For the person who either has everything or just doesn’t want more stuff in their apartment, edible gifts are ideal — and meat delivery will delight and impress many recipients. This gift is perfect for people who love to cook and/or hate going shopping (they exist!).
You could send them something from Omaha Steaks or Harry & David, but many more unexpected options exist now, offering everything from Wagyu straight from Japan to kid-friendly meatballs that are ready to heat and eat. There are boxes designed for gourmands, empty nesters, and families of all stripes. I’ve been writing about food and dining for more than a decade and have tried many of the options out there. These are some of my favorites.
If you’re looking for other edible gifts, we have suggestions for cheese enthusiasts, coffee lovers, wine lovers, chefs, gourmands, and many more. And for other ideas for all the people on your list, check out our gift-guide hub.
For the meat-eater who prefers a buttery steak
The most distinctive thing about Wagyu is the texture, which tends to be rich, melting, and buttery soft, thanks to all the marbling in the meat (and is probably not for someone who prefers leaner cuts). Wagyu is the collective name for the four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle, and while you can get Wagyu-style beef in the U.S., the real deal is best sourced from Japan. This bundle comes with about 1.5 to 1.7 pounds total and includes strip loin from Kagoshima and a petite ribeye from Hokkaido (which is incredibly rich and buttery). You can also assemble a package à la carte from the many options available, including high-end pasture-raised beef and chicken, wild-caught seafood, and harder-to-find meats like elk and bison.
For better-than-supermarket staples
For a small household whose freezer needs stocking, this selection from ButcherBox includes grass-fed, grass-finished beef, the most flavorful free-range organic chicken I’ve tried, and rich, tender pork that’s been raised crate-free. Like many of the other services on this list, ButcherBox also offers a subscription option.
For restaurant-quality cuts
I’m still thinking about the Porter Road dry-aged N.Y. strip that I grilled and that I would be happy to eat regularly for the rest of my life. The rich marbling gave this cut a truly buttery flavor that didn’t need anything beyond salt and pepper; the cut was as good as any I’ve had in a steakhouse. Porter Road’s meat is pasture raised without hormones or antibiotics, if that’s important to the person you’re shopping for. The Butcher’s Choice box is a handpicked selection of cuts including dry-aged steaks, sirloin filets, pork chops, bacon, and notably flavorful ground beef.
For family-friendly options
In 1977, the Rastelli family opened a premium meat shop in their South Jersey hometown and over the years added more locations, eventually growing to include distribution of high-quality meats around the U.S. Parents will appreciate this box that’s delivered to their doorstep and packed with child-friendly favorites (with enough variety that adults will enjoy it as well). The box includes Angus-beef burgers, two pounds of precooked meatballs with a moist, bouncy texture, chicken bites, and bacon with a mild smoky flavor that my whole family liked.
For the hard-to-impress foodie
Snake River Farms is known for being a purveyor of high-end meats, especially Wagyu-style beef (which they pioneered raising in the U.S.) and Kurobuta pork, and you can often find them name-checked on menus at fancier restaurants across the country (and beyond). They’re a favorite of many food people, so splurging on a box from them would impress even the most jaded gourmand. This pack, one of several bundles available, includes two Wagyu-style ribeye steaks, two filet mignon steaks, a pound of extremely fancy Wagyu hot dogs, and two burger patties.
For the sourcing purist
Blackbird Farm is a small operation that’s been run by the same family since 1978, so what they’ll have available can vary, but it’s a perfect gift for someone who likes to know exactly where their meat comes from (in this case, Smithfield, Rhode Island). This box comes with four pounds of steak cuts like N.Y. strip, porterhouse, ribeye, and sirloin, all from the farm’s humanely raised, antibiotic-free, no-added-hormones, pasture-fed, 100 percent Black Angus cattle.
For the link lover
Heritage Foods was founded in 2001 with a mission of preserving heritage breeds. All of the pork comes from pasture-raised heritage breeds. I enjoyed the complex yet also light flavor of the fennel sausage, which was the star of my homemade pizza. The pepper and onion had a grassy, sweet snap, like the best version of a sausage-and-pepper sandwich at an Italian festival. This sampler also includes sweet and hot Italian varieties and garlic and broccoli rabe.
For the curious carnivore
A family-owned ranch located in Big Timber, Montana, Tangen Draw produces high-quality, grass-fed and finished beef and bison that’s been dry-aged for at least ten days. This gift set gives meat lovers an almost side-by-side comparison of their beef and bison. This is a fun experience for someone looking to branch out, but also someone who just enjoys great meat, with an N.Y. strip and pound of ground meat from each (I couldn’t pick a favorite). Tangen’s beef is gamey and rich, and the iron-rich bison is slightly sweeter with an earthy flavor I loved.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
