Yes, You Can Buy Steak On Temu — But, Here's Why You Absolutely Shouldn't

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You know Temu? That online marketplace where you can get just about anything for less money than Amazon (albeit with some potential quality issues along the way)? The one that is marginally better than Shein and Wish? Well, in addition to skirts that will fall apart after two wears, you can also buy steak from Temu. But — and we realize this may be difficult for carnivores looking to save some cash — you really, really shouldn't. It may not kill you, but there's no real way for you to know what you're getting since you're missing out on that personalized service that comes with ordering through a butcher — and reviews haven't been favorable.

Now, if you're imagining steak being dropped in a box in some distant factory and shipped across the ocean to you, you'll be relieved to know that that's not how this works. Temu sources its steak mostly from a New York-based company called Grumpy Butcher. But it's not necessarily great stuff: writing for Delish, Steven Morea reported receiving "the least tender steak I've ever eaten," with an "aggressively metallic" taste. And, anyway, the savings aren't even that good: four 10-ounce New York strip steaks go for $109 at regular price (or $43.60 per pound). You can find USDA Prime Beef NY Strip steak from online retailer Wild Fork for just under $23 per pound. It's telling that threads on Reddit and Facebook ask for people to try Temu steaks to see how they are, and yet no one seems to be biting.

Obviously, there's a real appeal to shopping online. Who can argue with the convenience of letting groceries get delivered to your front door? (Of course, your wallet may have some complaints, especially if Instacart's AI pricing has its way.) But sometimes, it's really for the best that you go to a real, actual place and pick out a steak (or whatever cut of meat you'd like) for yourself.

If you want a really top-notch piece of meat, you can go to your local butcher. Even if you don't know your way around the carnivorous arts, you can rely on them to get you what you need, as they focus strictly on meat. They know everything about where their meat has been sourced from, what you can use it for, and how to get the best results with your cooking, even trimming it for your convenience. (And if you want to save money at the butcher, you can always ingratiate yourself with them and form a nice rapport.) 

While grocery stores are not necessarily a replacement for a good butcher, they'll have meat for you, too — and what's more, you'll be able to pick it out yourself and put it in your cart. Even as online shopping becomes more popular than ever, there are some cases where a brick-and-mortar shop has it beat — especially when it comes to Temu.