, tenders, boneless skinless thighs, drumsticks, party wings, and ground chicken. We usually get breasts, tenders and thighs!

Pork

By now you’re expecting to hear that their pork is also humanely raised without antibiotics and added hormones – and you would be correct! Their pork is also raised Crate-Free and with vegetarian feed, besides milk protein. Also, their bacon is uncured with no added nitrites or sugar.

We’ve only ever tried their boneless pork butt (perfect for my Pork Ragu!) but I want to add their Italian Pork Sausage Links to our next order. You can also get ground pork, ribs, tenderloin, sirloin roasts, bacon, and more.

Salmon

We are BIG salmon fans in this house, so I was so excited when I saw that ButcherBox has Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon! It is sustainably harvested with no artificial coloring or additives. They get it from the Wild-Caught Sockeye Salmon program sourced from Bristol Bay and it tastes amazing.

Cod

I love cod at a restaurant but I never really liked it when I cooked it for myself – until I got this Wild-caught Alaskan Cod. It is sustainably harvested in the cold waters of coastal Alaska, and like the salmon, there is no artificial coloring or additives. I really want to try this Miso Marinated Cod recipe next time I cook it!

Shrimp

I love having shrimp in my freezer for quick healthy meals, but I am NEVER in the mood to peel and devein them. Luckily, these Wild-caught Raw Gulf Shrimp come raw, peeled, and deveined with the tail off. WOO! They are caught in the Gulf of Mexico with comprehensive traceability back to the catch location, date, and other information through Legit Fish. A great low fat/high protein option to have on hand that cooks really quickly!

Can I choose what I get?

Yes! You can choose the type of box you want and your delivery frequency. First you’ll choose between a custom plan or curated plan.

The custom plan includes 9-14 lbs of high quality meat that you choose yourself. Unlike the curated plan, you choose what meat/cuts you want and you can also add seafood and other options.

The curated plan includes 8.5-11 lbs of meat, but you cannot choose the specific cuts you want. The 3 curated boxes are Beef, Pork, & Chicken, Beef & Pork, and Beef & Chicken.

Once you pick your box, you can choose to have it delivered every 4 weeks, 6 weeks, or 8 weeks. You can also cancel any time!

How much does it cost?

I personally suggest getting the curated box (so you get exactly what you want!), which is $169 for 9-14 lbs of meat. If you have a big family, you can also upgrade to the Big Box option which is $306 for 18-26 lbs of meat.

If you’d rather do a curated box, those are all $146 for 8-11 lbs of meat. You can also upgrade to the Big Box with 16-22 lbs of meat for $269.

Pros of ButcherBox

Quality and Taste

When it comes to meat, quality is really important. I would always prefer to purchase humanely raised, organic, hormone free options, and I love that ButcherBox takes the guesswork out of that for me. Those things also usually make everything taste better overall, too!

Cost

I know that this might seem like a pricey addition to your expenses at first… but when you break it down, it’s really not. If you think about 4 servings per pound of meat and you get an average of 12 lbs in the custom box, that comes to about $3.50 per serving. Especially when you add the quality and convenience factors, that feels very reasonable.

Convenience

I love having a stocked fridge, and ButcherBox extends that feeling to my freezer without needing to check it off my grocery list, because it just shows up at my door! It’s really nice to know that all I have to do is transfer some chicken or salmon from the freezer to the fridge to defrost and pair it with a vegetable and grain that we have on hand. Boom – DINNER!

Cons of ButcherBox

Freezer Space

If you’re getting a minimum of 8 pounds of meat delivered, you obviously need to make sure you have room to store it. That being said, once you figure out the best type of box and delivery frequency for you, this gets easier to manage. Whatever you want to cook within the first few days can go in the fridge, and then you’ll be able to prep how much room you need in your freezer for the rest.

This has actually helped us be more organized and intentional with our freezer space, which is an unexpected win! And if your freezer is really full before your next shipment, you can always delay or pause it.

You have to plan ahead

This also isn’t really a con for me because I usually plan our meals out in my head ahead of time – but it could be an adjustment if you’re not used to that. But don’t let that deter you! You only really need to think a day or two ahead of time so you can transfer the meat from the freezer to the fridge to defrost. You can do it, I promise!

So… is ButcherBox worth it?

If you cook a lot, and especially if you have a family, then I think ButcherBox is definitely worth it. Of course, you have to look at your own cooking/grocery shopping habits in order to make the decision, but the quality, convenience, price and flexibility make it a really great fit for SO many different types of households.

I love that they now carry so many different types of meat and seafood, and I can choose exactly what cuts I want. It’s so great!

Don’t forget to click here to redeem free wings, ground beef, and ribs in your first box between 3/14-3/19!

This post was sponsored by ButcherBox, but (as always) all opinions my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Lake Shore Lady possible!

PS. If you liked this ButcherBox review you might also like Crockpot Chicken Tacos, Garlic & Herb Roast Chicken, Slow Cooker Pork Ragu, Salmon with Roasted Tomatoes, and Honey Mustard Walnut Crusted Salmon.