Arby’s Released Sweats That Were Smoked by BBQ Pitmasters

Brendan Menapace

One of the best things about a campfire is that the smell kind of lingers on your sweatshirt for a day. That next morning, when you go to throw in a load of laundry, you get that cozy smell all over again.

Certain smells are just extremely appealing to people, and smoked meat is high on the list (unless you’re vegan or something). To coincide with the release of its new Country Style Rib Sandwich, Arby’s is releasing a line of sweatpants and sweatshirts that were actually smoked just like the meat and then vacuum sealed so they’ll still smell liked smoked meats when you wear them.

“When you’re sitting in a smokehouse, smoking the meat for Arby’s Real Country Style Rib Sandwich for hours and hours over real hickory wood, your brain starts to wander,” the Arby’s “Smoked Sweats” site says. “You begin to wonder what a pair of premium sweats might smell like if they, too, were smoked over hickory wood for hours. Well, Arby’s found out.”

The actual branding on the sweats is minimal—just a little embroidered “A”—but the smell is really what does the heavy lifting here. There have been other scented apparel products in the past, but this is like the difference between a subtle perfume that you have to get close to someone to smell and, well, someone who has been laying out over a barbecue pit for a few hours.

According to Chewboom, the apparel items were made by Stateline, and was smoked by real barbecue pit masters at Sadler’s Smokehouse in Texas, where they are vacuum sealed on-site.

The sweats, which were released today, tap into that “limited edition” hype that so many other branded apparel drops use these days. Arby’s had previously created branded sweatsuits they called “Meat Sweats,” but with the minimal design and special scent, these are a little closer to streetwear grails.

“Arby’s Smoked Sweats are smoked in small batches in a Texas smokehouse, and available in limited quantities,” Arby’s said. “We recommend buying versus waiting.”

Of course they do!

Both items sold out almost immediately, and the site’s ticking clock started up again with a little over eight days until what we assume will be the next drop.

Speaking of those streetwear grails, other fast food and fast food-adjacent companies have been continuing that trend, with Oscar Mayer releasing a line of streetwear-inspired apparel it’s calling “Street Meat.”

Basically, if you’re a company in the snacks and food space, and you don’t have an apparel line, you are behind the times.

It doesn’t have to have spent time over hickory smoke. But, you know, bonus points if it did.

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