I Tried Good Ranchers’ Signature Meat Box — Here’s My Honest Review

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Every weekend, I sit down and write out my family's dinner plan and grocery list for the week. Not going to lie, it can be overwhelming to come up with something every single week. What helps, though, is when I have proteins (like steak, chicken, salmon, cod , and ground beef) already in my freezer. That's where a service like Good Ranchers makes such a difference.

I had never tried a meat delivery service before, so I decided to get a one-time signature box to sample my way through. Now, my freezer is well-stocked with high-quality meats I can use for weeks to come.

What's so great

• High-quality meat direct from farms

• Vacuum-sealing helps meat stay fresher longer

• You can choose from custom or curated boxes

• The company guarantees its meats and seafood are raised and harvested humanely

Good to know

• A little pricey, depending on what you order

• Takes up a good amount of space in freezer

What Is Good Ranchers?

Good Ranchers is a meat delivery service that ships meat from independent U.S. farms to your door. The company offers a selection of cuts of beef, pork, and chicken, all of which are free from fillers, hormones, dyes, antibiotics, and seed oils. They also offer wild-caught seafood, including Gulf shrimp and salmon. The animals the meats come from are humanely raised.

Everything arrives frozen so you can store all the proteins in the freezer until you're ready to use them. The thawing instructions for each are printed right on the vacuum-sealed, color-coded (based on type of meat) bags they come in. And while you can order a signature (aka curated) box or a build-your-own box just once, Good Ranchers also offers subscriptions.

How to Get Started with Good Ranchers

First, you'll need to decide whether you want a pre-made box or to select your own cuts. Good Ranchers has 13 signature boxes (as well as a chicken nugget bundle) that are curated for you. Pick from options like The Cattleman (four different cuts of steak and 2 pounds of ground beef), The Home Cook (ground beef, two different types of steak, and boneless skinless chicken breasts), or the Ranchers Classic . The Classic is what I chose and has a similar assortment to The Home Cook box, as I'll explain in greater detail below.

If you want more control over what you get, you can try the build-your-own option . Select from medium (6 cuts), large (9 cuts), or extra large (12 cuts) and choose any steak, chicken, pork, or seafood Good Ranchers offers. Both the signature and build-your-own boxes have subscription options that can be delivered every four, six, or eight weeks. And you can skip a delivery as needed. Plus, right now you'll get a couple of free goodies when you subscribe: You'll choose two meats (boneless skinless chicken breasts, ground Angus beef, chicken nuggets, or applewood-smoked bacon) with every box for the entirety of your membership. Seriously!

How Much Does a Good Ranchers Box Cost?

It depends on what you order. The signature boxes start at $174 without a subscription or $139.20 with a subscription. Each signature box has a different price, while the build-your-own boxes are priced by size. Those start at $224 for a medium box (18 pounds of meat) without a subscription or $179.20 with one.

Is Good Ranchers Worth It? Our Honest Review

I decided to try one of Good Ranchers' signature boxes so I could sample a variety of meat (without having to make many decisions). I went with the Ranchers Classic , which includes two different cuts of steak (five flat-iron and two bone-in NY strip steaks), 2 pounds of Angus ground beef, and 16 boneless skinless chicken breasts.

The cuts arrived in three days. They were frozen and packaged in color-coded, vacuum-sealed packs. Each was inside a larger bag printed with thawing instructions. You can use those bags to thaw the meat, either overnight in the fridge or filled with water in the sink for 30 minutes to an hour. I loved this because it made the thawing process so quick and easy. Even though it was a lot of meat (nearly 10 pounds), it all fit easily into my freezer.

I've been really impressed by the quality of the meats I've tried so far. They're definitely more flavorful than some of the meats I've gotten from the grocery store. The steaks were well-marbled and tender (my husband particularly loved the strip steak). I seasoned them simply with salt and pepper, and then cooked them in a hot pan to get a nice sear. This really allowed the flavor of the steak to shine through, and they didn't need much more than that.

I made Marry Me Chicken with the chicken breasts, and they turned out so flavorful and tender. That recipe will definitely be on repeat in our household now — and I have plenty of chicken breasts left to use for it.

Frankly, I never buy meat in bulk. But I might have to change that, because I loved the convenience of having quality protein ready to go. Plus, it gives me peace of mind to know that the animals these cuts come from were treated well.

Should YOU Try Good Ranchers?

If you are someone who eats meat fairly often and wants really delicious, high-quality, responsibly sourced meat, then yes, I think this delivery service is absolutely worth giving a try. Initially I thought the boxes seemed a little pricey, but then I broke down the cost of the Ranchers Classic box. At the non-subscription price of $244, it comes out to $9.76 per cut. That's more than I might usually pay for chicken at my grocery store, but steaks might be that much or more, so it kind of evens out. And it may be worth paying a little extra for meat that tastes this good and hasn't been pumped full of antibiotics, preservatives, or fillers.

I also like that I can trust that the meat from Good Ranchers comes from animals that were raised in a humane way. Plus, the fact that they're individually wrapped is convenient and made me more thoughtful about when to use meat in my meals. I'm not pressed to cook off an entire pack of chicken breasts at once, for example, just because they might go bad otherwise.

So, if you, like me, get fatigued when putting together the dinner rotation every week, let Good Ranchers help you out. This service has helped me stock my freezer with great meats, which gives me inspiration for dinners every week (not to mention it means I have fewer groceries to buy every weekend).

Why You Should Trust Me

I've been reviewing the best products for your home, kitchen, and beyond since 2022. In that time, I've tested hundreds of kitchen products alone, including over half a dozen food delivery and subscription services. I only write about the ones that truly impress me and I'd be willing to pay for with my own money. Someone once told me that a negative review doesn't help anyone, but a positive review actually tells someone where to go, what to eat, or what to buy. And that's become my professional MO.

Buy: Good Ranchers Ranchers Classic , starting at $195.20 at Good Ranchers

What's your favorite food subscription service? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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