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my mother-in-law sends my husband a box of steaks and burgers from omaha steaks every year for his birthday. they are convenient, but it seems like we always have a box of burgers taking up room in the freezer. we're not big burgers cooked on the stove top people, so we have at least two years worth of burgers in the freezer. we have moved and will finally get to bbq this summer! i'm sure those burgers will come in handy then.
all of that being said, i don't think we will ever order from them. if i'm going to be filling my freezer with meat, i'd rather it be local and/or organic meat. i live in portland, or which is nowhere near omaha...

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I was surprised to find that Bill Kurtis' beef from his Montana ranch, Prairie Grass Farms, is available through Peapod.

Prairie Grass is a free-range, grass-fed cattle ranch.

Regardless of whether the meat is conventionally raised or grass-fed, free-range, etc., I think of meat as being somethign I'd rather inspect myself and not buy online or via mail order.

I'm lucky enough to live in Seattle, so I get meat/fish from Amazon Fresh (amazon.com/fresh) ALL the time, and the quality is great! I like the salmon from Amazon FAR better than whats at the deli counter at Safeway.

I order fresh oysters online. I found a supplier that sells them at a great price packs them beautifully and couriers for only $5NZ (about $3US). I'd only order meat online if it were a good price.

What about using a local company like The Meat House? http://www.themeathouse.com/default.aspx

They have a base in Mass, so it wouldn't be shipped far. I've gotten their meats before, and they were super good quality.

Also on the environmental side, that looks like a whole lot of packaging, and I'm sure there was a lot more with the box and packing filler, etc.

I sometimes buy premade burgers from the grocery store, and they generally just come in a cardboard box or one plastic bag, sometimes with wax paper between the patties.

I'm a huge fan of the NYC-based www.dicksonsfarmstand.com. They even have cute little photos on the site to help you identify the cuts of meat! Also, you know that your meat is coming from a farm within 200 miles of where you are - you even know what farm it comes from and they give details on how the animals are raised.

We both give and receive. We send people in our family bbq from Jack Stack in KC. They love it. We receive andouille and other Louisiana specialties from one SIL and Omaha steaks from another. I think its great when you are getting something you couldn't have otherwise. But, if it is more basic, I would get it local.

www.eightoclockranch.com/ is in upstate New York, has great prices, humane treatment, amazingly delicious meat. They even have a CSA program. I've been using them for a little over a year now.

I ordered a roast of wild boar once from a ranch selling through Amazon.com. I served it at a christmas party I was throwing, and it was a big hit. :)

We buy meat online for specific reasons, primarily ethical and environmental. But it helps that tastes good. I want meat from animals that are raised humanely (not in a CAFO), on a natural diet (not stinking up the planet because of corn), and slaughtered with dignity.

Meat like this is expensive when purchased piece by piece, assuming you can find it. You can help yourself and the farmer by buying in quality. We have good luck with Eight O'Clock Ranch (already mentioned) as well as splitting an animal with friends from a local farmer. I also appreciate working my through the various cuts available. It makes for interesting cooking and I think it shows respect to eat from nose to tail, even if you don't quite make it to the tail.

If you are in NYC, one way to compromise is to purchase the meat on-line and pick it up at the greenmarket. Bobolink Dairy does this...
http://www.cowsoutside.com/

I can't imagine buying meat online. Here in Minnesota we have some of the best meat in the country. I can get local, organic, fresh meat any day of the week. Why would I buy it online? And it is much cheaper than online.

I try to always buy my meat at the local farmer's market. But after doing a taste test of artisan raised beef, I'm suddenly considering purchasing mail order beef.

Thanks to a thorough taste test with Oliver Ranch, I learned how they carefully select beef that's been raised responsibly, ethically, and with the utmost care for the animal and consumer in mind. They're teaching people to ask questions about the beef they're buying in order to find out what kind of meat they're eating (breed), how the cow was fed and raised, what sort of land the cows grew up on, and how the beef was processed. Though I still wonder if shipping beef via FedX is the best for the environment, I'm definitely interested in education Oliver Ranch's Artisan Beef Institute offers.

I'm not against ordering meat online - it makes a nice gift for elderly family members or friends who do not get out much, or do get special products that are unique, but it is much nicer and productive to see your meat in person and to freeze it in the way you want.

Tallgrass Beef is outstanding. It's served at Harry Carey's in Chicago.

http://www.tallgrassbeef.com/

And who doesn't love Bill Kurtis??

I don't know where you are but many localities now have meat CSAs which allow farmers to continue to raise meat in a sustainable small way. I live in the Boston area and once a month a Vermont meat farmer brings deliveries down of organically raised beef and pork. He is able to keep his family farm, I'm not buying "Big Meat" and it's delicious! On average it's slightly more expensive than the grocery store, but quality is so superior it is worth it.

http://www.eatwild.org

You can find local meat/poultry farmers here and eliminate the transport/shipping costs!

Oops!

http://www.eatwild.com

(not .org)

We grew up getting Omaha Steaks for Christmas every year from my uncle. Now I always give my brother Omaha steaks for his birthday (around Memorial Day). They earn high praise from his organic food obsessed wife and friends, probably due to his expert grilling skills. I myself am going home tonight to grill an Omaha steak given to me by my other steak loving brother. I'm sure there are trendier more politically correct meats out there, but I'm happy with the price/quality of what I know and don't care so much about how happy the animal was while dying.