June 23, 2023
Cold Brew Club Coffee Review
Category:
Coffee & Tea Reviews
This Crowd Cow review post contains affiliate links and we were given a sample. If you make a purchase we may be compensated. All opinions are our own.
Written By Alison Chew | Dietitian Verified by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
Crowd Cow delivers high-quality craft meat from small, independent farms and ranches around the world and sustainable seafood directly to your door.
Through a “food transparency” movement, they have set out to change the way people think about their food, through meaningful connections between the farmer and the customer, so that you know and appreciate where your food comes from.
Crowd cow is like your online butcher and fishmonger sourcing high-quality craft meat from small, independent farms and ranches and sustainable seafood from around the world and delivering it directly to your door.
You can shop a la carte with Crowd Cow and place a one-time order or you can sign up to be a “Member” and receive regular deliveries with added member-only benefits. More on that is below.
Crowd Cow offers a wide range of sustainably-sourced meat and seafood from independent farmers and fisheries.
This includes
The meat above comes in various cuts and sizes. In addition, they also have a small assortment of seasonings, sides, and desserts. Shop Now >>
A Crowd Cow Membership is FREE! Crowd Cow Members can save 5-25% or more over retail! At checkout, you will have the option to sign up to become a Member. With this, you are signing up for a flexible monthly subscription.
With this flexible monthly subscription, you can change items in your box, change delivery dates, and cancel your membership through your Crowd Cow Account page.
Crowd Cow Membership Benefits
Let’s be honest, there is a lack of transparency in our current grocery store meat and seafood selection. And with that comes potential issues around sustainability, quality, and safety.
Crowd Cow is one of the most transparent meat and seafood delivery services currently online.
They not only tell you the exact farm or provider that your item comes from, but they tell you about that provider along with their ethical and sustainable practices.
In addition, they give you quality options like grass-fed, pasture-raised, full-blood wagyu, wagyu-cross, dry-aged organic free-range, if it is farm-raised or wild-caught, and more.
The bottom line is that with Crowd Cow you have a ton of options when it comes to the quality of your meat and seafood and full transparency into where it’s coming from.
Crowd Cow delivers everywhere in the Continental United States.
Shipping is free for Crowd Cow non-members on orders over $125 and free for members on orders over $99.
Yes! Crowd Cow orders are shipped frozen on dry ice.
In addition to dry ice, Crowd Cow packs each and every box with 100% recyclable and compostable packaging.
Our box contained packaging that was 100% curbside recyclable with the exception of the plastic bags the dry ice and insulation came in. These can be recycled at our local grocery store.
Crowd Cow sources meat from independent family farms to co-ops from all over the world and they personally know each producer they work with. They do not source from factory or mass market farms.
Yes! Crowd Cow has the largest selection of Japanese Wagyu beef that we have seen online, including A5 Wagyu and the world’s rarest steak the Olive Wagyu. In addition, they also have Australian Wagyu Cross and American Wagyu Cross beef.
We’ve tried Crowd Cow meat and seafood several times over the years. This review will tell you more about the Crowd Cow Olive Wagyu & Kagoshima Wagyu Petite Striploin Sampler, American Wagyu New York Strip Steak, and Chateaubriand.
If you are like me, you might have a hard time narrowing down your order as Crowd Cow has a great selection of meat and sustainable seafood. This includes various cuts of beef, Japanese Wagyu, American Wagyu, pork, chicken, lamb, game, and more.
You can place a one-time order or you can become a member and save 5% on every repeat order.
Crowd Cow has by far one of the largest selections of Wagyu online! From Japanese Wagyu to Australian Wagyu-Cross to American Wagyu, they have it all.
When we opened our box from Crowd Cow and saw the wagyu for the first time I couldn’t believe how different this steak looked compared to the steak that we buy from the grocery store.
The marbling (i.e. the white lines of fat) was gorgeous! Shop Now >>
We ordered the A5 Olive Wagyu & Kagoshima Wagyu Petite Striploin Sampler. This bundle includes one A5 Kagoshima Petite Striploin as well as one A5 Olive Petite Striploin, both from Japan.
The cost of this bundle was $124.45.
The A5 Olive Wagyu from Shodoshima, Japan is the “rarest steak in the world” according to Crowd Cow. This is because there are only 2,000 Olive Wagyu cows in the world, with only a few harvested each month.
Olive Wagyu, which is of the Kuroge Washu bread, gets its name from the olive pulp that is upcycled and fed to the cows and is known for an intense marbling with high levels of oleic acid (a heart-healthy fat).
In 2018, Crowd Cow became the first company to make Olive Wagyu directly available to American customers. Shop now >>
The Kagoshima Wagyu, from Kagoshima Japan, is the “most intensely marbled steak in the world” and winner of Japan’s nationwide “Wagyu Olympics” competition in 2017 with the highest average across 11 categories.
This A5 steak has the highest grade possible and is known for its incredible flavor and tenderness.
I was a little nervous about overcooking the wagyu, but luckily for us (and you!) Crowd Cow has several helpful cooking videos on its website that walk you through every step. And after watching the Japanese Wagyu cooking video several times, I was ready to cook. Shop now >>
Continuing to follow the instructions, we sliced the wagyu into bite-size portions as a little goes a long way.
We seasoned all sides with the sea salt that was in our Crowd Cow box and then seared on a pan for 1 min per side. Shop now >>
I’m not sure that I have the words to explain how amazing these steaks were!
They were rich and tender and full of flavors that I’d never tasted before from a steak or anything else for that matter.
The meat literally melted in our mouths and I have to say that the texture was what set this steak apart from all others. Shop now >>
When comparing the A5 Olive Wagyu with the A5 Kagoshima Wagyu, both Japanese wagyu petite striploin steaks were incredible, but the texture of the Olive Wagyu was like butter.
The Kagoshima Wagyu was also melt-in-your-mouth but had a more complex flavor profile that we equally enjoyed.
Both were absolutely amazing and would make any meat lover jump for joy. These are perfect for a tasting dinner with friends, a date night, or a special occasion!
Our third piece of wagyu was the pasture-raised New York Strip Steak from Tebben Ranches Fullblood Black Wagyu in the United States.
The cost of this 10 oz steak was $44.65.
Crowd Cow says that this steak is the “best beef raised in America” and we couldn’t wait to dig in.
Per the Crowd Cow video cooking instructions, we removed the steak from the fridge, let it rest, then lightly oiled and seasoned both sides.
We cooked on the stovetop for 4 min per side with some garlic, removed from the pan, and let it rest covered in foil for 5 min before eating. Shop now >>
This steak was juicy and flavorful, thanks to the wonderful marbling, and has officially made me a steak snob!
It has more of a “steak” flavor and is less rich than the Japanese Wagyu we tasted and therefore we could eat more of it.
This steak will surely impress friends and loved ones and will be the highlight of any holiday or special occasion dinner table. Shop now >>
Next up, we tried a 2.54 lb Chateaubriand. Chateaubriand is a tenderloin of beef (also known as a filet mignon roast), the most tender cut of beef, and where the decadent, single-portion filet mignon comes from.
Crowd Cow lists their Chateaubriand as “Wagyu Cross” which they say is higher-quality than Prime (i.e. better than the steak in the grocery store and most markets) and perfect for grilling.
This steak was sourced from Mishima Reserve, which is a very select network of over 50 family farms across the western US. Each of these farms is committed to ranching practices that follow Japanese tradition, focusing on raising its herds in the most humane and stress-free way possible.
We were excited to try this steak as we have never cooked a Chateaubriand. After some research, we decided on grilling this cut as it does well cooked quickly over high heat, crispy on the outside with a juicy, medium-rare center. We wish that Crowd Cow included cooking instructions or a recipe with this steak as it would save time and help those of us not familiar with this premium cut of beef.
We sliced it into individual filet mignon portions and enjoyed our meal with a peppery cabernet sauvignon, grilled asparagus, and baked potatoes outside with some friends on a warm spring evening.
This steak tasted amazing and easily fed our group of 7. We topped the steak with sea salt and/or homemade herb butter consisting of butter, salt, lemon juice, fresh basil, and thyme. Honestly, though, this steak really only needed salt and pepper with the wonderful beef flavor as the star of the meal.
At the time of this posting, the Chateaubriand was priced at $199 for non-members and $113 for members, 43% off!
At $113 this steak is a steal! As I mentioned, it easily fed 7 people and it would be hard to find Wagyu Cross filet mignon for $16 per person. You certainly could never find that at a steak house. Shop now >>
If you are looking for high-quality craft meat and sustainably sourced seafood and care about where your food comes from Crowd Cow is your answer. From the best of the best Wagyu and Kobe beef to premium ground beef, they have something for your weekday meals and special occasion dinners as well as unique gifts for the whole family!
We love the extensive selection of both Japanese Wagyu and American Wagyu Cross as well as the seasonal items like Thanksgiving Turkeys and Christmas Hams and more traditional meat like grass-fed ground beef and pasture-raised chicken. We also love that the Crowd Cow packaging is fully recyclable and that your order is sustainably shipped to your door.
And while you need to meet the $75 order minimum, the free shipping threshold is a bit high for non-members and many items sell out fast, we recommend buying in bulk and buying the items you want when they are available. We would love to see cooking instructions and recipes with every order. Cooking instructions came with the Wagyu, but not with the Chateaubriand and a recipe would’ve been really helpful.
Compared to other meat delivery services that we have reviewed there is no match to the Wagyu assortment found at Crowd Cow. In addition, when comparing prices of more traditional meat like ground beef and chicken Crowd Cow is in line with other high-quality meat delivery services. Plus, with their new member pricing, you can save more by subscribing to regular deliveries.
We recommend Crowd Cow to anyone looking for high-quality meat delivery, anyone interested in trying some of the finest Wagyu beef in the world, and those looking for an extra special gift or holiday meal. Crowd Cow has exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend that you check out their selection for your meat delivery needs. Shop now >>
Looking for more meat delivery services? Check out our Meat Delivery Directory >>
| This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy. | |
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 | Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease. |
