Is Good Ranchers Meat Delivery Worth It? | An Honest Review
For the last 6 months, we’ve been trying out Good Ranchers meat delivery in our home.
We had some extra wiggle room in our budget and wanted to spend it on quality meat. I wasn’t sure where to start - spending more at the grocery store, finding a local butcher, splitting a cow with a friend, or just finding a meat delivery service I trust. I ended up going with the last option, especially since I’d heard so many ads for Good Ranchers.
Here’s my honest review of Good Ranchers. Is the meat really better than the grocery store? Is delivery worth it? Does this save us money, or is it a strain on our budget? Here are my thoughts!
Good Ranchers Meat Quality
If you listen to any conservative media, you’ve probably heard a Good Ranchers ad. ;)
Besides generally trusting the media outlets advertising Good Ranchers, I was also interested in their "commitment to American-raised meat.” Did you know the stickers that say “product of the USA” don’t mean the meat was born, raised, and processed here in the States? They just mean it was packaged here, after being grown and processed somewhere else, who knows where.
That was a big draw of Good Ranchers for us. Even if I had the extra cash to buy more expensive meat at the grocery store, I still didn’t know where it was coming from originally, and therefore, what was actually in it. Thankfully, the USDA is changing the rule starting January, 2026, and bringing back the “Made in USA” sticker for meat that’s actually US born, raised, slaughtered, and processed. So that’s nice.
With that being said, I’ve been very happy with the quality of the meat we’ve received! We get The Homesteader Box with a few add-ons. Below is a list of the meat we get with this box:
The Homesteader Box
4 × 1 lb Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Ground Beef Packs
2 × 12 oz Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Steak Tip Packs
8 × 5 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
8 × 4.5 oz Plain Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
The most obvious upgrade was the beef. I used to buy a pound of frozen ground beef at a time at Aldi or Walmart, depending on what was cheapest. If we were having a meat-heavy week, sometimes I’d buy a three-pound pack.
The main problem with this is it was mostly fat. After cooking it all down, I’d only have maybe two-thirds of ground beef per pound. It wasn’t as cost effective considering how much of the pound was “wasted”, and it also didn’t taste nearly as good.
So I can definitely attest that the taste (and stretch!) of Good Ranchers meat is significantly better than the grocery store. The quality of what I was serving at the table had for sure gone up!
I also get a pack of free bacon with each box, as part of a promotion that was running when I signed up. That has been a fun surprise every month, because I always forget it’s coming. ;) The bacon is really good.
Good Ranchers Cost
Like many families, I’ve been trying to balance two big priorities:
Stewarding our grocery budget well.
Feeding our family high-quality, nourishing food.
The second task is easy when you have lots of room in your budget and access to high-quality foods. But pairing it with the first task isn’t so easy. Since joining Good Ranchers, we’ve purchased 6 boxes and spent $1,067.94 in total. And that’s only for half a year of meat delivery. The first box came with a discount, but the other five have been almost $200 a piece.
Prior to using Good Ranchers, we spent less than half of that on meat in a 6-month period. But we also just didn’t eat as much meat. Before we had this cushion and started this budget-experiment, we ate only one or two meals a week with beef or chicken, and then we’d have vegetarian meals or rely on other canned proteins, like tuna.
I went back and calculated how much we spent on meat per month, for six months, prior to Good Ranchers. You can see the breakdown below.
Good Ranchers Monthly Breakdown
Month 1 (with joining discount): $152.99
Month 2: $182.99
Month 3: $182.99
Month 4: $182.99
Month 5: $182.99
Month 6: $182.99
Total: $1,067.94
Grocery Store Meat Monthly Breakdown:
Month 1: $24.93
Month 2: $73.13
Month 3: $77.35
Month 4: $61.59
Month 5: $115.71
Month 6: $62.24
Total: $414.95
You can see from the grocery story breakdown that some months were virtually meat-free (spending less than $25 on meat in a month) and some were very meat heavy (like month 5). It varied based on our budget, not based on our needs and wants. If we had a tighter month, one of the first things to go was meat. We’d get our protein from other sources or stick to strictly canned meats.
But, one of our goals with our extra grocery budget was to eat more meat, more red meat specifically, and also more chicken that didn’t come in a can.
Looking at these price differences, I can’t say it’s saved us money. Clearly, we were spending way less on meat each month. But I can say we’re eating much better and I have noticed a difference.
So yes, Good Ranchers comes out with much higher quality meat, especially when buying in bulk. But it’s still expensive, especially for those living on one income.
Pros & Cons of Good Ranchers
Pros:
Quality & Taste: The meat is noticeably better. From the beef to the chicken to the steak tips to the bacon, everything tastes fresher and more tender than typical grocery store finds.
100% American Meat: Every cut is sourced from American farms and ranches, which is a plus.
Convenience: Delivered to your door in a well-packed box. No more running to multiple stores for sales, if you can afford it! This has been a plus!
Portioning: Meats come vacuum-sealed in meal-sized portions, which makes freezer storage and meal prep simple.
Customer Service: I’ve been very impressed with their customer service! Once they forgot our “free bacon,” and in the next box they included an extra free package. They also toss in random “gifts,” so we’ve gotten packages of seed-oil free chicken nuggets, steak tips, and chicken for free over the past six months.
Cons:
Cost: The box is not cheap, especially for a family that was spending so little on meat. Over doubling our meat budget isn’t ideal, even with the increase in quality and convenience.
Storage Space: You’ll need enough freezer space to store everything, especially if you choose larger boxes.
Limited Flexibility: While they have different box options, you can’t pick every individual cut. If you’re picky about exactly what you get, this feels limiting.
Website: I’ve not been super impressed with their website. It’s been more difficult than I expected to change the box delivery times. You basically have to be two boxes ahead to change delivery times, otherwise you have to call to change things.
Final Thoughts
After about six months, we’re cancelling our Good Ranchers subscription.
I’ve been so happy with the quality but I just can’t justify the cost. Maybe in a few years we can revisit it! It’s one of those things where you have to decide what’s most important to you.
Are you in a season where convenience and quality are top priority? If so, then go for it and see how you like it!
If you’re in a season where you’re needing to sacrifice convenience to try and find something that’s both cost effective without losing too much of the quality, then this might not be the subscription service for you. This is the boat we’re in, so we’re starting from scratch in the new year.
I’m going to spend the rest of the year researching local butchers or local farmers that I can purchase meat in bulk from. And I’m also going to revisit grocery store prices, given the new USDA rule. I’ll keep you in the loop with our meat journey! ;)
How does your family budget for meat? I’d love to hear what’s working for other families and what they prioritize! Happy stewarding!
