Good Chop Review | Is this Meat Subscription Worth it?

So Good Chop reached out to me to see if I’d like to try their sustainable meat and seafood products. I had never tried a meat subscription service before, so I thought, “Sure, let’s give this a whirl!” I try to have a more plant-based focused diet but I do consume meat and fish. Since I eat less animal protein, when I do eat it, I want it to be high quality, sustainable and delicious. Makes sense, right?

How does Good Chop arrive to your door?

Good Chop ships your order straight to you door. Once my package was shipped, I received a Fedex tracking number. I was told I should receive my box in 2 days but I got it in 1 day! It arrived on my porch without me knowing it. Somehow, the Fedex delivery person made it past my dog without him knowing. Usually he alerts me of “invaders” (lol).

I had some concerns about how long it had been sitting out there since it was late afternoon when I realized it had arrived. Upon opening it a little later, I was glad to see everything was still frozen solid! Also, the packaging material was recyclable, thick paper packs. Yay, no plastic, besides the bag that held the dry ice! Two thumbs up for environmentally friendly packaging and cold transport.

I received no compensation for this review but was gifted the products.

What was in the box?

As I perused the contents, I found that I had received some flat iron and ribeye steaks, grass fed filet mignon, ground beef, boneless pork chops and some cod. It was a lot of meat for our little household. Everything was vacuum packed, which is great for avoiding freezer burn and making it easy to cut off as many portions as needed. (Note: there’s usually more than one serving in each vacuum pack! I thought there was only one steak in the flat iron steak but there were two!) As per their website, you have complete control of what you choose in your box. There are two sizes, so you can pick out what suits your family best. Not only that, you choose how often it comes and you can cancel a box by the Sunday before a delivery date. No commitment required.

Things I wish Good Chop had included.

Being a former restaurant chef, I know how to safely thaw out meat. Surprisingly, there was no information included in the box on how to thaw meat. I also checked out the website to see if there were instructions and didn’t find any. Maybe something they should consider in the future? Here are some directions, in case you wanted to know: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/big-thaw-safe-defrosting-methods.

Also, it would be nice to have recipe cards or recipe suggestions tucked inside the box. So many people don’t know how to cook a cut of protein or prepare a piece of fish besides grilling it. Or if they are experienced cooks, a new recipe might entice someone to try different products in a new preparation. That’s part of the appeal with Hello Fresh and other meal prep delivery services. Fun, new recipes to make meals more exciting and help you get out of a dinner rut.

What did I cook with my Good Chop haul?

So far, I’ve made a light, poached cod in asian style soup (recipe below). It was so hot last month that I was craving a light meal and poached fish sounded perfect. This was super quick, easy and ready in 20 minutes! Not only that, I cleared out my fridge by using up all my vegetable odds and ends in the soup.

One Saturday morning, I decided to try making steak and eggs but in sandwich form. Using the flat iron steaks, I cooked them in a cast iron skillet, along with a folded egg omelet. Local, fresh everything bagels were split in half and buttered. Then, I layered on some salad leaves, sliced summer tomatoes, scrambled eggs and finally, sliced steak on top. This made for a great breakfast sandwich that fueled us nicely for a long bike ride!

Lastly, I also used some remaining flat iron steak in a Korean stir fry called jap chae. The steak is thinly sliced and briefly marinated with soy sauce, sugar and roasted sesame oil. Vegetables like red bell pepper, carrots and mushrooms are briefly stir fried. The marinated beef is also quickly stir fried until medium rare. Clear jap chae noodles are boiled until tender and added to the vegetables and beef. Lastly, more soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil is spooned over all and mixed. Garnish with some sesame seeds and you’re done!

Is this meat subscription worth it?

I thought the meat and fish I tried were of a very high quality. Everything seemed very fresh and tasted delicious. It was good knowing that no antibiotics or added hormones were used and the fish was sustainably caught. I think this is a very convenient and easy way to get quality proteins delivered right to your door. It may seem a little pricey at first glance but if you break down the cost per serving, it’s actually a pretty good deal. Also, I noticed that there’s a substantial discount for your first order, so I’d take advantage of this and stock up your freezer for fall cooking.