Wild Fork Foods Review: Way Better than Expected!

To Preface This Review Because I Know How it Goes with Reviews Online

Wild Fork Foods does not have an affiliate program.

Meaning I make no money from this review. Nobody from Wild Fork Foods has ever contacted me nor was anything in this article given to me by them.

I only say this because unlike a lot of other people who do “reviews” online, I actually am buying, smoking/cooking, and eating the food I buy from these people. I’m not here to “bait and switch” you into buying from another meat supplier simply to monetize your click.

I whole-heartedly believe that Wild Fork Foods offers some of the most competitive pricing for meat on the internet. Their pricing is on-par, if not lower than some grocery stores.

Dylan’s Wild Fork Foods Review(s)

When I first found Wild Fork Foods (Feb. 2022), I was in the market for some beef short ribs.

Where I’m from in New Hampshire (USA), I can rarely find chuck short ribs, let alone plate short ribs.

To be frank, I was pretty shocked at their low pricing for USDA Prime grade meats and thought it might too good to be true – Needless to say, I was wrong.

Since 2022 I’ve bought from them 10 times; My most recent purchase was 11/23/2024.

Wild Fork Foods Shipping

If you’ve never bought meat online, you may not know what to expect.

Shipping via Wild Fork Foods is fairly quick. Essentially the order ships the same day or the next day – on check-out you’re also given a few days to schedule your delivery.

It should be noted -your first order on Wild Fork Foods is shipped free. Subsequent orders will charge shipping, which can be rather expensive ($19.95 per order).

Their Premium Membership is only $29/yr which allows for Free Shipping on all orders above $35. I’d wager to say that’s a pretty great deal all things considered – especially with the meat prices being way less expensive than most other online meat suppliers.

What stinks for me though is that it isn’t available for my zipcode so what I do is take advantage of their deal – basically if you spend $200, you get free shipping.

People’s Qualms with Wild Fork Foods Ordering Process

I’ve seen this across a number of reviews for Wild Fork Foods that people are reporting they’re being charged an amount more than anticipated on their method of payment.

To that I say – you’re quite literally told this at checkout; It’s in no way, shape, or form hidden.

To copy and paste the message that’s in bold, red, italicized text:

“Please note that many of the products we sell are variable in weight and your card will be temporarily authorized for an amount that is higher than your cart total above. Once we select the product(s) that will be shipped, your credit card will only be charged for the correct weight of the items picked.“

Wild Fork Foods

Cuts of meat aren’t standardized weights. They’re also not listing individual cuts of meat like a catalogue. You’re also not a deli counter telling the employee – “I’ll take X lbs of meat.”

Update on Shipping in November 2024:

As of my most recent order you’re now told explicitly how much they’re going to over-bill your credit card for to compensate.

Ie. say the total is $200, they may estimate the bill to be $350. This way when they pick the meats, the amount will likely be lower than the billed amount but you’re at least given a range.

This is a good change and is more transparent for people who suck at reading.

Wild Fork Food Packaging

The meats from Wild Fork Foods come frozen, in an insulated cooler, with pre-packed dry ice.

Here’s the first package I received:

Here’s the second package:

Here’s the inside of the first package:

Here’s the inside of the second package:

Of all the times I’ve ordered all the meat remained frozen throughout their journey.

More than enough pre-packaged dry-ice was provided and none of the seals on any of the meats were broken.

I’ve seen a number of reviews from people who have said they’ve had issues. I’ve personally never had this happen across 100 items.

Maybe I’m lucky?

How Wild Fork Freezes Food

A big issue you’ll find with frozen meats is that it has the potential to diminish quality due to the crystallization of water within the meat.

Some online butcheries like Porter Road don’t freeze meat because of this.

These ice crystals form sharp edges which can expand into surrounding tissues and rupture cell walls. The water outside of the cell wall freezes first and then leeches water.

When thawed/defrosted, the meat will lose moisture and juiciness.

In order to combat this issue Wild Fork Foods blast freezes their food.

The meat is blast frozen at peak quality and is kept frozen throughout the supply chain. They’re also blast freezing to help cut down on food waste.

I will say, there is definitely less purge (mixture of water and myoglobin) inside the vacuum sealed package when defrosted.

Meaning, their strategy of blast freezing definitely works as intended.

Wild Fork Foods Meat Selection

Where I’m from in New Hampshire I have a very – and I mean a very limited meat selection.

For some perspective: One of my best friends is a Manager of one of biggest Grocery stores in our area. Their store features one of the only butcher shops in a 100 mile radius. They butcher entire cows but still have to sell what’s popular in our area.

I can’t even get a packer brisket or short plate ribs, let alone other fancy cuts like Picanha or Tri-tip.

To quote one of the meat cutters:

“Regrettably, we don’t stock packer briskets solely due to consumer preference in our area and to make things as easy as possible for consumers.”

Granted, barbecue is definitely becoming more mainstream. Maybe packer briskets will make their way up North due to demand but I doubt it.

Wild Fork Foods is sort of a saving grace for me.

Wild Fork Foods offers the following:

• Beef
• Poultry
• Pork
• Seafood
• Lamb
• Specialty meats – Bison, Goat, Boar, Elk, Veal, Yak, Duck, Venison, Alligator, and Rabbit.
• As well as a variety of other food – vegetables, soup, etc.

Their selection is super impressive and their price points are overall quite fair – especially when compared to your grocery store or wholesale stores.

Is Wild Fork Foods Good?

Something being qualified as “good” is pretty subjective.

With that said, based on 10 experiences with them, I’d feel safe recommending Wild Fork Foods to Friends and Family.

I actually already have.

Something I will say is that the reviews on the platform feel genuine too. If there is a product that people say they don’t care for, more often than not, they’ll let you know.