Barbecue lovers rejoice — you'll soon be able to smoke meat and other foods indoors.
FirstBuild, the global co-creation community and open innovation lab backed by Louisville-based GE Appliances, a Haier Company, is raising funds for a new, first-of-its-kind small appliance: Arden. It's a pellet barbecue smoker that's been transformed to be used indoors instead of outside.
The innovation came from FirstBuild's unique smoke elimination system first developed for the Monogram Smart Hearth Oven, according to a news release. In addition to smoke elimination, the system enables fresh smoke generation and precise temperature control.
While most pellet smokers are the size of an outdoor grill, Arden really is a small appliance standing 16-inches tall, 16.5-inches wide and 20-inches in depth. It can smoke three racks of ribs cut in half, one brisket cut in half, dozens of chicken wings, an average-size pork butt, vegetables, sauces and salts, sugar and other seasonings.
"Arden changes what it means to barbecue," said André Zdanow, executive director of both FirstBuild and Small Appliances at GE Appliances, in the release. "Arden is more than a revolutionary new product; it redefines in-home cooking. Arden will both delight experienced pitmasters and make smoking food and ingredients accessible to a whole new audience."
Since the end of March, FirstBuild has raised more than $600,000 for Arden from nearly 900 backers through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Backers have access to an early-bird price of $649 through the campaign, which ends at the end of the month. Arden is expected to begin delivering to backers in late summer 2023, and is expected to retail for $1,099.
Arden is being brought to life through co-creation with the FirstBuild community and leading barbecue experts, including Jeremy Yoder of MadScientistBBQ, the release continued. Yoder will also be launching his new line of MadScientistBBQ rubs to Arden backers. Backers will also be able to purchase sauces from HeyGrillHey through the crowdfund.
This isn't the first FirstBuild product that's had crowdfunding success: It raised nearly $550,000 for Mella, a countertop appliance made for growing edible gourmet mushrooms at home, last year. FirstBuild also launched the Opal Nugget Ice Maker and Paragon Smart Cooking System via Indiegogo.
GE Appliances, founded locally in 1953 and under Haier's ownership since 2016, makes dishwashers, laundry machines and refrigerators in Louisville. Its engineering, product design and other corporate teams are located here as well. It's one of the area's largest manufacturers and employers with about 7,100 full-time equivalent employees locally.
