Fast grind and easy clean up.

Everything arrived in perfect working condition. Only have 10 lbs of grind through it so far, but it worked very well, and got the job done quickly. I can only compare it to a kitchen aid stand mixer with attachment, but it processed the meat much faster, especially the 2nd grind.

This grinder is ideal for small to medium batches of sausage. I have done between 10 and 26 lbs at a time, and it handles it perfectly every time. We have also done hamburger from brisket and ground pork from pork shouldert. Do pay attention to the suggestions that he meat be ice cold. I let it get too warm once - I'll never make that mistake again. I also discovered that the auger design wotks best with strips about 1" X 1" and as long as the meat. It seems to work better than cubing it up.

IT GRINDS WELL

I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A LEM AND FINALLY I PURCHASED ONE AFTER REALIZING THAT THE SMALL GRINDER I HAVE WAS TOO MUCH WORK. ITS VERY QUIET AND IT DOES NOT VIBRATE. THERE IS NOT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS UNIT EXCEPT THAT IT IS QUICK EASY AND DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP WITH. THIS IS A GRINDING MACHINE THAT WORKS VERY WELL.

Heavy built.

Just picked one up. Ground about 50 pounds as soon as I got it home. Seems really solid. Quieter than my old one. Just have to feed it kind of slow, because if the feed neck gets to full it air locks and can’t push the meat down. Not sure what’s different compared to my old one but…. Fairly minor but the reason for 4 stars not 5.

Happy Healthy Dog and Cats

We’ve begun making our pet’s food due to the horrors associated with commercial products we were having, so a grinder was paramount in the process. After reviewing the many makes of grinders on the market, we chose the LEM. We were correct. It works flawlessly, is easy to clean, and I might add that the optional foot switch should not be overlooked. Recipes provided by Dr. Judy (You Tube)

LEM .5 HP Big Bite Grinder

I bought this grinder to replace a LEM 575 watt grinder I have had for several years because I wanted something that had more power and would grind faster. This one certainly does that. I normally do my sausage in 5-10 lb batches and .5 hp Big Bite does that quickly without even getting warm. It's the perfect grinder for and what I do.

[Rewarded Review] Wish I had purchased this years ago

Extremely well built!!!! Set up is simple clean-up is easy. Everything is stainless steel, you can tell this thing will out last you. Ground a 22lb brisket, took longer to cut it in cubes than it did to grind it. Effortlessly powered through the job. A purchase that was truly well worth it.

Wow, didn't realize how loud my previous grinder was until I used this one. Was actually able to have a conversation at normal voice level while this was running. Very pleased with this grinder. I have already used this to grind up meat from 2 deer and the grinder worked flawlessly.

Nice machine

This nice grinder sure surprised my son-in-law with its ability to produce ground pork for sausage. He poo-pooed the half horse motor until it started running. (Now he wants one for deer.)

#8 Big Bite

I bought this unit late last summer, made about 50# of sausage and all was good. Next time out I experienced the grinder continually shutting off after under 1 minute of use. Called customer support and after telephone diagnostics was sent out a part that arrived in a few days. As it turned out, it didn't fix the problem. I sent the unit back for repair and received it back in a couple of weeks. A bit of bad luck for me but the customer service was very good. Anybody can get something imperfect at any time. I have recommended this grinder to several people and will soon buy a LEM Stuffer. LEM is a standup company!

Good machine but go bigger if you grind often.

Good product and well built. The packaging was devastated when i picked it up from the store but the product itself looked in good shape. First use was grinding mutton burger with icy cold meat. Did the job in the end with good quality outcome. Bound up in the first feed and if I shut it off with any meat in the auger it wouldn’t start up and I’d have to clean it out. I’ve used the 3/4 horse LEM grinder and didn’t have this issue. Go for the bigger grinder if you plan on doing this often; you can’t feed this machine very fast.

Best on the market.

This is a BEAST. Excellent build quality and should last a life time. I have recently gone on the Carnivore and organic fresh raw fruit juice diet to heal my neuropathy and sleep apnea. I use it to grind a hamburger blend of steak, liver and heart, because non of the local butcher shops here in California will do that anymore. I will be purchasing the juicer option so I can do everything with one appliance. I highly recommend purchasing this product for your food production needs.

Awesome!!

This grinder is amazing! So quiet I had a hard time telling if it was actually running. My son and I were fortunate enough this year to get an Elk in Arizona and 4 whitetail in Wisconsin. This grinder did over 100 pounds of ground and never missed a beat. It ground faster than we could feed it! Bought the patty making accessory which was a great addition. Well worth the money.

I love it. Just wish I'd bought one sooner!

I absolutely love it! It's built like a tank. I've had it about 4 months, used it several times, and I'm so glad I bought it. I grind our own burger. I usually use a chuck roast, cut it up, toss the strips/chunks in the freezer for 45 minutes (I put the assembled grinding tube in there, too) and then grind it. I put the ground meat back in the freezer for another 45 minutes (or an hour), wipe the fat out of the grinding tube, change plates, and pop the assembly back in the freezer again. It makes for a super easy grind.

Mixed results

This is for the 1/2 HP Big Bite. It was purchased to replace a 20+ year old 1/3 HP Oster. First impressions, this thing is heavy. It's also a lot quieter than my Oster, and it ground up 30 pounds of venison faster than I could feed it. On the negative side, before I finished the grind, I saw smoke coming out of the feed chute and I noticed the smell of meat cooking. I pulled it apart for cleaning and the motor side of the feed screw was hot. Real hot. I had prepped the venison really well and removed about 95% of sinew, etc prior to grinding. Like I said, it fed the venison chunks very easily through the machine (it did give an indication of struggling with the feed twice (but that was short lived and barely noticeable). The meat had also been refrigerated prior to grinding. As a reference, my old Oster NEVER gave off an odor of cooking meat. Would I buy this again, knowing what I now know? Maybe not.

Now that I have this - I wish I would have gotten this sooner.

After using our KitchenAid mixer with the meat grinder attachment for a few months, I upgraded to the Lem #8 Big Bite. Wow! What a difference! It was about as quiet as a can-opener and ground 15 pounds of pork in less than 5 minutes...something that would have required 20-30 minutes with my old set up. My only regret is I wish I would have gotten it sooner.

I Was About to Leave a 3 Star Review

I was ecstatic at how fast this unit grinds and how quiet it runs. The coarse grind was so fast I didn't need to use the stomper. I was thrilled to grind 50 lbs of meat in less than 20 minutes (that was with my 4 year old helping) I then froze the coarse ground meat for 20 minutes as recommended prior to grinding with the fine grind plate. Then I ran 17lbs of meat through the grinder and it took about 15 minutes. I stopped grinding because the unit was overheating and I could smell burnt meat. I was upset that I spent $350 on a grinder that couldn't handle the fine grind. I was going to write a 3 star review, but decided to read through the manual one more time. I realized I overstuffed the throat and forced too much meat into the auger. I let the grinder rest and cool for 30 minutes and then fed it another 22lbs of meat AS DIRECTED. The grinder performed flawlessly and ground all the coarse grind into fine grind in less than 15 minutes!

Amazing product!

I originally purchased the cheaper aluminum model from another seller. It worked fine, but I got aluminum slime with my meat. I returned that one and found this stainless Big Bite #8 on sale at Scheels. I can’t express how pleased I am. This grinder is very well made and works like nothing I’ve ever seen. Not like I’m new to this-I’m a senior and have ground meat for many years. All metal gears and roller bearings is a definite plus. It’s super quiet and smooth. I also purchased the accessory kit with the foot switch, as I have hated turning grinders on and off with greasy hands. It’s definitely worth it if you plan on grinding more than just a few pounds. My very first grind was 90 lbs. of pork shoulder. Too much work for one project for me, but the grinder didn’t mind at all. If you cant afford this one, the cheaper model will do for light work. But if you can afford it, you will never be sorry you chose this model! I’d give it 10 stars if possible!

Careful of connective tissue!

I really love this grinder and have never regretted pending the cash for it. The old KitchenAid attachment was hopelessly inefficient. The #8 grinder goes through 5 pounds of sausage-bound pork shoulder in minutes. A word to the wise, however. This evening I ground pork shoulder, chuck and some Osso Buco that had been languishing in my freezer, to make a big batch of Bolognese ragu. The osso buco was a big mistake. The connective tissue in it fouled the grinder, turning my meat into mush. Fortunately, I have a very old German F Dick 7" cleaver (from the 1920's I expect) and used it to pre chop the meat, then passed that through the grinder using the large die. Problem solved (and lesson learned!).

Great product.

I upgraded to this from one of the smaller Lem grinders. I was amazed by the speed and grind quality. It was very easy to take apart and clean. So that makes things a bit easier when you are finished. Also when you throw parts in the freezer. About the only complaint I do have is it does not come with hardly an instruction. For most of us that is not an issue it’s pretty self explanatory. I would like more guidance on maintenance and possibly tips and tricks. I suppose a quick web search would answer most of those questions though.