6 Best Lem Grinders For Cold Climates That Old Hunters Trust

There’s a unique chill that settles in a garage or workshop after a successful late-season hunt. The air is sharp, your hands are stiff, and you have a mountain of cold, dense meat to process. This is where the right equipment doesn’t just make the job easier—it makes it possible. Choosing a meat grinder isn’t about getting the biggest or most expensive one; it’s about getting the one that won’t quit when the temperature drops and the work gets tough.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Why Cold Weather Demands a Tough Meat Grinder

Processing meat in a cold garage is a different beast entirely. The cold itself becomes a tool, firming up the meat and fat for a perfect, clean grind without smearing. But that firm, semi-frozen meat puts immense strain on a grinder’s motor and gears.

This is where cheap grinders with plastic internal components fail, and they fail spectacularly. Cold makes plastic brittle. Under the torque required to force dense, cold meat through a grinding plate, those plastic gears can shatter, leaving you with a dead machine and a pile of meat to deal with.

A grinder built for these conditions needs two things above all else: all-metal gears and a powerful, permanently lubricated, fan-cooled motor. The metal gears provide the durability to handle the load without fatiguing. The fan-cooled motor ensures the unit doesn’t overheat and shut down, even when it’s running for an hour straight in a 40-degree workshop.

LEM Big Bite #8 .5 HP: Reliable for Small Game

Don’t let the ".5 HP" fool you; this grinder is a serious workhorse for the average hunter. If you’re processing a couple of deer, a hog, or a pile of waterfowl each year, the #8 has all the power you need. It’s the perfect entry point into the world of serious meat processing without over-investing.

The key is LEM’s "Big Bite" technology. The auger is designed to grab chunks of meat and pull them into the grinding head aggressively. This means less time spent stomping meat with the plunger, which is a huge relief when your hands are cold and you just want to keep the line moving.

Its smaller size is also a practical advantage in a crowded workshop. It doesn’t command a huge amount of bench space and is relatively easy to move and clean. For the hunter who values efficiency and reliability for small-to-medium jobs, the #8 is a trusted starting point.

LEM Big Bite #12 .75 HP for Consistent Power

This is the sweet spot for a huge number of hunters. The jump from .5 HP to .75 HP is more significant than it sounds. The #12 doesn’t bog down on tougher cuts or slightly-too-frozen chunks of venison, giving you a consistent, steady grinding speed that builds confidence.

The most practical benefit is the larger #12 throat size. You can feed it larger pieces of meat, which means less time spent at the cutting board meticulously trimming every piece down to a perfect strip. When you’re trying to work quickly and efficiently in the cold, minimizing prep time is a massive win.

Think of the #12 as the perfect all-around grinder for the serious deer hunter who might occasionally process an entire hog or a shared beef quarter. It has enough power to handle volume without the physical size and cost of the larger commercial-grade units. It’s the model that balances power, throughput, and practicality better than almost any other.

LEM Big Bite #22 1 HP Grinder for Elk and Moose

When you graduate to processing truly large game like elk, moose, or caribou, you enter a different league of processing. You’re not dealing with 50 pounds of meat; you’re dealing with hundreds. The #22, with its full 1 HP motor, is built specifically for this kind of volume and density.

The sheer power of this machine is its defining feature. It chews through tough, sinewy shank meat and silver skin that would stall a smaller grinder, especially when that tissue is stiff from the cold. The grinder doesn’t strain; it just works, turning massive bowls of trimmed meat into ground product in minutes, not hours.

This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about food safety and quality. When you have that much meat laid out, speed is your friend. The #22 allows you to get everything ground, mixed, and packaged quickly, minimizing the time the meat spends warming up. For the hunter who regularly tackles big-boned, heavy-muscled animals, this grinder is an absolute necessity.

LEM Big Bite #32 1.5 HP: The Ultimate Workhorse

Let’s be clear: this grinder is overkill for most people. But for the hunter who processes for the entire hunting camp, or the homesteader who processes multiple hogs and a steer every year, the #32 is the final word. It is a commercial-grade machine designed for relentless, high-volume work.

With a 1.5 HP motor and a massive #32 grinding head, this unit processes meat faster than one person can feed it. Partially frozen chunks of beef or moose disappear down the throat without a hint of hesitation. This is the machine you buy when grinder failure is not an option and your time is your most valuable asset.

The tradeoff is its size and weight. This is not a machine you tuck away in a cabinet; it lives on a dedicated cart or a permanent spot on the workbench. It’s a serious investment, but for those who need its capability, it pays for itself in reliability and saved hours of labor on cold winter days.

LEM Mighty Bite #8: A Compact and Capable Option

Not everyone needs the industrial power of the Big Bite series. The Mighty Bite #8 is a fantastic, more compact option for the hunter who processes one or two deer a year and values storage space. It delivers reliable performance in a smaller, more approachable package.

It still features the all-metal gears you need for cold-weather grinding, but with a slightly less powerful motor and a smaller form factor. This means you’ll need to cut your meat into smaller, more uniform strips to feed it smoothly. It’s a direct tradeoff: you exchange a little more prep time for a lower cost and a much smaller footprint.

Think of the Mighty Bite as the perfect upgrade from a kitchen mixer attachment. It provides a massive leap in power and durability without the commitment of a larger, more expensive machine. It’s a capable and trusted tool for smaller-scale, seasonal processing.

The LEM Clamp-On Hand Grinder: Old-School Grit

No battery to die, no motor to burn out, no cord to trip over. The manual hand grinder is the embodiment of self-reliance, and every serious processor should have one, even if it’s just as a backup. In a cold workshop, its simplicity is its greatest strength.

When the power goes out in a winter storm mid-process, the hand grinder keeps you working. It’s also the perfect tool for small, experimental batches of sausage. You can grind five pounds of a new recipe without having to clean a massive electric unit.

It takes effort, no doubt about it. But clamping it to a sturdy bench and turning the crank connects you to the process in a fundamental way. It’s slow, steady work, but it is unstoppable. For a few bucks, it’s the cheapest insurance policy you can buy for your processing day.

Key Features for Grinding in a Cold Workshop

When you’re standing in front of a wall of grinder boxes, it’s easy to get lost in horsepower and numbers. But for cold-weather work, a few key features are non-negotiable. These are the details that separate a reliable tool from a frustrating liability.

Focus on these core components:

• All-Metal Gears: This is the most critical feature. Plastic gears will eventually fail under the strain of cold, dense meat. Insist on metal.
• Permanently Lubricated, Fan-Cooled Motor: A motor that can run continuously without overheating is essential for processing large batches. The fan keeps it cool, and permanent lubrication means less maintenance.
• Stainless Steel Construction: The head, auger, and meat pan should be stainless steel. It’s durable, won’t rust in a damp environment, and is easy to sanitize, even when it’s freezing cold.
• "Big Bite" Auger Technology: This patented LEM feature makes a real difference. It actively pulls meat into the grinder, saving you effort and speeding up the entire process.
• Built-in Circuit Breaker: This safety feature protects the motor from burning out if you hit a bone fragment or a piece of meat that’s frozen solid. It’s a small detail that can save you from a very expensive repair.

Ultimately, the best grinder is the one that fits the scale of your work and the conditions you face. Investing in a machine with a strong motor and metal gears isn’t an extravagance; it’s a practical decision that prevents failure and frustration. On a cold day with a freezer to fill, that reliability is worth everything.