Ever since the legalization of cannabis in 2018, we’ve all had some time to embrace the change and educate ourselves about marijuana at a more hands-on level. When it comes to edibles, my own experiences tell me that you get more of a body buzz than when you inhale the green gift from the gods. So queue the Bob Marley and let’s get our bodies buzzin’.
There are many ways to make weed butter. Some don’t even involve actual butter, but incorporate coconut oil or olive oil instead. I usually ask a friend for a favourite recipe or go to one of my favourite chefs’ pages and see how they are making something, but this is a bit different. It’s also a bit of a science (you’ll see), so for this recipe, I resorted to the internet.
Today, we’re using good old-fashioned unsalted butter—2 pounds, to be exact, cubed.
Once you master butter, it’s on to ice cream, brownies, of course—even bacon.
First, preheat your oven to 230° F. We’re going to break down the dried cannabis with a grinder—or, as I like to call it, a “bud buster.” You’re looking for the consistency of dried oregano but not oregano powder. Bake that for an hour. This step releases the THC from the leaf.
When the cannabis has 15 minutes left, throw the butter into a pot with 1 litre of water and stir on medium-high heat until the butter starts to melt, then mix with the water. This ensures that the butter doesn’t burn in the last step of the cooking process. Then add your ganja to the pot and put it on low heat. Using your trusty thermometer (most important kitchen tool ever), simmer all those ingredients together for two to three hours at 200 to 250° F. Stir occasionally.
When your butter is glossy and now slightly green, strain it with cheesecloth or a colander with really small holes so your butter won’t have leafy bits in it. I put it all in a Pyrex container with a lid, waited until it got to room temp, and then put it in the fridge to solidify.
Now that your buzz butter is ready to eat, the trick is to figure out the potency. Eat 1 teaspoon of your batch and wait 45 minutes to an hour to give the Mary Jane time to get into your bloodstream. See how you feel and go from there. You can use the cannabutter anywhere that you would use regular butter—brownies, cookies, toast, mac ’n’ cheese, popcorn.
The high’s the limit!
