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Smoker for Chipotle

A chipotle is smoke-dried for several days. An offset is not what you need.

Basically it is dried over smoke and very low heat. No moisture left. I don't know what you would need for that. I think they do it in pits.
 
Yeah I was going to say that. But not sure it will end up a chipolte since they use wood fires. But close.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Meco-Electric-Grill-Combination-Smoker/dp/B0007XXNU4
 
this is what i have used for 20 years but i have never smoked peppers, i have cold smoked lox with it though. with all vents and adjustable thermostat i was able to keep the salmon from cooking - helped that i put a thermometer on the top rack and checked it often. first i had to crank up the heat to get the wood smoking then drop to the correct temperature.
 
my best guess though would be a smoke house where the fire pit is outside of the house or an old fridge with just the smoke being piped in. and you may have to use a dehydrator before hand to get you started so the fruit doesn't mold. or if you have the bucks a smokai or smoke daddy gadget would do as well - i was going to say if you can find them in canada but then i keep forgetting about online purchasing, i'm a dinosaur when it comes to that sort of thing.
 
good luck.
 
Yeah. Never believe those posts that say a meat (pepper in this case) stops taking smoke at some point so it doesn't matter. Oversmoking definitely exists, Been there, done that. 
 
Ya it's a pussy.  I have used these since the 80's.  After burning up and rusting out way to many others I came back.  A new burner/pan and these will last a lifetime.  This one is 10 years old and will outlive me.  If your looking for a 140-150f smoke these are great.  It is my go to for fish, jerky, sausage and soon to be peppers.   You can pass out and know your stuff is not going to be dried out, overdone or cold.  That's a big plus when smoking for 12 hrs.
 
Definitely do NOT buy the CharBroil offsets. I know they LOOK like "real" smokers, but they are made with super cheap and thin metal, with very poor welding, and it simply will not accomplish the same thing as smoking with a real off-set smoker (which generally run around 800+ for a decent one). The thickness of the metal and the quality of the weld has a lot to do with the end result when using that style of smoker. They can be modified to become more efficient, but you are still better off putting your money into something else...
 
However, you mentioned building your own cold electric smoker, which is an excellent idea! It is a very easy and fun project, and can be done very affordably. Also, if you already have a grill of any kind, there's almost always a way to convert it in some way or another into a smoker. As others have noted, to get TRUE chipotles is very difficult... you are much better off just buying them, but if all you want is smoked peppers (which are always delicious) then the homemade electric smoker route seems the way to go!
 
One day I will find that perfect all metal fridge and build my own offset.  It's kinda funny...my neighbor is a junker.   He keeps bringing them by and asks, " will this work"?  They are getting harder to find.  Until then the elec pan is the way to go.  Do your research...not many can go as low as 140f. constant.
 
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