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Unboxing CrowdCow

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    Unboxing CrowdCow

    My lovely wife bought me a nice package of CrowdCow meats to try out as a Father's Day gift .... that's pretty awesome.

    And so was the packaging and shipping. First, it was shipped with Fedex overnight from Oregon and it arrived today about 11:30. The box itself was substantial, but it does say what it is so you wouldn't want it sitting on the porch too long.

    Side note: The Thermoworks box just happened to show at the same time. It's a new Thermapen for my kid as part of her graduation stuff.

    It's a good sized box, pretty good labeling. But that also makes it clear it's a box of meat. Don't want someone snagging it off the porch!
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    Love the slogan!
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    When you open the box, you get the shipping card and a nifty flyer telling you about CrowdCow. Everything is enclosed in compostable packaging that makes the box into an ice chest.
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    When you open up the cover, you have an interior cardboard cover that warns you about the dry ice inside.
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    Underneath that was the dry ice, which I pulled out, then the meat products. They are definitely still frozen solid. My IR therm said they were -3F.
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    Here's everything laid out. 2 SLC racks (they bent them in half and then cryovac'ed), a whole chicken, a tri-tip, 2 lbs of grass-fed 80/20 ground beef, 12 oz Norwegian salmon, and 2 NY strip steaks!
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    #2
    That chicken will be delicious. Looks like it is from Pasturebird and their chickens are so much tastier than standard chickens. I am also envious of that tri tip.

    Comment


    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      I'm actually really looking forward to the chicken ..... standard grocery store chicken is very boring. I'm going to cook it exactly like I normally do whole chicken: spatchcock, dry brine, fresh herbs under/over skin, run the Hasty-Bake at 350F, give or take. I want to compare to Foster's

    • JoeSousa
      JoeSousa commented
      Editing a comment
      ecowper That is how I have cooked most of mine. Just nice and simple.

      I have 4 whole chickens and a couple half chickens in the freezer right now. I think later this week I am going to cut one or two up and do some kettle fried chicken and see how that turns out.

    #3
    Wow! Great score! We look forward to seeing pictures of all that food as it rolls off the grill/smoker!

    Comment


      #4
      Originally posted by ecowper View Post

      ... 12 oz Norwegian salmon,...
      (looks at Copper River Salmon, sitting forlornly in the local fish case)

      I want to compare to Foster's
      WHO ARE YOU EVEN???

      Comment


      • ecowper
        ecowper commented
        Editing a comment
        rickgregory I’m kind of excited to try out Norwegian salmon, which is Atlantic salmon. But in this case it is not farmed. As I said, I refuse to buy farmed salmon. Also, CrowdCow sources Arctic Char …. Have you had good Char? If not, you should try this, it’s amazing too.

        As far as the chicken .. it is crazy difficult to find chickens that is pasture raised and easy to get shipped or whatever, so looking forward to this as well.

      • Uncle Bob
        Uncle Bob commented
        Editing a comment
        ecowper, regarding the Costco chickens, they've had their own processing plant in Nebraska for a couple years now. I think the chickens are contract supplied by local farmers. They didn't start out supplying all of their own needs, but the operation has grown so might be now.

      • rickgregory
        rickgregory commented
        Editing a comment
        Char is excellent. Haven't had it in a while - last time was when I got some from Wild Salmon on Fisherman's Wharf.

      #5
      Huskee quietly fixed my faux pas and put my post in Internet Meat Retailers where it belongs. :-)

      Comment


        #6
        I decided to try them out and joined up. They have a promo for new members called Bacon Forever. Place an order and join and you get a free pound of bacon with every box they send.

        Comment


        • ecowper
          ecowper commented
          Editing a comment
          Wait, what? Free bacon?

        #7
        I had two bad experiences with Crowd Cow in a row so I swore off them a couple years ago. The packages were delivered nearly thawed (they had shipping issues with Fedex as I recall) and some mediocre offerings when I did finally cook what I ordered. I'm glad to see they have upped their game with you. Hope you enjoy everything, sure looks good. You are a lucky man having a wife who thinks of you, instead of the other way around.

        Comment


        • ecowper
          ecowper commented
          Editing a comment
          Troutman … Steve, I was explicitly thinking of some of the things I’d read about CrowdCow and their shipping when I posted this. They have definitely got their shipping on par with Creekstone or SRF or Broken Arrow Ranch. Now to see how the meat stands up to the others. I will let you know, for sure. The promise of CrowdCow is really good, but they have to deliver.

        • ecowper
          ecowper commented
          Editing a comment
          I’m a bit worried about the SLC ribs … I get that you CAN bend them in half like that and then freeze, but I’ve never seen it that way before. The ribs are Duroc pork, so I’m really looking forward to that, but hard to tell if they are any good the way they are packaged.

        #8
        I received my CrowdCow order today. The box was cool to the touch and as such was a little sweaty with condensation - my area is usually 60-80% humidity or more. Upon opening, I'd say at least half of the dry ice was still there and everything was frozen solid.

        Tonight I'm going to cook either the chicken wings or one of the wagyu flat iron steaks.
        Last edited by 58limited; June 30, 2021, 02:04 PM.

        Comment


        • ecowper
          ecowper commented
          Editing a comment
          Nice, looking forward to hearing about it. I cooked the grass-fed NY Strips on monday. My wife said it's one of the best steaks she's ever had. I found them to be very beefy and flavorful, a bit chewier than steak from feedlot cattle in the grocery store. But not off-putting at all. and not tough.

        • 58limited
          58limited commented
          Editing a comment
          My college buddy who runs a grass-fed operation did admit that while grass-fed beef has a lot of beefy flavor, it is not tender. However, I have cooked some (most recently a top sirloin from him that was dry brined 36 hours) that was as tender as anything I've ever had. I was amazed by the top sirloin.

        #9
        A few pics while cooking the NY Strips ..... very good steaks. Beefy, flavorful. A very different experience than typical feedlot beef. Not tough, nor gamey.

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        Comment


        • 58limited
          58limited commented
          Editing a comment
          Mmmm....I decide to go with the wings tonight, now I regret that decision.

        #10
        Very very nice. Does your wife have an available sister that is just as thoughtful? Wait, I am already married. And my wife is an AR member. Never mind, and boy am I going to be in trouble if she sees this

        Comment


        • STEbbq
          STEbbq commented
          Editing a comment
          @kiflowers wife 🤣

        • klflowers
          klflowers commented
          Editing a comment
          STEbbq thanks buddy

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