Beef
BarbecueBible.com’s Favorite Online Specialty Food Stores
We received such a positive response to what we call “Steven’s Little Black Book”—our favorite sources for products you can buy online—that we decided to share more. Some of the below purveyors were recommended to us by readers of our website or followers of Steven on social media. Keep your recommendations coming! We’d be delighted to broadcast the names of companies you’ve had great experiences with.
BarbecueBible.com’s Favorite Online Specialty Food Stores
Fish and Seafood Online Food Stores
The Lobster Guy
Perhaps you’ve seen Captain Tim Handrigan and his boat, the Courtney Elizabeth, on the TV show Deadliest Catch. Recommended to us by Martin G. after the first installment of our favorite online sources of food ran in April, the family-owned company has been in business for more than 18 years. In addition to lobster, the Lobster Guy also sells scallops, oysters, clams, steaks, chowders and bisques, and seafood appetizers. Gift certificates are also available.
Cajun Grocer
If you’ve got a craving for Gulf shrimp, alligator, crawfish, boudin, sweet potatoes with a praline topping, or corn maque choux, get thee to the website of cajungrocer.com. Or maybe a deboned chicken stuffed with jambalaya dressing (so delectable when smoke-roasted) would give you something to look forward to during the dog days of summer. A box from this Louisiana icon is a reason to party.
Farm-2-Market
As the former research director of the James Beard award-winning Rosengarten Report, Steven’s assistant, Nancy, has been ordering fresh seafood from this San Francisco company for over 15 years. The seafood is shipped fresh to your doorstep via express (overnight) delivery. Fresh Alaskan halibut cheeks—try finding those at your local market—golden trout fillets, sushi-quality albacore tuna, shellfish, and much more are available on its ever-changing website.
Meats and Poultry Online Food Stores
Porter Road
Our own Nancy Loseke, backed by a frequent visitor to our website, David T., recommends Nashville’s Porter Road for high-quality beef, pork, and chicken. Nancy depended on Porter Road for specialty cuts when she was testing recipes for her book, Healthy Pellet Grilling; they even hand-cut pork hocks for one of her signature recipes, “Pork on a Stick,” aka “pig wings.” Founders James Peiskar and Chris Carter source their meat locally from pastures in Tennessee and Kentucky and process it at their own facility. Their business became so popular locally that they began shipping their meats nationwide in 2017.
Liberty Duck
Here’s another recommendation from one of Steven’s Facebook followers, Gi C., who has good things to say about Liberty Duck of California’s Sonoma County. It’s a popular source of duck for chefs in the Bay area. Duck on the grill is a real treat. (See Steven’s recipes for Cherry-Smoked Duck with Chipotle-Cherry Barbecue Sauce or Rotisserie Peking Duck Buns with Pineapple Salsa.) Free shipping to select zip codes.
Nueske’s
For years, we’ve relied on one company to provide the bacon we use on Steven’s shows, Project Fire and Project Smoke. That company is Wisconsin-based Nueske’s. Yup. We’ve got them on speed-dial. When a recipe calls for artisanal bacon, we know just where to source it. Their triple-thick butcher-cut bacon is, well, drool-worthy. Nueske’s also carries applewood-smoked hams, turkeys, sausages, etc., as well as cheese and meat samplers.
Broken Arrow Ranch
The Hughes family has been selling wild game meats to chefs since 1983, but in 2007, began selling to home cooks as well. Its mobile meat processing units are dispatched from Broken Arrow’s home base in Texas to some 40 ranches in the region. According to Broken Arrow’s website, its team works with wildlife ecologists, ranch owners, and managers to identify over-populated herds on private land and harvests the game selectively. In addition to wild boar and venison, the company also sells quail. Broken Arrow is very responsive to questions in case you’re new to grilling or smoking game.
Miscellaneous Online Food Stores
Jasper Hill Farm
Our Vermont-based colleague, Molly Kay Upton, introduced us to this incredible purveyor of cheese. Steven was blown away by their selection, especially of washed rind and blue cheeses. An underground aging facility on this working dairy farm is one of the secrets to Jasper Hill’s many awards, including “Best of Show” in the American Cheese Society’s prestigious competition.
Earthy Delights
Steven is hella hard to buy for. But when his March birthday rolled around, his staff knew right where to go: Earthy Delights in Okemos, Michigan. Morel mushrooms, one of his favorite forms of fungi, were just coming into season. Earthy Delights, you see, specializes in foraged wild foods and seasonal produce such as mushrooms, fiddlehead ferns, ramps, Michigan cherries, padron peppers, chestnuts, paw-paws, etc. They also carry an impressive stock of pantry items—high-quality balsamic vinegars, dried out-of-season mushrooms, specialty salts, truffles, charcuterie, and much more.
What are your favorite online food purveyors that deliver? Share them with us in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, or Instagram!