Welcome to our comprehensive Grass Roots Cooperative review! If you’re searching for a premium, ethically sourced meat delivery service, you’ve likely come across Grass Roots. This in-depth article will share our complete experience, from the initial order and delivery to the final delicious dishes prepared in our kitchen. We’ll explore the advantages and potential drawbacks of their service, highlight our favorite cuts, and offer insights into which items might be best for your household. Get ready for an honest, detailed look at what makes Grass Roots Cooperative stand out in the competitive world of online meat delivery.

Exclusive Offer for Our Readers: Get $50 off your $100 order! Use code STEAMY at checkout. This incredible discount makes trying Grass Roots an even more appealing choice.

Our household recently received a generous meat box from Grass Roots Cooperative, packed with a diverse selection of beef, chicken, and pork. This review details every step of our journey, from the moment the package arrived on our doorstep to the delightful dining experiences that followed. We’ll share our candid thoughts on the overall quality of the meat, the user experience, and whether Grass Roots lives up to its promise of superior, transparently sourced products.

What is Grass Roots Cooperative? Discovering Sustainable Meat Delivery

Grass Roots Cooperative is more than just a meat delivery service; it’s a farmer-owned initiative dedicated to providing high-quality, sustainably raised meats directly to your door. Their model is built around a 100% customizable monthly meat box subscription, offering unparalleled flexibility. Unlike many competitors, Grass Roots empowers customers to choose precisely what goes into their box each month, ensuring you only receive cuts your family loves.

At the heart of their philosophy are stringent standards for animal welfare and environmental stewardship. All animals sourced through Grass Roots are:

• Pasture-Raised: Ensuring animals live natural lives with ample space to roam and forage.
• GMO-Free: Their feed is free from genetically modified organisms.
• Antibiotic and Hormone-Free: Committed to natural growth without artificial enhancements or routine antibiotics.

This commitment translates into healthier animals, a healthier planet, and, ultimately, healthier, more flavorful meat for your table. Furthermore, their subscription service operates on a convenient month-to-month basis, allowing you to cancel anytime without hassle, making it a flexible option for modern households.

The Grass Roots Vision: Transparency from Pasture to Plate

The core principle driving Grass Roots Co-Op is beautifully encapsulated in their vision statement: “At Grass Roots Co-Op, our goal is to authenticate the integrity of your food. We believe it shouldn’t be so difficult to understand what you’re eating and how it was raised. And that’s what sets us apart—ridiculously high standards and transparency from our pastures to your plate.”

This isn’t just a marketing slogan; it’s a profound commitment to ethical sourcing and consumer education. In an era where food origins can often be obscure, Grass Roots offers a refreshing level of clarity, allowing consumers to make informed choices about the meat they consume. This transparency extends to every aspect of their operation, from the specific farms where animals are raised to the detailed labeling on each package, fostering trust and connection between consumers and the farmers who supply their food.

Grass Roots Cooperative Review: An In-Depth Look

Unboxing the Grass Roots Experience: Packaging and Delivery

PRO: One of the first impressive aspects of the Grass Roots Cooperative experience was the delivery and packaging. Arriving via FedEx, the box demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental responsibility. The packaging was 100% biodegradable – a detail that immediately stood out. Even the foam insulation, often a significant source of waste, is innovatively crafted from corn. This means you can easily dissolve it in water or add it to your compost, greatly reducing its environmental footprint. Ample dry ice was included, ensuring that all contents remained perfectly frozen throughout transit, a crucial factor for perishable goods.

Upon opening the outer box, we discovered our meat neatly packed inside a reusable grocery bag. Every single item was frozen rock-solid, a testament to the effectiveness of their packaging and cooling methods. This attention to detail ensured the integrity and freshness of the meat from farm to our freezer.

Our customized box contained a substantial amount of meat, easily enough to supply our family of avid meat-eaters for 2-3 weeks. The ability to tailor the contents of the box to our family’s exact preferences was a significant benefit, allowing us to maximize value and minimize waste.

Unmatched Customization: Your Box, Your Choice

PRO: This is, without a doubt, one of the most compelling advantages of Grass Roots Cooperative. Unlike many other meat subscription services that provide pre-selected boxes, often containing cuts you might not frequently use or enjoy, Grass Roots offers complete control. You get to hand-pick each and every item for your box directly from their user-friendly website. This level of personalization is a game-changer, ensuring that every dollar spent contributes to meals your family will truly relish. It’s a truly customer-centric approach that distinguishes them from the competition.

Our diverse selection for this review included a little bit of everything: savory bacon, flavorful Italian sausage, versatile ground beef, a wholesome whole chicken, rich beef shank, tender beef short ribs, quick-cooking skirt steak, classic NY strip steak, well-marbled ribeye, and succulent chicken thighs. This variety allowed us to truly test the range and quality of their offerings.

Initial Impressions: Beef Cuts and Bacon

PRO: The first thing we noticed when examining the beef cuts was the impressive thickness of the ribeye steak. It was a substantial piece of meat, promising a rich and satisfying dining experience.

CON: While one ribeye was impressively thick, we observed a noticeable inconsistency when comparing it to another steak we ordered. The second piece was more than half an inch thinner. This disparity can be a minor inconvenience, as cooking two steaks of different thicknesses simultaneously often requires different cooking times to achieve the desired doneness, particularly for a perfect medium-rare.

EH…..: Moving on to the bacon, it offered a decent meat-to-fat ratio. However, for those who prefer a leaner bacon, there was still a considerable amount of fat. While flavorful, it might not satisfy everyone’s preference for minimal fat.

Traceability and Transparency: Know Your Source

PRO: A paramount feature that underscores Grass Roots’ commitment to transparency is the detailed labeling on each package. Every cut of meat includes crucial information:

• Name of the farm: For instance, our package indicated Falling Sky Farms in Leslie, AR.
• Pack date: Providing freshness assurance.
• Lot #: A unique identifier allowing traceability back to the specific animal.
• Processor company: Full disclosure of the supply chain.

This comprehensive labeling means that every piece of meat is fully traceable, offering consumers unparalleled peace of mind regarding the origin and handling of their food. It reinforces their vision of “authenticating the integrity of your food.”

After surveying our impressive haul, we selected several cuts for immediate refrigeration and defrosting over the next few days, while the rest went straight into the freezer. Our children enthusiastically chose bacon for breakfast, Italian sausage for a pasta dish, and a whole chicken destined for the legendary Hainanese Chicken Rice – a dish that truly puts chicken quality to the test.

Grass Roots Cooperative Chicken: A Culinary Revelation

The whole chicken from Grass Roots Cooperative proved to be an unexpected highlight of our review. Its exceptional quality truly elevated our cooking.

Unparalleled Cleanliness and Quality

PRO: WOW. The moment we unwrapped the chicken, its superior quality was immediately apparent. The photo below shows the chicken straight out of its package – notice the remarkable cleanliness and smooth skin. There’s a striking absence of the typical blemishes, residual feathers, or discolored patches often found on supermarket poultry. This pristine appearance is a direct reflection of the meticulous care and humane conditions under which these chickens are raised and processed.

To truly appreciate this distinction, consider the stark contrast with a typical supermarket chicken, which often comes with remnants of dead skin and small feathers. The difference in quality is not merely aesthetic; it’s indicative of fundamental differences in farming and processing practices.

There is indeed a massive difference in quality, highlighting why investing in ethically raised poultry from Grass Roots is a worthwhile decision for discerning cooks.

The Air-Chilled Advantage: Flavor and Texture

PRO: Beyond its pristine appearance, Grass Roots chicken boasts another critical advantage: it is air-chilled, not water-chilled. This distinction significantly impacts the final product. Most conventional supermarket chicken undergoes a water bath chilling process, where many raw chickens are plunged into vats of chlorinated water. The chicken absorbs this water, which is why it’s often packaged with an absorbent pad. While this method is faster and cheaper for producers, it dilutes the chicken’s natural flavor and can lead to a less desirable texture.

Air-chilled chicken, by contrast, is meticulously hung in a cold room with circulating air to cool. No water is added or absorbed. This process not only preserves the chicken’s natural juices and concentrates its flavor but also results in a much crisper skin when roasted. For dishes where the chicken’s inherent taste is paramount, or a beautifully crispy skin is desired, air-chilling makes all the difference.

Cooking Hainanese Chicken Rice with Grass Roots Chicken

To truly showcase the superior quality and inherent flavor of this chicken, we prepared Chinese Hainanese Chicken Rice, a beloved national dish of Singapore. This recipe is a simple yet elegant preparation where the chicken is gently poached whole. The rich, aromatic poaching broth is then used to cook the rice, imbuing it with deep chicken flavor, and any remaining broth is lightly seasoned and enjoyed as a comforting soup. It’s a dish designed to let the chicken’s quality shine.

Our preparation involved adding the whole chicken to a large pot with a few green onions, slices of fresh ginger, and garlic cloves. The chicken was then gently simmered for approximately an hour, allowing its flavors to develop fully without being masked by heavy seasonings.

The culinary result was nothing short of astounding. The chicken meat was, without exaggeration, the best tasting we have ever experienced. It was incredibly tender, remarkably juicy, and possessed just the right amount of firmness. The texture was beautiful, visually confirming its high quality. This experience alone made the Grass Roots chicken a standout item in our box and a compelling reason to consider their service.

Don’t forget to take advantage of our exclusive offer! Grass Roots has provided a discount code for our amazing readers: get $50 off your $100 order. Use code STEAMY during checkout. It’s a fantastic opportunity to try their exceptional meats!

Grass Roots Cooperative Beef Review: Beyond the Ordinary

Slow-Cooked Beef Shank: A Comfort Food Masterpiece

For the beef shank included in our Grass Roots box, we opted for a classic slow-cooker preparation, perfect for extracting maximum flavor and tenderness from this cut. We combined the shank with a bounty of fresh vegetables, a robust red wine, rich beef broth, and canned tomatoes. This simple yet effective method promised a hearty and comforting meal.

Several hours of gentle simmering transformed the beef shank into an incredibly beefy, fork-tender, and intensely flavorful dish. Served alongside creamy mashed potatoes, it was a truly satisfying dinner that highlighted the deep, authentic taste of quality beef. The shank lived up to its promise, delivering robust flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

A Note on Beef Short Ribs

CON: While we didn’t capture a photograph of them, our experience with the Grass Roots short ribs revealed a potential drawback. They are sold in 1.5-pound packages, which sounds substantial. However, a significant portion of that weight is due to the bone. In our specific package, we received three pieces, each with large fatty bones and surprisingly little actual meat. This made it challenging to determine how many packages would be needed to adequately feed our family, as the usable meat yield was lower than anticipated. For feeding more than two people, we’d recommend ordering at least two packages to ensure sufficient portions.

Grass Roots Cooperative Steaks Review: The Art of Grass-Fed Beef

The Superiority of Grass-Fed Steaks

PRO: The steaks from Grass Roots Cooperative truly exemplify the pinnacle of grass-fed beef. Unlike much of the “grass-fed” beef found in conventional supermarkets – which often tends to be overly lean, chewy, and can sometimes carry a slightly gamey taste – Grass Roots’ offerings are a different breed entirely. Our ribeyes, for instance, were beautifully marbled, expertly trimmed, and possessed just the right amount of fat to impart intense, rich flavor without being excessive. These premium ribeye steaks are thoughtfully sold in convenient 1-pound packages, typically priced under $20.00, offering exceptional value for such high-quality, ethically raised meat.

Addressing Steak Thickness

CON: As a personal preference, I generally love thick steaks for their impressive presentation and ability to develop a great sear while remaining rare inside. However, the 2-inch thickness of some of the Grass Roots steaks proved to be a slight challenge. Achieving a perfect medium-rare doneness for such a substantial cut can be more difficult and time-consuming, requiring careful technique. As noted earlier, the inconsistency in thickness between the two ribeyes also meant they couldn’t be cooked identically without compromise, which is something to consider when planning meals.

Unlocking Flavor with Sous Vide

PRO: Despite the thickness, these were, without question, some of the most flavorful steaks we have ever cooked at home. Recognizing the variable thickness and wanting to ensure perfect results, I decided to employ the sous vide cooking method. This technique involves cooking the steaks in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath with a bit of butter at 135°F (57°C), guaranteeing edge-to-edge medium-rare perfection.

For those unfamiliar, sous vide is widely considered one of the best ways to cook steaks, especially premium cuts like these. It’s the secret behind the consistently perfect steaks you enjoy at high-end restaurants. The precision of sous vide prevents overcooking, ensuring every bite is tender and juicy. We rely on two excellent sous vide machines: the Oliso Sous Vide, which is my everyday workhorse due to its convenient counter placement, and the compact Joule, a personal favorite for its minimalist design and versatility with any pot.

After a precise 2-hour bath, the steaks emerge perfectly medium-rare throughout. While they may not look instantly appetizing at this stage, the magic truly happens next.

The final step involves patting the steaks thoroughly dry and searing them in a smoking hot cast iron pan for a glorious, crusty exterior. A quick rest of a few minutes, and voilà – perfectly medium-rare, grass-fed, pasture-raised steaks ready to be devoured.

The Unmistakable Flavor of True Grass-Fed Beef

PRO: The most striking aspect of these Grass Roots steaks was undeniably the FLAVOR! After years of primarily consuming grain-fed supermarket steaks at home, we had almost forgotten what real, high-quality beef truly tastes like. These steaks offered a clean, pure flavor profile, intensely beefy yet astonishingly tender, with a lingering, almost buttery finish. Describing the nuanced flavor of premium beef can be challenging, even for those who, like us, have previously delved deep into artisan steak tasting with experts like Carrie Oliver. It’s a depth of flavor that mass-produced beef simply cannot replicate.

Why Grass-Fed is Superior: Health and Taste Benefits

Understanding the difference between grass-fed and grain-finished beef is key to appreciating the value of Grass Roots Cooperative. For conventional supermarket steaks, cattle are typically “finished” on a diet of antibiotics, hormones, and a combination of grains. This practice is designed to quickly fatten up the cattle, improving marbling (which contributes to perceived juiciness), increasing weight for slaughter, and significantly decreasing production costs. Grain-fed cattle reach market much faster than their grass-fed counterparts, translating to lower costs for ranchers and cheaper prices for consumers.

However, this speed and cost-efficiency often come at a significant expense to flavor and health. Grain-fed beef can often taste bland and may be from animals that have been routinely given hormones and antibiotics. In contrast, genuinely grass-fed and pasture-raised beef, like that from Grass Roots, benefits from a natural diet and lifestyle. This results in beef that is not only healthier (often higher in beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids and Conjugated Linoleic Acid, or CLA) but also possesses a profoundly more complex, rich, and “beefy” flavor that is clean and pure.

It’s important to note that conventional, grain-finished beef tends to be fattier, and this fat undeniably contributes to “juiciness” and a certain “flavor.” However, there’s a crucial distinction between flavor derived from fat and the inherent flavor stemming from the superior quality of the meat itself. Grass Roots beef offers that deep, authentic flavor of meat, rather than just fat.

Final Thoughts on Grass Roots Cooperative: Is It Worth It?

When considering Grass Roots Cooperative, it’s essential to address the price point directly. Ordering truly good quality, ethically raised meat is, by its very nature, more expensive than purchasing conventional supermarket options. This is a reality consumers must anticipate. However, here’s what we can confidently assert: even the most affordable cut of pasture-raised, forage-fed steak from Grass Roots will unequivocally taste superior to the most expensive, prime-grade, conventional, feedlot steak you’ll find at a supermarket. This isn’t just a preference; it’s a difference in flavor profile, texture, and nutritional value that becomes evident with the first bite.

This sentiment echoes my experience with local, small butchers. For example, I would much rather buy the most economical cut of sirloin from The Butcher Block down the street in Henderson, Nevada, than opt for the priciest “prime” steak from Vons or Albertsons. The choice boils down to supporting small ranchers who prioritize animal husbandry and producing the finest quality meat for their customers, versus large corporations focused primarily on market speed and fattening cattle for maximum profit. With Grass Roots, you are investing in a system that values quality, ethics, and sustainability.

The Chicken: A Must-Try!

Chicken. OMG…..ORDER THE CHICKEN. Seriously, if you try nothing else, try the chicken. A whole chicken from Grass Roots is priced at $17.25. Yes, this is more expensive than your typical conventional chicken from Wegmans or Smith’s. But the stark difference in quality you receive is profoundly worth every extra penny. These are pastured, happy chickens, raised with genuine care on small farms. This humane treatment and natural environment result in a product that is SO MUCH BETTER than chicken grown in cramped cages within concrete-floored warehouses. For flavor, texture, and peace of mind, the Grass Roots chicken is, without a doubt, worth the investment.

Pork and Other Offerings

As for the pork offerings from Grass Roots, our experience was generally positive. The quality is good. Full disclosure, I’m not a frequent pork eater outside of glorious pork belly and bacon (which, arguably, are in the same delicious category!). Therefore, I may not be the most discerning judge in this particular category. The bacon from Grass Roots was good – solid and enjoyable, though perhaps not “exceptional” in a way that truly blew us away. It certainly was a high-quality product, but for us, the beef and chicken truly stole the show.

Addressing Availability: A Challenge and a Testament to Quality

One aspect that can be somewhat frustrating is the occasional unavailability of certain cuts. I’ve been a bit “bummed” that some of the cuts I truly loved have been sold out. In fact, I hesitated writing this review for several months, partly because there were specific meats I wanted to recommend that were simply out of stock on their website. This can certainly be frustrating for consumers looking for particular items.

However, I reached out to Grass Roots directly to inquire about these “out of stock” items, and their explanation offers valuable insight and, ironically, reinforces their commitment to quality and sustainability:

This explanation, while highlighting a practical challenge for consumers, ultimately serves as a powerful testament to their authentic, sustainable practices. It’s a reminder that truly ethical, pasture-raised meat cannot be produced on an industrial timeline.

Current Availability and Recommendations

Great news, though – the highly recommended chicken is currently BACK IN STOCK! And to make your first order even more enticing, Grass Roots has generously provided an exclusive discount code just for you: get $50 off any order of $100 or more. That’s an incredible 50% savings! This makes trying their premium meats incredibly accessible. I highly recommend ordering a whole chicken and some steak to experience the best of what they offer. The kids raved about the Italian sausage, declaring it “amaaaaaazing,” though my personal opinion on the sausage was that it was good, but not necessarily a splurge item for me. If you own a slow cooker, definitely consider the beef shank for an incredibly tender and flavorful meal. For those with an Instant Pot or slow cooker, the short ribs are a great choice, but remember to order more than one package if you’re feeding more than two people due to the bone weight. As mentioned earlier, I’d personally pass on the bacon in favor of their other stellar offerings. While I haven’t tried the pork chops yet, the STEAK AND CHICKEN are absolute must-haves!

Exclusive $50 Off Coupon for Grass Roots Cooperative

If you’re ready to experience the difference that truly high-quality, ethically sourced meat can make, now is the perfect time to try Grass Roots Cooperative. We’ve secured an amazing deal just for our readers!

Grass Roots Cooperative Giveaway: Win a $100 Gift Certificate!

To celebrate this fantastic service, we’re giving one lucky person the chance to win a $100 gift certificate to Grass Roots Cooperative! Imagine filling your freezer with their incredible pasture-raised beef, air-chilled chicken, and more, all on us. Please note that Grass Roots currently ships only within the U.S. However, for our wonderful Canadian readers, if you happen to win this giveaway, we will happily send you a $100 Amazon Canada gift card as an alternative prize. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience premium meat delivery!