How to Make Cannabutter in a Crock Pot

Cannabutter is one of the most popular ingredients to make homemade edibles. Making cannabutter is a fairly straightforward process and you don’t have to be a master chef or cannabis connoisseur to try it for yourself, especially with our step-by-step guide. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to store it so it lasts longer and a few recipe ideas.

Photo: Wikipedia Commons/Unsplash (mashup)

Making Cannabutter 

First, ensure you have all the necessary equipment and materials.

Equipment 

• Strainer or cheesecloth
• Oven 
• Grinder (optional)
• Baking sheet 
• Slow cooker or instant pot
• Airtight container
• Wooden spoon

Materials 

• Two sticks of unsalted butter
• 7-10 grams of cannabis 

Once you have all the necessary equipment, it is time to start making your cannabutter. 

Decarb the weed 

Decarboxylation transforms inactive THCA and CBDA into active THC and CBD, ensuring you enjoy their psychoactive and therapeutic effects. 

1. Use your hands to break the weed into smaller pieces. Breaking ensures the bud is heated evenly for maximum activation.
2. Then, preheat your oven to 230-250 degrees Fahrenheit (110-121 degrees Celsius). 
3. Spread the ground cannabis evenly on the baking sheet, slide it onto your oven, and wait 30-45 minutes. However, it’s advisable to check and gently mix the weed after every 10 minutes to avoid burning it.  
4. Remove the decarbed weed from the oven and allow it to cool down. Then, use an herb grinder or your hands to grind the weed into a fine consistency (but not powdery). 

Infusion process 

As we journey deeper into cannabutter creation, let’s discuss the two infusion methods, guaranteeing you have a perfectly infused cannabutter.

Infusing in a crock pot

Also known as a slow cooker, a crock pot is one of the effective ways to ensure cannabutter is infused to perfection.

1. Add the two sticks of butter and a small amount of water to the crock pot. Water will prevent the cannabis and butter from burning during the infusion process. Set the slow cooker to its low setting and wait for the butter to melt.
2. Next, add your ground weed to the melted butter. Then, use the wooden spoon to mix gently and cover your pot.
3. Cover for 3-8 hours, depending on your desired potency. Some individuals can cook the cannabutter for up to 24 hours to ensure maximum potency. However, it’s crucial to regularly check and stir the mixture to ensure it doesn’t burn or boil. 
4. Once the cannabutter is done cooking, use the strainer or cheesecloth to filter out plant matter and allow it to cool and harden. 
5. Now, you can store your cannabutter in an airtight dark container to avoid exposure to light and oxygen, which can deteriorate the cannabis.

Most cannabis enthusiasts prefer this method as slow cooking improves the infusion of cannabinoids into your butter. Also, it reduces the risk of burning crucial terpenes and cannabinoids. 

Infusing in an instant pot

1. First, melt the butter in the microwave and pour it into the canning jar. 
2. Add your decarbed weed and stir evenly. Place a lid on the jar, cover it with a canning ring, and close it to a finger tight.
3. Place the canning jar in the bottom rack of your instant pot. Then, add water until it reaches the middle of the canning jar and close the instant pot.
4. Cook the mixture on high pressure for 20 minutes. While doing so, ensure to keep the warm setting on. 
5. Once the cycle is done, allow the instant pot to release pressure for 40 minutes. Then, remove the canning jar to cool. However, wearing oven mitts is essential to avoid burning your hands. 
6. Once it has cooled, remove the lid and the ring. The butter may spray a bit as the mixture was cooking under pressure. 
7. Next, pass the cannabutter through a strainer or cheesecloth into a holding container. Cover the container and place it in a refrigerator to cool and harden. 

At this point, you must be proud of yourself. You have made your instant pot cannabutter. 

Understanding Cannabutter ratios 

Knowing how to mix butter and cannabis ensures you make the right edibles for your needs. The rule of thumb ratio for cannabutter is 1:1, especially for people with high tolerance. 

However, this may be way to much if you’re experimenting with edibles for the first time. Today, you can use online cannabutter ratio calculators to get the correct proportion to mix butter with cannabis. 

How to cook with cannabutter 

Now that you have prepared your cannabutter, you can use it to infuse your favorite treats with cannabis.

Cannabutter brownie

You’ll need: 

• An oven
• One cup of Cannabutter
• Four eggs or egg replacement, such as unsweetened applesauce
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• Salt to taste
• One and a half cups of flour

The list of ingredients is endless. For instance, you may want to make a vegan weed brownie. You may also want to experiment with different flavors and add-ons to prepare the perfect brownie for your taste.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, grease the baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Also, you can use cooking spray to coat the pan. This prevents the brownie from sticking to the pan while baking. 
2. Next, mix all the dry ingredients. Similarly, mix all the wet ingredients, including the cannabutter, and use a whisk to form a uniform solution.
3. Now, it’s time to mix wet and dry ingredients. Use a whisk or mixer to combine them consistently. Then add water little by little until they’re thoroughly mixed.
4. Next, pour the mixture into the greased baking pan and spread evenly. You can add your favorite toppings, such as sprinkles, crunched nuts, and more. 
5. Place the pan onto the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure the brownie is fully cooked before removing it.
6. Allow the brownie to cool for 20 minutes before feasting. 

Cannabutter popcorn 

Cannabutter popcorn is an even easier recipe to blast your movie nights. 

1. Place one tablespoon of oil and one or two kernels in a pot, cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and wait for them to pop. This will help you test if the pan is hot enough and ready. 
2. Once it’s ready, add enough kernels to form a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Move the pan over the heat to allow even distribution of heat. Allow all the kernels to pop before moving to the next step.
3. Add one cup of cannabutter to another pan and melt over medium-low heat. Then, drizzle the melted cannabutter over the popcorn. You can shake the popcorn a little to ensure they’re evenly covered.  

Tips when cooking with cannabutter 

Consider these tips when cooking with cannabutter.

Know your dosage 

Most people might find it challenging to dose edibles. However, you can use a reliable calculator to understand the potency of your cannabutter and avoid issues such as overconsumption. 

Also, starting with a small amount of cannabutter is advisable, and you may increase the intake with time, especially if you’re a novice.

Avoid too much heat

As most cannabis enthusiasts know, high heat can destroy the much-needed cannabinoids. Hence, avoiding burning the cannabutter directly or at high temperatures is crucial. 

Mix well

Ensure the cannabutter is incorporated evenly into your recipe. This will help avoid hotspots of high potency in your dish, which can affect the whole experience. 

Besides the above tips, being patient when consuming cannabutter-infused recipes is essential. Unlike other consumption methods, such as vaping, oral ingestion may deliver slow but long-lasting effects. This is because cannabis must undergo digestion before being absorbed into the bloodstream. 

Storing and preserving cannabutter 

It’s crucial to store cannabutter for later use properly. Exposing the cannabutter to elements such as light may affect the potency. Thus, how you’ll store the cannabutter will ultimately affect how long it’ll last.

For instance, storing your cannabutter in a refrigerator can last up to three to four weeks. However, if you store your cannabutter at room temperature, use it within 6-7 days due to short shelf life. Also, because the cannabutter is most prone to mold growth. 

Can you freeze cannabutter?

You can, and it won’t affect the potency. By freezing the cannabutter, you can maintain its freshness for up to six months. 

However, ensuring the cannabutter has enough space to ‘grow’ is crucial as some water-containing substances expand when frozen. Otherwise, you risk breaking your storage jar.

Has your cannabutter gone bad?

Here are signs to check whether your cannabutter is spoiled: 

Changes in color and smell 

A fresh cannabutter has a nice uniform color all the way through. However, if you notice unusual colors such as blue, there is a high chance your cannabutter is spoiled, and you may want to throw it away.

A cannabutter should have a nutty smell and earthiness of the weed. But the rancid smell of butter might be a sign of spoilage.

Mold growth 

When you notice any sign of mold, throw the cannabutter immediately. This includes unusual color patches, bad smells, and more. Consuming fungus or mold-covered edibles may expose you to harmful compounds. 

Where to buy cannabutter 

Not ready to make your cannabutter? Don’t worry. You can still purchase premade cannabutter from reputable vendors in your state. 

However, when buying cannabutter, checking the vendor’s credibility is crucial. Please make an effort to go through the provided testimonies to understand their past customers’ experiences. Also, check whether they’re licensed to sell weed-based products, guaranteeing you receive quality products.