Allen Brothers
Allen Brothers Reviews - Best Online Steaks
Allen Brothers may be the class of the industry everyone else strives to be. From product quality to shipping and packaging this is an elite steak delivery service, with a high focus on customer satisfaction, that also comes at an elite price. Value is not impossible find, and a great steak experience is guaranteed if you cook it properly.
About Allen Brothers - Purveyor of USDA Prime Meats
Allen Brothers was founded in 1893, in what was known as Chicago’s Union Stockyards. They have a reputation for providing high-quality meat products and ensuring customer satisfaction. In 2012, chairman Bobby Hatoff was inducted into the meat industry Hall of Fame.
- Allen Brothers provide their customers with high-quality meat products. Currently, they offer wet-aged beef, dry-aged beef, grass-fed beef, natural beef, burgers and hot dogs, pork, lamb, veal, bison, elk, poultry, and various types of seafood.
- Allen Brothers meats offer two aging options. They provide wet-aged products and dry-aged products. Wet aging involves Cryovacing beef products, so they can marinate in their own juices to become more tender. Dry aging involves allowing meat to age in a temperature control environment, so it has a chance for the outside edges to dry out. It allows the meat to develop a nuttier, softer flavor.
- They provide their customers with grass-fed beef, which is the most natural diet possible. Cattle that are allowed to forage for its own food build leaner muscle and are healthier because it is the most natural diet for them. Allen Brothers produce USDA Prime beef which represents only 2% of the available meat in the United States.
- They offer a wide range of beef, wagyu beef, pork, lamb, veal, bison, elk, poultry, and seafood. They also provide grilling assortments, kid-focused assortments, side dishes, appetizers, and desserts. Many customers are pleased to find they have a variety of butter, compound butter, and rendered duck fat for cooking.
- Allen Brothers does not tell their customers the brands of their beef, such as Angus or Black Angus. They also do not define the type and length of all the aging on all of their products.
- This company offers three guarantees for their products. They guarantee that their beef is high-quality and high-grade. They guarantee customer products will arrive in a wholesome condition. They guarantee that customer orders will be accurate. If their customers are not happy with the product they receive, they will be provided a replacement for the product they are dissatisfied with, or they will be issued a gift card for the product value that can be used at a later date.
Tomahawk Ribeye served with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus
Our Allen Brothers Review
Tomahawk Ribeye USDA Prime - 34 oz. - 2 Steaks - $230 - $115 Each
Bucket List Steak.
The Tomahawk Ribeye has to be on everyone's steak bucket list, and the first place you should think to get one is at Allen Brothers. The steak is outstanding, an absolute perfect and flavorful blend of fat and USDA Prime beef, and the long-bone makes an amazing presentation. We say to get them here because we have never been disappointed and you'll probably buy just one of these in your lifetime. You'll want buy with the confidence of knowing you are getting your steak at one of the best long-time online steak vendors out there, with an immaculate reputation.
We get these steaks when we have about half dozen guys over for a Fantasy Football draft or to watch some football games. You have to buy two at a time, but it won't be difficult finding mouths to help devour these amazing steaks. Salt and pepper is all they and be careful about overcooking them. We have seen internal temperatures raise between 15 and 20 degrees after they come off the grill and rest. And please do let them rest for at least 15 minutes. It changes the entire meal!
Filet Mignon served with Sauteed Diced Potatoes and Steamed Green Beans
USDA Prime Close Trim Filet Mignon - 8 Filets - 6 oz. Each - $200 - $25 Each
Make no mistake about it, everything about Allen Brothers is first-class, including everything related to being an industry leader like high-quality products, hand trimming, shipping, packaging, and flash freezing. No surprise their Chairman was elected to the Beef Industry Hall of Fame in 2012. All that perfection comes with a price. In this case, it's a hefty one in a tiny package.
$25 for a 6 oz. Filet Mignon might be hard for most people to swallow, but we received these free as part of a package deal. 6 oz. is literally three bites, four if you stretch it out, but you won't be needing any napkins to wipe up all the steak juices flying about. The Filet Mignon is very good, no doubt, but we think the Omaha Steaks 10 oz. Filet Mignon for $23
is just as good. In fact, we think we can can blind taste-test it against five other, less expensive, Filet Mignons that are also very good, and you probably wouldn't be able to pick out the one from Allen Bros.
Wagyu NY Strip Steak served with a Mammoth Baked Potato and Steamed Broccoli Florets
Wagyu NY Strip Steaks - Grade BMS 6-7 - 4 Steaks - 10 oz. Each - $217 - $54 Each
Wagyu beef will be on everyone's steak bucket list, and it certainly should be.There is nothing like it in the world! But before you go diving blindly into the world of marbling, there are some basic tips you should follow.
- Make your first purchase from a industry respected leader, like Allen Brothers.
- Learn what the basics of marbling mean.
- Have an understanding of how Wagyu beef is graded so you know what you are buying.
We all know the USDA Grades beef Prime, Choice, and Select. The Japanese grading system for Wagyu beef is a little more complicated. The Wagyu steak we purchased from Allen Bros. is a BMS 6-7. BMS stands for Beef Marble Score, and a score of 6-7 means "Good." Excellent would be the next highest score if the grade fell between 8-12. Average is a score of 3-4. Marbling is not the only consideration. Scores are also based on the color and texture of the meat.
Here is a close up of the steak we purchased to show you the marbling, and why you would want to buy this steak. The amount of fat in the steak creates an amazingly smooth texture and an equally amazing flavor by cooking the steak in its own fat, like steak con-feat. You just don't see this much marbling in USDA Prime steaks.
If we had the choice of eating two Prime 6 oz Filet Mignon's ($50) or one 10 oz. Wagyu NY Strip ($54) we would choose the Wagyu Steak all day. So will you, your family, your guests, and practically anyone with a mouth. $54 is a damn good price for a NY Strip of this quality and frankly, we were a little surprised to see Allen Bros. selling them at this price.
Here's what you don't want to do; Overcook it! It is already perfect, all you can do now is mess it up. We added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cooked it on an open grill, meaning we didn't close the cover. As you can see, we have some nice grill marks. We took it off the grill early and let it come up to temperature while it rested. You too can Wagyu, and you should start right here!
Bison NY Strip Steak serviced with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Brussels Sprouts.
Bison NY Strip Steaks - 4 Steaks - 10 oz. Each - $136 - $34 Each
At $34 each, we thought these Bison Steaks are a good deal. Bison doesn't have marbling and it comes with very dark red meat. Companies can pay for the USDA to inspect Bison, but there is no grading system for it. Given that, you always want to buy from a reliable and established source like Allen Brothers, even if you have to pay a few bucks more.
Everything about this steak was awesome except for the gourmet trim. We felt the chunks of fat left on the side of these was excessive. So much so the fat did not cook out and left an alien-like rubbery banana-shaped fat lump on the side of the steak which was grossly unappealing throughout eating the meal. Again, the steak itself was very good and as flavorful as the Wagyu.
We say all the time the secret to preparing a great steak is to not mess it up. In this case we feel the Allen Bros. Butchers dropped the ball and ruined an amazing dining experience.
Our Conclusion
Allen Brothers is a great source for your bucket list steaks at very reasonable prices. You may save a few bucks getting Wagyu or Tomahawk Ribeyes somewhere else, but when you take into consideration the reputation and experience Allen Bros. has, we think it's worth a little extra for the peace of mind in knowing you are to get the best bucket list steak for your dollar, and to us, that is value. Any first-time buyer of these types of steaks should consider Allen Bros. first.
We did have some issue with the gourmet trim of the Bison steaks. Normally the butchers at Allen Bros. do an amazing job hand trimming the meat, but this one felt like they were leaving fat on these thin steaks to add some weight to the product. The quality of the meat on the Bison Strip steak was great.
Entertaining and preparing meals for larger gatherings or holidays may price Allen Brothers as the choice for which vendor will appear on your menu. Unless you find an amazing special, and Allen Bros. is not known for discounts, it can easily become very expensive to feed your guests enough food so they feel like they had a great meal.
Thank you for visiting!
Kevin Bouchard
BestOnlineReviews.com
Submitted Customer Experiences
Allen Brother’s anything is awesome. Most five star restaurant’s I’ve ate at I was told by the manager’s that they use Allen Brothers. I’ve been eating Allen Brothers steaks for years and only had one complaint. One of my orders came defrosted. I called costumer service and was told it was due to civil unrest. (Chicago).
It wasn’t their problem (very rude woman) so I asked if it was my problem and she informed that yes it was . Their foods are too good to let this stop me from continuing ordering from them but if I find another place with Allen Brothers quality I may switch over.
Gregory F.
Illinois
I purchased two Ribeyes, burgers, steak dogs. Not impressed at all. For the money I spent I could've bought 8 good steaks at the local butcher. The burgers were like any other burger. Shipping costs are ridiculous
Kim S.
Pennsylvania
I purchased a Prime Rib Premium Roast, Brisket, and Short rib Burgers. I have tried on several recent occasions to reach customer service and no one was available. I have left my number to no avail. Today I called again and couldn't even leave a number because the mailbox was full. I would expect this from Walmart but not from Allen Brothers. I have heard from others that they have had similar problems. I hope they are not about to go under as Customer service is usually the first thing to go. It used to be a great company but something seems to be wrong.
S. Rohlfs
Illinois
My latest order was a birthday present of bone in strip steaks. The plan was for my friend to freeze them and for us to enjoy them together the following week. the steaks arrived with almost no ice left and 1/2 defrosted. they needed to be eaten immediately, so I did not get to enjoy the fruits of my gift.
I have now sent Allen Brothers 3 emails and "contact" through their web site over the past 1 1/2 weeks.. They have failed to reply to any of my messages. They have had no problems accepting my payments over the past few years. I do have a few minor complaints from the past also, but none that resulted in my complaining to them or placing them in a review. Sadly to say, I think my relationship with them has come to a frustrating end
-Nat
Florida
We purchased Ribeyes, Veal Slices , Wagyu Fillets, and a Porterhouse. We have been ordering from AB for years - always large orders approx $500.00 a shot, also have sent their steaks as gifts. our experiences the past 2 times have been dreadful. The product was not delivered 2xs, the 3rd time it arrived defrosted & rotten. the next order was totally defrosted. Getting in touch with anyone is almost impossible - when you do reach someone prepare for them to be rude. at this cost we'll go elsewhere, sad but not worth the cost any longer. -KMG
-Karin Geiselhart
I was really disappointed with the 6 pack of beef Wellingtons we received. I have a professional DCS oven in which I cooked 3 of these individual filets. The instructions stated 420 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. My oven is spot on for any and everything I have ever cooked. After 30 minutes the Wellingtons came in at a temp of 75-80 degrees . Cooked another 10 minutes and still only registered 100 degrees. After another 15 minutes at which point the rest of the dinner was overcooked, the filets were finally done but the pastry was soggy and almost inedible. Unfortunately I have another 3 Wellingtons which I would rather return but will try to change the recipe to be more palatable, Very disappointing since this was an anniversary dinner and I was appalled at the results. At the cost of this product I would definitely not recommend this to anyone.
-Janet Hale
Massachusetts
The Prime Beef, Dry-Aged, Long-Bone Ribeye steak from Allen Brothers comes with a hefty price, but they are well worth it. It is more than a steak, it's an experience you have to savor. You should put this steak on your bucket list. If you love gourmet steak, it' a must get. If you'e buying a gift for someone, like you father, I would recommend you give him these instead of a tie, or a gift card. It is perfection.
-Aldo Piquanti
Manhattan NYC
I chose Allen Brothers because they are USDA approved, and their products have always been simply mouthwatering with every order I've received. Their taste is not far from the gourmet steaks my family and I order in fine restaurants. I personally like their filet mignon wrapped with bacon, absolute perfection! They even have other great filet mignon versions, such as their crowned filet mignon, and filet mignon Beef Wellington. What's more, I find them very affordable, compared to the expense I would get if I tried to shop around for this kind of quality myself.
-W. Powers, WA
To whom it may concern,
I purchased the Allen Bros Bison NY Strip in the winter. It's been sitting in my freezer all this time. I searched the Internet to find out how to cook it and came across this website. I used the contact form to ask for directions and Chef Kevin called me right back. He walked me through the steps, of which there were hardly any. I can't boil water so cooking anything is a challenge. Here is a picture of my Bison Steak. It is the best thing I ever made in the kitchen, and I used the stove-top to brown the sides and the oven to cook the insides. Chef Kevin stayed on the phone with the whole way and made me feel like I accomplished something special. The steak was awesome too, and now that I know how to make them I am going to get more! He is a very nice man.
-Sharon M. Kelly, New Jersey
Allen Brothers is one of the best steak delivery companies out there, but my last order wasn't up to the usual standards. I almost had the feeling the meat was frozen, defrosted, and refrozen again. Maybe it was or wasn't, but they are good company with good products that are a little on the pricey side.
-Frank L., MI
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Additional References
- What is Marbling? - Best Online Steaks Blog
- USDA Certified Beef Programs - Companies certified with the USDA for the type and quality beef they sell. Allen Brothers is listed.
- Allen Brothers Website