That’s right. This isn’t science fiction. It’s been available for decades. The trick was merely finding the perfect source for your perfect steaks. Now you know the secret. Yep, the family-owned Nebraska-based business Omaha Steaks has been operating and shipping frozen food across the country for an entire century. Since they’ve been around forever, we thought it would be a great idea to give an updated review of Omaha Steaks covering everything from product offerings, quality and taste, and ultimately comparing it to the competition. Not nearly enough people know the pleasure of receiving frozen steaks right to your door. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to break it down for everyone who has ever considered using this remarkable service. But, before we jump into the review, it’s important to keep one thing in mind…
Remember: Omaha Steaks is More than Steaks
With steaks in their name, it’s easy to overlook that the company offers much, much more than just red meat and gift baskets. Sure, those are particularly attractive offerings and there’s a reason that the company decided to lean into steaks in their branding. However, this company is more diverse than a mere red meat delivery system. They have a full line of seafood, appetizers and sides, desserts, and even wine (depending on where you live, of course). And if you’re a steak-nut like I am, you’ll be drooling over the King Cut and specialty cuts Omaha offers which includes a ridiculous 72oz sirloin. This is the section for me. Seriously, you won’t believe how overwhelmingly juicy and irresistible these cuts of meat are, even if you opt for a less gigantic option. However, since I love to cook everything sous vide, I had to test drive Omaha’s sous vide product combo. It was the right thing to do.
Full Review: Omaha Steaks
Unboxing
For this review, we received Omaha’s “Sous Vide Experience” which is a big combo package containing 37 products, one of which is a massive 48oz bone-in ribeye, in addition to a free Anova Precision Cooker. The price on this combo is hefty, but factoring in the sous vide machine cost and how much food you get, it’s really not crazy. If you’re going to order a 37 piece sous vide package through the mail, you’ve got to expect to pay a hefty price tag for it.
So what do you get for breaking the bank on steak? Well, the entire order consists of the following: 6 filet mignons, 4 New York strips, 2 ribeyes, 6 top sirloins, 2 wild salmon filets, 2 yellowfin tuna steaks, 2 halibut steaks, 2 cod filets, 6 boneless pork chops, 2lbs chicken breast, 1 King Cut 48oz ribeye, 3 spice rubs, and an Anova sous vide cooker. In other words, you can expect to gorge yourself of the finest cuts of meat in sous vide for weeks after ordering one of these packages.
Quality and Taste
This is the bread and butter of the Omaha Steaks review, and likely the part you’re most interested in reading about. After all, when you’re in business for 100 years, you may have customers with both positive and negative experiences. I was definitely left with a positive experience from this order simply because the steaks and fish came out amazing. Now you may be thinking back to an article you read online years ago or a friend who said the steaks were not worth it. The answer is simple: it all comes down to the cook. The greatest steak in the world can be ruined by poor preparation and cooking. Don’t let that happen to you. Treat these steaks right and they will treat your belly oh-so right.
Let me tell you my memories of Omaha Steaks. When I was younger, my parents received an Omaha gift basket from our relatives as a Christmas present. My mother always cooked steaks well done. I hated it. In fact, I hated it so much, I nearly gave up eating meat all together. Honestly, the people who prepare steaks well done shouldn’t even be allowed to have steaks at all. They are ruining those tasty cuts of beef for themselves and anyone else who dates to put it near their mouth.
Thankfully, I have learned from my mother’s mistake. Years later, I’ve not only learned how to cook a perfect steak (ie, temperature control via sous vide), but more importantly, learned how to cook it to my desired doneness. I put that expertise to the test while preparing this stunning pieces of meat and fish in sous vide. Long story short, the steaks and fish were amazing. If you’re looking for some proof, here’s a photo of each (prepare for your mouth to water):
Omaha’s Filet Mignon
Omaha’s Halibut
Know What you Want
Another area I’d like to touch on is the size of the steaks. I’ve heard people say before that Omaha steaks are small. If you’re like me and enjoy a thick cut steak, but go online and order their general 7 oz ribeye, you’ll complain that it’s small. That’s because it is! You can’t complain about receiving a small steak when you order a small steak. You have to do the research and order the steak that’s right for you. I can’t encourage you enough to make sure you shop around on their site a bit, since it’s so large. Take a look at the custom cuts and king cuts sections. You’ll find the right steaks on there. Just search them out and create your own combo. If grass-fed beef is more your style, they offer that too. Their steak repertoire runs deep, so look and it shall be found.
Comparing it to Competitors
There are two other websites I’d like to call out that are great comparisons; the first is Allen Brothers. Allen Brothers sells exceptional prime-grade beef, likely the best you can buy online anywhere. However, the price is craaazy high. We’re talking over ~$40 for one 12oz ribeye. So, you’ll be paying big bucks for premium quality. Whether or not that’s worth it is up to you and how much money you are willing to waste.
Another new-entrant I’d like to shout out is Crowd Cow. This steak start-up actually crowd funds grass-fed beef from local farms and ranchers and ships it all across the US. It’s not currently available in all states, and there’s many times that ordering is unavailable. The prices are also up there, but are often comparable to Omaha, if not a little more expensive. So, look into it if Omaha’s steaks don’t cut it. You might get lucky and fall within their steak delivery zone.
To sum it up, there is definitely better steak to buy online, but only if you’re willing to take out a loan to pay for it. Omaha offers convenience and fast shipping with an extensive product line and a fairly reasonable price. For some families, that will be more than enough.
Final Thoughts
I will absolutely buy from Omaha Steaks in the future (once my stockpile runs down from the Sous Vide Experience combo) to get my hands on some of those custom cuts and massive steaks. Now that I’ve dug through their website, I know what I’m looking for and will take advantage of the delicious piles of meat that they have on offer. I will obviously still buy from my local butcher for a fresh steak, but the convenience of re-stocking my freezer with a bunch of steaks that are shipped to my door and then simply dropping one into my sous vide cooker is hard to beat. Omaha Steaks makes it easy to fill your freezer with stacks of delicious meat and that’s tough to resist.