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These days, it can be hard to know exactly where your meat is coming from when you shop at chain grocery stores. With so many options and labels, it can be difficult to tell which cuts and brands focus on quality, responsible sourcing, and humane treatment. That’s one reason I was curious to try Snake River Farms, a meat delivery company known for its American Wagyu beef and premium cuts of meat. Snake River products come from animals that are raised without preventative antibiotics and grown slowly (and humanely), without the use of growth hormones.
I was excited to spend a few weeks eating my way through Snake River Farms’ meat and seafood offerings because famous chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Keller serve Snake River Farms in their restaurants. Here is my full review.
What’s so great
High-quality meat direct from family-owned farms
You can shop à la carte or buy curated boxes
Seafood is wild-caught from natural U.S. waterways
Good to know
Meat not treated with growth-promoting hormones
Snake River Farms
What Is Snake River Farms?
Snake River Farms is a family-owned meat company founded in 1968 and is well-known for its American Wagyu beef and Kurobuta pork, which is a heritage type of pork from Berkshire pigs. The company oversees its beef operation all the way through delivery in the Northwest, while its Kurobuta pork comes from a network of small family farms. Its selection also includes USDA Choice and Prime beef, as well as wild-caught seafood sourced from U.S. waterways.
Orders are shipped frozen or partially frozen. Customers can shop individual cuts or curated boxes and bundles, or build a subscription box from the company’s selection of meat and seafood.
Why You Should Trust Me
I’ve tested several meal kits and meat delivery services as part of my job as a groceries editor at The Kitchn. (Reviewing groceries is also one of my passions.) I ordered a variety of different cuts and boxes from Snake River Farms. I took notes on delivery, quality, and functionality of the service. Every single cut in this review was prepared by me in my own kitchen.
How to Get Started with Snake River Farms
The site is set up like a typical shopping interface, so the first thing you’ll want to decide is whether to purchase a curated box or choose your own cuts (à la carte-style). Snake River Farms has a range of preselected boxes and bundles, which includes the Steak and Chop Favorites, Family Sampler, and Kurobuta Signature Pork Collection.
If you want recurring deliveries of your favorite items, Snake River Farms also has a subscribe-and-save tab. You can score a slight discount when you select from products including American Wagyu beef, USDA Choice and Prime beef, Kurobuta pork, and seafood and pantry items, and schedule deliveries every four, six, or eight weeks. And you can skip, pause, or cancel deliveries as needed.
How Much Does Snake River Farms Cost?
Like most things, it really depends on what you order. Bundles (which are labeled as gift bundles) start at $144 (for a 12-pack of the brand’s highly popular Wagyu hot dogs) and go up from there. Shoppers can even have the option to purchase a quarter of a cow (for $1,899; but right now it’s $500 off). Otherwise, meat is at premium prices. For example, a filet mignon runs around $28 and pork chops start at $16, which, again, is premium, but less expensive than what you’d find at a fancy restaurant but with that same quality.
The brand does have a purchase minimum of $49, which is really easy to reach considering these are premium meat offerings. If you go for a subscription, you get 5% off your order of minimum $50, and up to 10% off for bundles of value $300 or more.
Right now, the brand is celebrating 58 years of family ownership — to mark this milestone, it’s having a sitewide promotion from September 15 through September 18, offering up to 15% off orders of $99 or more.
Is Snake River Farms Worth It? My Honest Review
Before I set out to eat meat and seafood from Snake River Farms exclusively for a few weeks, I had actually tried the brand’s Wagyu Hot Dogs (more on that in a bit). To get an overview of the platform, I also tried the Prime Steak Experience, Kurobuta Signature Pork Collection, and a few hand-picked seafood items: Gulf Shrimp and Sockeye Salmon.
I was familiar with the brand’s efficient shipping when I tried the Wagyu Hot Dog a year ago, and was pleasantly surprised that as each box came in, the cuts were frozen and in individual vacuum-sealed packs. I did have trouble with one box that must’ve been a delivery mistake to the wrong address (that sometimes happens in my neighborhood), but otherwise everything came efficiently and fast (within two or three days from ordering).
Throughout my time testing these meats, I was thoroughly impressed. I admit that initially I had sticker shock from the prices, but after eating and cooking with the brand’s vast offerings, I understand it. The meat and seafood are excellent quality and far more flavorful than anything I can get at my local supermarket. The steaks were well-marbled and very tender (I particularly loved the ribeye steak, which cut like butter). Before cooking, I salted and peppered them and seared them in my cast iron skillet, which was more than enough to let the flavor shine. No sauce needed. It might not be an option that’s available financially for weekly meals, but it’s worth the splurge for special occasions.
I made a roasted salmon with the Sockeye Salmon fillet, and the meat was tender and flaky (and almost sweet?). The shrimp came pre-cleaned and ready-to-use. I turned it into shrimp tempura, and it was buttery and firm. The bacon was thick and juicy and made my apartment feel like a fancy bed-and-breakfast rather than a crammed two-bedroom. Oh, and the hot dogs! The hot dogs, like I remembered, were absolutely delicious. They are made with Wagyu beef trimmings and are hearty and juicy, and a far more elevated take on a classic.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time testing and eating through Snake River Farms’ meat and seafood offerings, and felt even better knowing that they came from humane sources.
Should YOU Try Snake River Farms?
If you’re someone who prioritizes high-quality meat and cares about where your food comes from, then yes, Snake River Farms is absolutely worth trying. At first, some of the prices may seem steep compared to what you’d find at the grocery store, but the quality and flavor make more sense once you consider what you’re getting (really tender, high-quality, and flavorful meat!).
I also appreciate that Snake River Farms puts a lot of emphasis on the quality and sourcing of its beef, pork, and seafood. And because the cuts arrive individually vacuum-sealed, it’s easy to stock your freezer and pull out exactly what you need for dinner without having to cook an entire package at once. That being said, if you are shopping for a large family on a tight budget, it might be challenging to fit Snake River Farms into your weekly meal rotations, and might be best reserved for special occasions.
Buy: Snake River Farms Build Your Box
What’s your favorite food subscription service? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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