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Disclosure: This complimentary box was sent for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own, and no compensation was received.
Plaid Cow Society
Cost: $129/month.
Ships To: United States
Coupon Code: 20% off First Box. No coupon code necessary.
Plaid Cow Society delivers never frozen drug-free grass-fed beef right to your door. The following two subscription plans are available:
1-Person Plan
The 1-person plan consists of one delivery per month. Each delivery comes with 16 meals consisting of 6-7lbs. of perfectly trimmed beef. The price is under $8.25 per meal and $129 per 16 serving delivery.
2-Person Plan
The 2-person plan consists of two deliveries per month. Each comes with 16 meals consisting of 6-7lbs. of perfectly trimmed beef. The price is under $8.25 per meal and $129 per 16 serving delivery.
Plaid Cow Society ships in a recyclable box packed with items to keep your meat chilled. The Plaid Cow Society FAQ gives a great breakdown of how to recycle all of the materials in the box.
Everything arrived in perfect condition.
The box included a little note from the founder with some details on Plaid Cow Society and why the business was started. My 1-Person Plan Box contained the following items:
~100% Grassfed Ground Beef (2 lbs Total): I did some checking online and found that the average cost of a pound of grass fed ground beef at say, Whole Foods is around $6.50/lb. This beef (like all Plaid Cow Society meat) is grass fed and grass finished and comes from antibiotic and hormone free cattle. We made burgers with this, and they were amazing! Plaid Cow Society also includes a Cooking Instructions for each of the beef in the box. It also shows you where each type of beef comes from on the cow so you can #knowyourmeat.
~Skirt Steak (5.5 to 6.5oz. per steak): Skirt Steak is not a cut of beef we often purchase. I’m not sure why that is because B turned this into a stirfry and it was incredible!
~Top Sirloin Steak (7.5 to 8.5oz/each) & New York Steak (5.5oz to 6.5oz/each): Sirloin Steak is another cut of beef we don’t generally purchase. The card gives cooking instructions for these in a pan, but B put them both on the grill. He seasoned them as instructed (olive oil + salt and pepper) and they tasted amazing. This beef is so good that you don’t need anything fancy flavored seasoning or sauces!
~Flat Iron Steak (5.5 to 6.5oz/each): I think these are the only ones we haven’t gotten to yet. The cut is supposed to work well for fajitas, so I think that’s what we’ll make with these.
~Tri Tip Steak (7.5oz – 8.5oz/each): Tri-Tip steaks are lean and tender and come from the “bottom sirloin sub primal cut.” B cooked these up and packed them in his lunches for work. He’s a man of few words, but he was a huge fan of this box in general. Having all these different types of beef cuts to experiment with and eat was totally his thing.
I couldn’t do a cost breakdown on this box, but we loved Plaid Cow Society. The box included enough beef for 16 meals (less if you eat like B does) and was some of the best beef we’ve ever had.
Plaid Cow Society currently only ships to certain states (check the website), but will be expanding nationwide this month! If you want to give them a try, you can get 20% off your first month, no coupon code necessary.
Based on the cost the value is terrible. It’s nice that they give you cooking suggestions and show you where the meat comes from but that’s probably the most expensive box of meat you could buy. For reference, in July we bought a quarter of a grass fed, grass finished cow from a local ranch (literally less than 10 miles away) for about $800. We got over just over 100lbs of meat plus bones for broth. At $129 per box consisting of 6-7 lbs of meat, at the high end you would only be getting 42 lbs of meat for $800. And…I live in Colorado where the cost of living and food is much higher. I know not every one has the freezer space for 100 lbs of meat but if you can find a local supply most of the time they will offer smaller packages along with quarters and sides. Or split a larger a quarter or side with family.
I don’t fault the company for trying to capitalize but I’m not sure their costs will be sustainable.
Thank you for that perspective! I remember my parents bought 1/4 a cow once and they needed my freezer, my brothers, theirs, etc. to store it all. It really does help to buy in bulk.
We knew we wanted to buy a bunch of bulk meat so we bought a 14 cubic feet freezer. We also bought half a pig from a local farmer and the 1/4 cow and 1/2 pig pretty much fill the freezer. It’s been awesome for meal planning and knowing that we have high quality local meat.
Even without buying bulk, you’d still save money just buying the organic grass fed meat at the grocery store over this sub.
P.S. I’ve been reading your reviews for a while. I enjoy your perspective and that you sub to such a great variety. I’m around your age and I have 2 boys too (mine are 14 and 11). I don’t want you to feel like I’m attacking you, just wanted you to know that this is one where you could probably save money other ways.
Oh no, I totally understand! And we are totally the same age. I see that birth year (I think that’s what it is) in your e-mail ;).
We buy grass fed beef at Aldi for about $5 a pound. But I think this box is unique and more fun than a trip to Aldi’s.