# Smokin' and buildin' in KY!



## BluegrassSmoker (Sep 4, 2019)

Hey everyone.  New to the forum, but this seems like the place to be!  I am an adventurous cook and builder.  I tend to get interested in various forms of cooking and go way too deep into them.  Luckily I work for a place called FirstBuild (innovation space for GE Appliances) and get to play around with food and building appliances to make food better pretty much every day!  

Kinda quick story about how I got into smoking.....

It started about two years ago when me and the guys at work built a fridge smoker out of a 1950's GE refrigerator from Craig's list.  We gutted it, lined it with oven insulation, built a stainless steel liner for it, added oven racks, a Bradley smoke generator, an oven calrod with a PID controller that we designed, and made an app for it so that we could monitor and control it remotely.  








Then we started having BBQ Wednesdays for everyone at the shop... Pretty fun.  We keep refining the design of it to fix rookie mistakes, but overall it is pretty awesome.  We are working on a V3 of it now.  



We designed, build an sell an indoor pizza oven (very high end) that is ventless and uses a smoke elimination tech to achieve it.  We took that same tech and applied it to out 50's fridge smoker and it worked! We were able to run the fridge smoker inside our facility with no visible smoke.  It just smelled like you were making a roast in a crock pot.  People would come through on tours and see it and were blown away and said they wanted it in their house, and since our job is basically building new home appliances, we decided to try to make something that could be used on a counter-top.  We have prototypes that work (have used them in my home) and we are working towards making it into something that could be commercialized.  Happy to share more details if people are interested.

I wanted to join the forum to share the fun stuff we are working on, help other people who are trying to build smokers, and learn more about what makes great smoked food.  It has definitely been a learning experience and like everything else, the more I learn, the more I realized I don't know!

Looking forward to being part of this community.

On a side note, I am also rebuilding a '78 Land Cruiser FJ40.....


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## rjob (Sep 4, 2019)

Welcome to SMF. Sounds like you have an interesting job. When you have an opportunity please post a few pix of the interior of the refrigerator smoker. 
Plenty of information available here on many topics. You have landed in the right place!


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## uncle eddie (Sep 4, 2019)

BBQ Wednesday sound amazing!  Like.  And thanks for posting your build...can you open the door and give us a pic of the interior?


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## ristau5741 (Sep 4, 2019)

a counter top inside (smokeless) smoker similar to a crockpot,  awsome idea.


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## creek bottom (Sep 4, 2019)

Welcome!!! Sounds like you have a cool job for sure. You've sparked my curiosity with the indoor smoker. I'd love to be a tester if you need one


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## BluegrassSmoker (Sep 4, 2019)

ristau5741 said:


> a counter top inside (smokeless) smoker similar to a crockpot,  awsome idea.



It is pretty awesome... Think more of a large toaster oven instead of a crockpot.  The first time I took it home, I threw in some ribs and a pellet blend and was eating ribs several hours later  Can't wait to be able to have pork butt on a Wednesday!

Our unit has a smoke generation system (using pellets), a smoke elimination system, a closed loop heating system, and a integrated meat probe.... we pretty much get to design and fab the appliances we would want in our own home:)  It's called the Arden indoor smoker.... Here is what we are thinking for appearance.  Nice enough that my wife would be happy with it on the counter......  






The prototype look less fancy and more Sanford and Sons.  Ha!


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## BluegrassSmoker (Sep 4, 2019)

creek bottom said:


> Welcome!!! Sounds like you have a cool job for sure. You've sparked my curiosity with the indoor smoker. I'd love to be a tester if you need one


I do have a pretty awesome job.  I spent my lunch using the water jet to cut out some brackets that I designed so that I can mount a power steering system in my FJ40:)  

If you are ever in the Louisville, KY area on a Wednesday, hit me up and I'll show you the smokers and you can grab some grub with us!


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## kruizer (Sep 4, 2019)

Welcome to SMF from Minnesota.


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## drdon (Sep 4, 2019)

Florida sunshine welcome to ya! Looking forward to lots of neat prototypes!
Don


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## JC in GB (Sep 4, 2019)

Wow, that is cool.  I love to tinker and build things.  That smoke eliminator sounds awesome.  Very nice work on that old fridge.


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## BluegrassSmoker (Sep 4, 2019)

JC in GB said:


> Wow, that is cool.  I love to tinker and build things.  That smoke eliminator sounds awesome.  Very nice work on that old fridge.


More to come. Just need to figure out where I should be posting. I’d love feedback on the smoker we are working on and also guidance on how to evaluate the food coming out of it and how to go about perfecting it.....


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## JC in GB (Sep 5, 2019)

BluegrassSmoker said:


> More to come. Just need to figure out where I should be posting. I’d love feedback on the smoker we are working on and also guidance on how to evaluate the food coming out of it and how to go about perfecting it.....



I am an engineering tech so I have done my share of prototyping.  If you need any help with electronics, I may be of use.  

On food and BBQ, I know the basics and can help with that too.  

There are other members with far more experience than I did who will also help you.

Happy smoking. 

JC


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## gary s (Nov 7, 2019)

Good Morning, Welcome and a Big Howdy from East Texas and the Best Site on the Web

Gary


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## BurntWeenie (Mar 25, 2022)

Closer to being on the market








						Arden Indoor Smoker
					

The world's first countertop-worthy, real-wood indoor smoker. Bring outdoor smoker taste to your countertop with the Arden.




					firstbuild.com


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## sandyut (Mar 25, 2022)

Welcome to SMF.  Groovy smoker!  I love vintage appliances.


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## willjohn (Aug 20, 2022)

Also welcome to me...


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## bill1 (Aug 20, 2022)

Little more on the Arden here:
indiegogo.com/projects/arden-the-indoor-pellet-smoker
Even had the Mad Scientist YouTube guy try it out.


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## Brokenhandle (Aug 20, 2022)

No wonder I didn't recognize some of the names...post started 3 years ago.

Ryan


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