How to Make Your Own Medical Marijuana for Food
If there is anything good that an immersion circulating pump is for, it is an infusion. The accurate water bath temperature gives you more control over the results and allows you to “fix and forget”. It’s good for extracting anything, but today we’re going to extract some THC.
I’ve never really gotten into edibles because I don’t like the taste of marijuana, but they seem to be quite effective. Good food depends on good THC extraction, which is why my exact Anova cooker seemed pretty good for this particular job. To test this theory, I tried several different recipes. Let’s see how it turned out, okay? (Note: If you are unsure about the legality of marijuana in your state, check this map and be sure to read and comply with local laws and regulations, and be sure to read our guide on how to safely and safely use medical marijuana responsibly . )
But first you must decarb
For the most efficient extraction, you will need to decarbonize the herb. “Decarburization” has nothing to do with carbohydrates. It is short for ” decarboxylation “, which is a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide, which converts THCA ( tetrahydrocannabinolic acid ) to THC ( tetrahydrocannabinol ). This process is slow as the potted flowers dry, but you can speed it up by applying heat. Before you ask, there is no need to decarbonize the pot you intend to smoke, as the heat from the smoking process will take care of this.
You can decarbonize the weed in the oven, but it can be frustrating, and the whole point of this article is to speed up the process and use our handy sous vide. To get started, simply chop the marijuana and place it in an airtight plastic bag. (Note: This will pretty much ruin your spice grinder or coffee grinder for all other uses, so get ready for that.) According to Suswid , you need to set your immersion circulator to 95 ° C (203 ° F) and immerse the pouches containing weed dust, for about an hour. Then your herb will be full of THC and ready for whatever edible recipe you want to use it in.
Fat friends
Once you know how to add one fatty substance, you can pretty much add them all, and Sousweed walks you through the process. Butter, olive oil, lard and coconut oil are steeped at 85ºC (185ºF), it’s just a matter of how long you leave them there. Aside from coconut oil (which has a ratio of 8 ounces of coconut oil to 1 ounce of cannabis ), the ratio of just about any cooking oil is 16 ounces of fat or oil to every ounce of decarboxylated hemp.
Decarbonize the crushed flowers as described above, mix them with melted butter or oil (in an airtight plastic bag or stone jar) and leave in a nice warm 85ºC bath for four hours. Remove, let cool until you can process, and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
I decided to go with butter, since I always have butter, and reduced it to 4 ounces with an ounce of marijuana. I would not use expensive oil here, because any subtlety of taste will be completely hidden. The result is a very powerful spread with a strong cannabis flavor. If you like the taste of grass, you will enjoy its taste. If you don’t like the taste of marijuana, you will be disappointed to have wasted both marijuana and oil. (To be honest, I kind of was.) Of course there are ways to hide the taste. Chocolate and sugar are pretty good choices, and these DIY samoas look like heaven.
Start by making a simple THC-infused butter shortbread dough , then drizzle with melted dark chocolate, caramel, and grated sweetened coconut.
If you want to experiment and come up with your own edible recipes, keep a few things in mind:
- First, pay attention to the dosage. Depending on the potency of the marijuana you are using, you may not want to make a cup for a cup, replacing cannabis with regular cannabis. If you’re following your dosages closely, as we discussed earlier this week, don’t overdo it. If you don’t know how to figure it out, let this handy calculator help you .
- Second, don’t bake your treats above 340 ° F. This will degrade your THC, making your food less healthy.
Dangerous Dulce Deep
Another sweet treat you can whip up is the old life hacker’s favorite, easy dulce de leche (to be honest). It is not as greasy as above and takes a little longer to infuse, but the result is a very strong and very sweet dipping sauce.
How strong, you ask? It’s “Am I moving my face right while I wait in line to order a strong burrito.” I say that he is doing his job. To make this risky dish, simply crush and decarburize your flowers as described above, then stir them in a can of sweetened condensed milk (Sousweed recommends a ratio of 0.5 ounce of herb to a 12 ounce can of condensed milk. I don’t) … it is recommended to exceed this ratio.) Let it hang at 85ºC for six hours, then remove. When it comes to straining plant parts, I’ve found that almost all of them float to the top during the infusion process, so just scrape them off and discard. Apply this substance to an apple, add it to an iced coffee, or simply eat it with a spoon, but be careful .
Mix the vices
It’s no secret that my favorite infusions are alcoholic. While I usually prefer to use their Anova to flavor alcohol (as I did in the experiment with the giant Sous Vide Gin Gin ), it can also be used to make vodka (or actually any alcohol) dampness.
Before we begin, however, we must point out: proceed with caution . Alcohol should be treated responsibly in the first place, even more so when it is filled with weed, and obviously, don’t do this or anything like that unless you are under 21 and legal in your state or region, okay?
Now the procedure is similar to the two described above, only it requires less grass ( one gram per 250 ml of vodka ) and it refills much faster. Simply mix the decarbed weed in a glass jar with the alcohol of your choice and wait a couple of hours at 95ºC.
In terms of dosage, I would start with a couple of tablespoons and go from there, as this product is quite strong. (It’s not entirely clear “what I’m doing to my face,” but it’s “you definitely shouldn’t be texting this guy back.”) I wouldn’t use a particularly pleasant mood for this either, as the pot will completely hide the scent. If you want to add some THC magic to your shake, I suggest using your infusion as a base for bitters.
To learn about the intricacies of cooking bitters, made their own hands, check out our complete guide here , but the short version is this:
- Find spices, herbs, or dried fruits that you think will complement the flavor of your marijuana.
- Place a couple of teaspoons of each flavor in a separate jar and fill it with neutral alcohol.
- Shake the cans once a day, trying every couple of days to see how they are doing. (A couple of drops in a glass of seltzer water should give you a good idea.) When they are fragrant, strain the parts of the plant.
- Mix tinctures with different flavors and vodka infused in a pot. Transfer to cute little dropper bottles and add a couple of drops to any drink you think would benefit from some gentle love and THC.
Here’s another idea for your THC-ethanol hybrid: submerge gummy bears in this elixir! According to the Mix That Drink website, simply place your favorite gummy bears, worms, or cola bottles in a bowl and cover them with vodka to cover them with water. How long you let them sit is up to you. They will continue to expand until the 20 o’clock mark, but may be a little sticky for your taste. I like to soak mine around 12; by that time they were quite large, but had not yet begun to degrade. Catch your puffy, gelatinous friends out of the vodka bath and serve.
Overall, I quite confidently recommend sous vide as a method for extracting THC. It’s simple, it’s effective, and the result is a product that will make you wonder what exactly your lips are doing while you wait in line for a burrito.