Epiphanies of the gastronomic variety don't come along often but when they do, it's just plain selfish not to share. After scouting Easter and Passover meats to buy online, a half ham from online Butcher Porter Road arrived at my doorstep. Following a quick glaze and 90 minutes in the oven, a caramelized and crusty hock emerged. And it was simply unlike anything I'd had before.
If you're playing host for Easter this year, I can't recommend Porter Road's tender and flavor-packed ham enough. You can even score a bundle with the half ham -- which is enough to feed 10 Easter-goers -- plus 18 biscuits and a tub of tangy pimento cheese for $130.
If ham isn't your thing, you might be hawking for a beautiful leg of lamb or rib roast to serve the gang. Brisket also shines this time of year (and barbecue season is right around the corner). If you're planning to slow cook a brisket or roast for Easter Sunday or Passover Seder, there are plenty of options for buying quality holiday meats online at a good price.
Certain cuts of meat -- brisket, lamb, rib roasts -- can be tricky to find in a pinch depending on your local market's selection and inventory or if you have limited access to a good butcher shop. With so many places to buy meat online, you'll not only save yourself a trip to the store, but ensure that you've got the exact size and grade of brisket, roast or ham you need for your festive dinner.
We previously curated a list of the best online meat delivery services. To make things even easier, I've combed through all of them to pull out the best briskets, hams, lambs and rib roasts for your Passover Seder or Easter feast.
Porter Road's pasture-raised smoked ham is just about the best I've had, and it takes almost no effort on Sunday. This bundle comes with 18 biscuits (also excellent) and a jar of pimento cheese. It's enough for eight to 10 people and you might even have some leftovers.
Finding kosher brisket online is tricky but luckily Goldbelly -- one of our favorite online markets for high-end eats from restaurants around the country -- has a few options. Charm City Kosher offers a 5-pound brisket that's Passover-ready.
Kurobuta pork is raised with some of the highest standards in the business and makes for rich and flavorful meat. This 17-pound pork shoulder will feed everyone. Like, the whole neighborhood.
Crowd Cow is another meat delivery service and currently has a panoply of beef brisket options. Grab this 7-pound organic brisket for your impending Passover meal, or fancy things up with a 3.5-pound Japanese Wagyu brisket starting at $230.
I've tested (and loved) a lot of Rastelli's goods, but I haven't yet tried this 4-pound carving ham. This one's a bit more of a budget-friendly option than Porter Road's offering. The ham ships bone-in and includes a glaze for easy prep.
You can and should also add a 2-pound tray of scalloped potatoes (just heat it in the oven and serve) for $20 and have most of Easter dinner covered before you even lift a knife.
If you're looking to spoil yourself, Snake River Farms has high-end American Wagyu beef and that includes fatty briskets. Snag a 14-16-pound Wagyu brisket with ultrarich marbling starting at $159.
Snake River Farms ships the brisket frozen and suggests allowing four days (!) to thaw slowly. In short, please don't put this thing in the microwave.
Lamb is a total Easter tradition and there ain't nothing prettier than a full rack. Rastelli's offering comes in the form of two 25-ounce racks of top-quality Australian grass-fed lamb, trimmed and ready to be roasted, sliced and served. Just don't forget the mint jelly.
A rib roast is good for any holiday gathering since it'll feed a small army. Especially this 5.5-pound roast from Crowd Cow which you can have delivered in time for Easter or Passover if you order soon. The bone-in rib roast is prime grade and pasture-raised. A showstopper of a main course, to be certain.
For pork enthusiasts, Crowd Cow is also dishing out a 6-pound smoked bone-in heritage ham for $51.
D'Artagnan has fresh briskets ready to ship, starting at $125. The briskets come in a 7-pound cut only, so if that's too much, you can portion it off and stick some in the freezer for later. D'Artagnan has a slew of other high-end cuts, charcuterie and pantry items so you can stock up on meats as we roll into grilling season.
Read more: How to Smoke Low and Slow on Your Charcoal Grill
Porter Road has one of the best selections of quality meats you can order online and some very solid deals on brisket right now. Secure Porter Road's 8- to 10-pound brisket, which is pasture-raised without hormones or antibiotics, for $110 while it's in stock. If that's too much beef -- and it is a lot of beef -- you can always portion, pack and freeze it for barbecue season.
If cooking is just not in the cards this year, let some of the finest chefs in the land do the work. You can order complete Passover and Seder meals for your celebration that'll ship ready to heat and eat. We're talking food from serious restaurants too, like Seder dinner from Liebman's or Junior's -- two famous New York outposts.
For Easter, I suggest David Chang's drool-worthy Bo Ssäm dinner for four to six via New York's legendary Momofuku.
Thrive is a sprawling market with a large meat selection. It's the perfect place to build a custom box for Easter or Passover with great cuts of meat; but you can also throw in the wine, dry goods and whatever else you need to celebrate.