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Feb 2023 snapshot: online butcher price comparisons

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    Feb 2023 snapshot: online butcher price comparisons

    Hey folks, I took a few minutes to go to four leading online meat retailers and compile some direct comparisons on meat prices as of yesterday, 25 Feb 2023. I looked at Creekstone Farms, CrowdCow, Porter Road, and Wild Fork, and grabbed prices for a representative range of nine different cuts of beef or pork.

    I tried hard to make apples-to-apples comparisons. CrowdCow and Wild Fork present their prices by weight, but the other two charge by the cut, and give a range of typical weights. In those cases I chose whatever was smack in the middle of the range and did the math for the by-weight values, and when there was a choice, always chose the option that made the by-weight price as low as possible (e.g. ordering 8oz instead of 6oz filets).

    Basic quality info: At Creekstone, all the beef is Prime and the pork Duroc. CrowdCow lists all cuts as "pasture raised", at least Choice on beef. At Porter Road I polled beef listed as dry aged and pork as pasture raised. At Wild Fork, the beef is either Prime or Angus (except chuck roast at Choice) and the pork designated "Aged Pork". Notably, their whole briskets and tri tips are Prime.

    Shipping: All four have some minimum total to enable shipping, not hard to achieve. Creekstone offers free shipping for orders of $150+. Porter Road starts discounting shipping costs at a $125 total: free if you're in most of the eastern US, $15 flat rate for the next tier out, $35 flat for the furthest (western US). CrowdCow ships free for orders over $125, and Wild Fork has a $29/year membership that gives free shipping on all orders (air delivery excluded).

    Bottom line up front: Wild Fork blows away the competition on pricing, and in the experience of many Pit members (myself included), the quality is quite excellent typically. Personally I'll be doing all my online meat purchasing from WF going forward except for the occasional special item I can get only elsewhere. (At least at the moment, they seem to also have a wider available selection too.)

    Prices are in US dollars per pound.
    Cut Creekstone CrowdCow Porter Road Wild Fork
    Pork butt 14.00 15.02 8.47 4.48
    Baby back ribs 13.50 13.36 14.50 2.98
    St. Louis cut ribs 13.50 8.58 11.60 2.98
    Choice chuck roast n/a 18.94 12.80 5.48
    Whole brisket 12.33 19.31 11.20 4.98
    Tri tip 25.55 23.14 26.30 10.98
    Ribeye 46.25 36.49 25.60 13.98
    Filet 62.00 53.98 58.00 29.98
    Strip 62.00 31.99 42.60 11.98













    There you have it...
    Last edited by DaveD; February 26, 2023, 09:30 AM.

    #2
    How about the beef ribs full length I last seen Porter Road was like 78.00

    Comment


    • DaveD
      DaveD commented
      Editing a comment
      I chose not to include that cut because not all of these four typically carry them.

    #3
    I’ve been using Wild Fork exclusively for over a year now with complete satisfaction. I belong to the free shipping service club too. There’s a three order break even point for it. I order about once every 4-5 weeks so a good deal for me. Of note is that they opened a retail store in the fall but it’s way across town from me. Online delivery is always overnight so I save the gas and time and have never been to the store.

    Comment


    • grantgallagher
      grantgallagher commented
      Editing a comment
      Same for the most part. There a few items from PR that I stock up on in cold weather when shipping is safer, notably the loose chorizo and country breakfast sausage since i have not found it anywhere that is as good as their blends. A few things from alpine butcher but for the most part im a full WF convert.

    #4
    Thanks for doing this.

    Comment


    • efincoop
      efincoop commented
      Editing a comment
      +1 Thanks DaveD !

    #5
    Thanks for doing this Dave. My work has yielded similar results.

    I find the online stores are best for finding hard to find cuts like Dino ribs or beef navel which you can’t find in local stores (at least near me). So it is more about acquiring a specific cut at a desired quality versus price. For regular steaks, brisket etc. Costco or the local store for prime rib is much easier and just as cheap price wise.

    Comment


    • texastweeter
      texastweeter commented
      Editing a comment
      Where did you find navel?

    • STEbbq
      STEbbq commented
      Editing a comment
      texastweeter Porter Road has it as well as MeatNBone. I ordered mine from PR.

    • RonB
      RonB commented
      Editing a comment
      I have some navel lint if anyone is interested.

    #6
    Very interesting, Dave. Definitely an eye opener, thanks for this.

    Comment


      #7
      Did that carry over to full subprimals? I have ordered a lot from creekstone, but had my first bad experience (depending on what you call a bad experience...$$$$ is not king if you don't get what you ordered). I typically buy 2-3 rib primal to dry age at a time.

      Comment


      • DaveD
        DaveD commented
        Editing a comment
        Afraid I didn't look at those... was going with the cuts that I most often look at.

      #8
      I also can’t do Crowd Cow after this thread and this article.

      https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ew#post1109852

      https://thecounter.org/crowd-cow-bro...rs-craft-meat/

      Comment


        #9
        Honestly thank you Dave for researching this.

        Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” - Oscar Wilde
        ”That new Walmart store coming in won’t affect my store.” - Any local business owner
        ”This merger will lower prices and improve customer service.” - Any airline, cable, and specifically JBS, PR release.

        Soon we will be saying goodbye to all the other companies listed unless we support them. The names might remain the same but the shots will be called from Brazil.
        I now step down off of my soapbox.

        Comment


          #10
          Missing the link to Wild Fork
          here it is Meat and seafood market delivered to your door – Wild Fork Foods
          Thanks, I will keep this in mind on the nest meat run.

          Comment


            #11
            Great info Dave. I’ve been very happy with CreekStone. But will definitely give WildFork a try. Some really big savings there.

            Comment


              #12
              Thank you for taking the time and effort to do this Dave. I’m glad that the formal results match my more ad hoc calculations. Like others here, I too belong to the Wild Fork free delivery club. I find their prime briskets to be trimmed much better than Costco’s so you’re paying for fewer pounds. We also like to order their organic, boneless turkey breasts. I’ll smoke two or three of those at a time and have several weeks worth of sandwich meat (yea vac sealer).

              Comment


                #13
                Excellent work.

                I order a lot on line, but almost always it is when something is on sale. I'll check Wild Fork next!

                Comment


                  #14
                  Thank you. I live in a city where we have all the big players, and all the "ethnic" groceries, so I don't tend toward mail order. I have a couple of WildForks here, one too far away, and one a little jog off my trip home from work. I've looked at their website, they actually will deliver to my zip, and I can do a curbside pickup, but I am a little untrusting of someone choosing meat for me without my eyeballing myself. This sounds like I can, at least, try the curb or delivery, and see what happens. I order seafood from Alaska, but beef and chicken I have no source, and I hate to go out there and shop. Let's just say it, I like to be home.

                  Comment


                  • DaveD
                    DaveD commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I totally hear you. My lovely bride and I were homebodies in the Before Time, and the pandemic has only amplified our desire not to go "out there" unless really necessary.

                  #15
                  Wow.
                  some of those prices seem incredibly high.
                  I'm especially a little curious at the Creekstone Brisket price of 12.33.
                  The local Amish market I shop at just had a sign the other day for Creekstone Prime Brisket at 6.99...🤷‍♂️
                  either way, more $$ than I'm currently willing to shell out for a single hunk of meat

                  Comment

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