Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form. While we’re still a long way from total legalization, enough of our fellow Americans can legally get high, so it’s well past time our culture stops being so precious about weed.
Instead, it’s time we talk about the important issues. It’s time we talk about how to make weed butter.
How to make weed butter
For far too long, weed edibles have been something of a joke outside of weed connoisseurs. In movies, they’re always treated as a weaponized form of getting high, and we’ve all heard the recording of the cop who ate too many brownies and thought he was going to die. (If you haven’t heard the recording, take a moment to listen. It’s one of the best things to happen to the internet.)
But here’s the thing: Weed edibles are fantastic if you use them responsibly. Your body metabolizes THC differently when eaten instead of smoked, which is why the effects of a marijuana edible can freak people out when they take too many. So, moderation, guys.
When it comes to edibles, weed butter is probably where you should start.
Weed butter recipe
Like many recipes, this one was handed down through word of mouth. I was taught it by a hippie in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who was traveling through when I was in college. I think his name was Jeff. That I can’t remember is a testament to the recipe.
It has been product tested in the kitchen (many times) and works wonderfully. For the best results, use a slow cooker, but a pot on the stove works if you watch it carefully.
You will need:
- 1 pound of unsalted butter
- 1 ounce of ground marijuana
- several cups of water
- cheesecloth
- refrigerator-safe glass dish
Making weed butter
1. Turn your crockpot on low. If using the stove, turn your front burner on low and place a pot on the burner.
2. Add one cup of water and one pound of unsalted, pure dairy butter to your crock pot. Buy the best butter you can. Treat yourself. The water will help keep the temperature of your butter even and keep your weed from scorching and developing a bitter taste.
3. One the butter starts to melt, add your ground marijuana. If you live in a state where pot is legal, go to your dispensary and buy the highest quality shake it has to offer. The goal shouldn’t be to get obliterated but to have a good time. To save money, save your premium flowers for smoking. Many dispensaries sell shake, even high-quality shake, at a discount, and it saves you time grinding up an ounce of pot.
4. If using a crockpot, cover your pot and step away, checking your mixture every 30 minutes. Your butter will need to cook for eight to 16 hours, depending on how strong you want it. If you see the water start to completely evaporate, add another cup of water. Stir your mixture whenever you check on it. Reading good book will help pass the time. If your pot is on the stove, stay next to it the whole time you’re cooking. Sorry. You should have used a crock pot. The good news is you’ll only need to let your butter and water mixture simmer for around three hours. Continue to stir occasionally, adding water when too much evaporates. The longer you let the butter simmer, the stronger the butter. Again, just make sure you stay next to the pot the whole time to ensure it doesn’t boil.
5. When your mixture is done cooking pour it into a glass refrigerator safe container using a cheesecloth to strain out the plant matter. Pyrex is ideal, but use whatever you have around the house. The cheesecloth is nonnegotiable.
6. Once you’re done straining, squeeze the cheesecloth to make sure you’ve drained out every last drop of that wonderful butter into your dish.
7. Cover your dish with a lid or plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator, and let it cool overnight. While your butter is cooling, the water will separate from the fat in the butter, raising the butter to the top of the dish and leaving the water at the bottom.
Once your butter has cooled, carefully cut around the edges of the butter and remove your now-solid goodness from the dish. Drain out all the water at the bottom, and then put your butter back in a new dry, airtight, sealable dish. Your butter should still look like butter, with perhaps a slightly green tint depending on how long you cooked it.
Congratulations, you took the first step to baking edibles! Your butter will last up to two months but will start losing potency after a few weeks. The good news is, that means you have an excuse to use it. Spread it on your toast, put it in your brownies, make cookies with it, go nuts. Just remember the secret of marijuana edibles: You can always eat more, but you have to wait to get less high. Give yourself a few hours before you even consider going back for seconds. You might be surprised at when and how your body reacts.
READ MORE:
- 12 legal drugs that will give you a psychedelic trip
- How to buy drugs on the deep web
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Remember, the body metabolizes THC differently, so a smaller dose can impact you harder than taking hits from a bowl. In other words, it’s OK to use half pot butter, half real butter in your recipes if you’re worried about losing your mind.