Arden- Are you telling me we can use a pellet smoker indoors?
All the rage today is about bringing smoking to the home, and it is unlike the past when smoking and curing played a part in preserving food. Today, this process is primarily used to improve or add a new dimension to the food we enjoy daily. Over the last few years, there has been an explosion in the types and amounts of smokers available at local retailers. Available in all sizes and combinations and with many features, there seems to be no end to the excitement.
This brings me to a crowdfunded company called Arden that has taken smoking to the next level and brought it indoors. That’s right! You can now smoke food indoors with a tabletop unit. Let me first start by re-emphasizing that this is a crowdfunded campaign. I will be the first to tell you this is a gamble, and there is no guarantee of this item coming to fruition. Take it from someone with crowdfunding experience such as this and note this is only part 1:
So, while there is plenty of risk with this smoker from Arden, there is plenty of promise. Who wouldn’t like to have the ability to smoke from the confines of one’s own home? Step 1: Add water to the chamber.
Step 2: Add the wood pellets to the top of the unit. Arden claims the smoker is a pellet sipper, not a guzzler like outdoor units.
Step 3: Set the unit’s heat, level of smoke, and length of time. The panel is touted as being intuitive.
The real kicker on this unit is the ventless technology. They have no other filtration system built into the unit but claim no indoor smoke. I can only assume the water chamber plays a part in containing the smoke. I hope this is the case for their sake because smoke can be devastatingly long-lasting if it finds its way into your home. As anyone can attest, putting smoked food in a fridge can be pretty invasive. If this unit can contain smoke, it would be very innovative.
Arden notes that the unit will maintain precise temperature control, most likely due to the integrated meat temperature probe. This means you can start the smoking, set the temperature, adjust the length of time, and keep the food warm upon completion.
Below is an open view of the counter-size unit. Arden claims the racks and drip tray are dishwasher-safe and easy to remove. I am confident this will come in handy, knowing how messy smoking can be. Also of note is the ample size of the unit. Of course, you will not be able to feed a small army with a unit of this size (That is why you have the large outdoor smoker!).
Direct from Arden, you can prepare the following within the unit at a given time:
You can fund this campaign directly on Indiegogo right now for $649 with the hope you will receive one sometime in 2023. As I have found recently on many campaigns I am involved in, many of these are contingent upon a host of things going right if you will receive the item in the estimated time. I must state it again, be wary when funding these campaigns. Some go well, some experience delays and some are utter failures. Only time will tell on the Arden Indoor Pellet Smoker!