What exactly is cannabutter? It’s just a fancy way of saying “weed butter,” or cannabis-infused butter. Most of the pot brownies or other edibles you’ve consumed in your life are made with this. The fattiness of butter makes the perfect base for a marijuana reduction.
People frequently make brownies, cookies, or other baked goods with cannabutter, but the options are endless. You can add it to puff pastry or even use it in savory recipes, like mac and cheese or pasta sauce.
It’s good to know a proper cannabutter recipe that you can whip up at home because dispensary-bought edibles can get expensive. If you want a convenient smoke-free way to consume your cannabis, this is pretty much the Holy Grail.
A few great reasons for eating edibles are that they can induce appetite and sleep while also relieving pain, nausea, and other physical or mental ailments.
Here’s what you need to make cannabutter:
1/2 ounce of cannabis
1 cup water
1 cup melted butter
Hand grinder
Sheet pan
Saucepan/pot
Strainer/cheesecloth
Step 1: Decarboxylate or “decarb” your cannabis – in other words, bake it. Set your oven to 245 degrees Fahrenheit – low heat is always suggested. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a non-stick tray that’s safe for the oven. Place the buds on it and heat for approximately 30 minutes – more if it’s humid weed, and less if the buds are dry and old. Mix the buds every few minutes to evenly expose all flower surfaces.
Step 2: Grind your baked buds coarsely, using a hand grinder as opposed to an electric one.
Step 3: Add a cup of butter and a cup of water to a pot or a pan that’s deep enough. Simmer slowly on a very low heat until the butter melts. Blending with the water will stop the butter from burning the pot, and evens out the heat levels.
Step 4: As your butter starts to melt down, add in the ground cannabis strain you have chosen. Now, simmer on a heat below 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and do so for approximately three hours. Some people would argue to heat it at 160 degrees for four to five hours, but it’s up to you. Stir this mix occasionally and never allow it to boil.
Step 5: After simmering, you’ve nearly made it! Now it’s time to strain your cannabutter. Place a funnel in the mouth of a jar, lining it with a strainer or cheesecloth. Allow your butter to cool down, and pour it through the cloth over the funnel so it can strain properly. Don’t squeeze the cheesecloth after, which will add a pungent flavor and extraneous plant bits.
Step 6: Now that you have a jar of flawless cannabis butter, place it in the fridge. After an hour, check for excess water forming at the bottom. You can always take the solid butter out using a knife to drain this liquid.
Step 7: Check out guides on dosing information before you add it to your food. You want to have either a pleasant buzz or a staggering couch-lock – but you definitely don’t want to “green out,” which is what happens when you consume a little too much cannabis.
Here are our cannabutter dosage suggestions for beginners: When cooking, start with a low dosage or a low THC strain if you’ve never cooked edibles before. Try spreading 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of the final product on a slice of bread or snack, wait for an hour or so, and increase your dosage based on that.
Edibles always take a bit of time to kick in after a period of time, so stuffing your face with the cannabutter isn’t the best idea. Slow and steady wins the race!
-Naima Karp
Photo by Sorin Gheorghita on Unsplash
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