Snake River Farms Review: Does It Live Up to Its Pioneering Reputation?
If you're a meat-lover or steak aficionado, you may have already heard of and are curious about Snake River Farms.
For those interested but unsure about ordering meat online from Snake River Farms, our team has broken down the Snake River Farms meat experience for you.
Pioneers In American Wagyu Beef
For years, Snake River Farms has produced prime quality beef and pork products, used and loved by Michelin-starred restaurants and world-renowned chefs such as Wolfgang Puck.
Recently, it's become possible to order your own steaks, subscriptions boxes, and more through the Snake River Farms website so you can get high-quality meat cuts delivered straight to your door!
Best known for their ranch-to-table American Wagyu Beef and Kurobuta Pork, they also offer a variety of other premium beef and pork products such as hotdogs, ham, and bacon.
Something You Should Know
This family-owned business is a top purveyor and pioneer of the American Wagyu — which wasn't as well known back then as it is now.
Founder Robert Rebholtz Sr.'s family has been breeding and perfecting their American-bred Wagyu since the late 1980s.
And in 2003 when there was still no market for Wagyu, Snake River Farms sold their meat to NYC's The Old Homestead Steakhouse and turned them into $41 burgers that took the food scene to the next level.
What does this tell us?
As pioneers of the ever-popular Wagyu steak, we can safely assume their meat to be top grade.
Still, let's take a deeper dive if Snake River Farms lives up to our expectations.
Snake River Farms Beef Products
The Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef comes from cows bred to have the perfect mixture of the melt-in-your-mouth fattiness of Japanese Wagyu and the meaty depth of flavor from American beef.
They offer high-quality beef cuts of the top USDA [1] prime levels — black and gold grade, with gold being the highest.
These grades refer to the marbling and overall quality of their American Wagyu steaks, which they have available in the following cuts:
- Filet Mignon
- Sirloin
- Ribeye
- New York Strip
- Skirt Steak
- Flank Steak
They also offer specialty meat cuts depending on seasonal availability, dry-aged meats, gourmet hot dogs, burgers, and roast cuts such as:
- Tenderloin
- Prime Rib Brisket
- Tri-tip (How long does it take to grill tri-tip?)
- Striploin
- Corned Beef Brisket
Snake River Farms Pork Products
Just like their American Kobe Wagyu, Snake River Farms' gourmet pork comes from a special mix bred from Western and Eastern breeds available in cuts such as:
- Pork Chops
- Boneless and In-Bone Ham
- Tenderloin
- Shank
- Pork Belly
- Ribs
What to Expect
USDA Prime American Wagyu means they are of the highest quality. The meat should taste clean, meaty, with the ideal amount of fat.
Kurobuta Pork is the product of a hybrid of Berkshire pigs from the UK and Japanese black pigs well-known for their tenderness and fat content.
It takes years to breed cattle that can produce meat of this standard so of course, this standard is also reflected in their price — these aren't cuts of meat for those on a budget.
Did you know that Snake River Farms' cattle aren't grass-fed throughout their lives, so there will be a difference in taste noticeable to those that do prefer completely grass-fed beef?
What's more is even for the best commercial producer of beef and pork, as a direct ranch-to-table service, availability for these products will vary throughout the year depending on many factors.
Also, while the meats are frozen fresh before being shipped to your door, it is still frozen meat and won't taste like fresh meat.
But what's great about frozen meat is it can be kept frozen and taste fresh for quite a while. However if completely thawed, the meat should be eaten as soon as possible for the best flavor.
And as for their dry-aged and fresh cuts of meat, to ensure freshness and quality, they will require expedited (and more expensive) overnight shipping.
What We Loved
1. Quality
Snake River Farms meats are only of the highest qualities, with the company in control over their entire supply chain.
Their Wagyu cows, Kurobuta pigs, and the land they live on are treated with the utmost care throughout their lifetimes.
Even their meat by-products, such as hot dogs, are treated as well as the animals they come from, receiving the same wet-aging process their Michelin restaurant-standard steaks do!
2. Ethics
Like we mentioned just before, they take animal well-being seriously.
Other than the cattle on their own land, Snake River Farms sources their meat from other family-owned farms that treat their animals right.
This company owns up to their stewardship over their land, the animals that graze on it, and the people that work in it.
3. Sustainability
Everything from the breeding and grazing of their cattle to their packaging and delivery to your doorstep is as sustainable as possible for a commercial producer.
They also make sure to source ingredients for their animal feed from local farms within 150 miles of their feedlot.
Snake River Farms also claims to constantly investigate new ways to optimize their process and minimize their carbon footprint.
4. User Experience
The website was fairly easy to navigate and immediately showed which of their products were available.
You can simply choose what cut you'd like, which amount and grade you'd want then add to cart.
Check-out is as simple as most other websites, choose your payment method, shipping, and date of shipment arrival.
You'll find your products shipped frozen, arriving frozen solid in a reusable thermal bag with dry ice packs.
Because of the dry ice packs, you don't have to worry about your meat going bad or defrosting too fast even if you leave the package by your front door for a few hours!
The website is also full of cooking suggestions and tips for things like how to achieve a perfectly pan-seared steak or preparing hot dogs and ground beef patties for the ultimate grill party.
We enjoyed the idea of available bundles like the brisket starter pack, which includes a brisket cut and their special BBQ brisket rub.
In addition to the brisket pack, there are also several other bundles that can simplify the cooking process for you whilst still producing delicious meals.
5. Customer Service
Customer service can make or break a consumer's experience, but we've found that customer service at Snake River Farms to be relatively pleasant.
At the very least, they will happily answer any questions you might have about their products.
Testimonials on their website have also generally agreed they were quick to refund any errors on the company's part when delivering their order.
Looking For More Than Pork Chops? What Could Have Been Improved
1. Limited Selection
Even with special seasonal offerings, hot dogs, bacon, and ham, Snake River Farms has a much more limited selection compared to other meat delivery services.
While we'd appreciate a wider variety of meats such as chicken and seafood, we can also appreciate Snake River Farms sticking to their specialties and constantly producing superior meats, including meats ideal for grilling on charcoal.
2. Shipping
The standard shipping is great for those living in other states that most other meat delivery services don't even deliver to but can be annoying for those ordering smaller or larger quantities.
It would be nice if they at least offered free shipping for reaching an order of a certain value like some other meat subscriptions services does.
Aside from their standard shipping, they also offer overnight shipping or expedited shipping for an extra fee.
3. Price
With great marbling comes a great price, American Wagyu and Kurobuta Pork will be the most expensive cuts anywhere in the world. Snake River Farms is no exception.
Is It Worth It?
Based on the Snake River Farms reviews and testimonies, their service can be worth it for those looking for great meat that doesn't have a nearby specialty butcher shop.
They'd definitely be a great choice for a special occasion, or even if you're just a meat enthusiast looking for better quality meat cuts your local grocery store might not carry.
Aside from their best-selling steaks, however, it's difficult to say Snake River Farms meats have good value for their expensive price.
The American Wagyu beef ground is great for steakburgers, but not much else that ground beef from your local grocery store or butcher can give you.
Snake River Farms is also not the only service with American Wagyu meat cuts available on the market, with other services having a wider selection and maybe better shipping options for your needs.
There's also the option of more affordable beef and pork options (albeit of lower qualities) for your regular grocery needs through Double R Ranch.
Double R Ranch is another meat delivery service under Snake River Farms' parent Company Agri Beef.
Conclusion: What We Think
Snake River Farms offers great steaks and meat by-products that taste delicious and can give you something similar to a Michelin restaurant experience at home or an impressive BBQ cookout.
However, not all of their available products are worth their expensive price tags. The Snake River Farms meat standouts have to be their amazing steaks, brisket, dry-aged cuts, and fresh meat.
That being said, they aren't the practical option for those wanting a complete meat delivery service with a variety of meat options for day-to-day meals.
We also reviewed other meat delivery services, check them out next:
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