Traditionally, cannabutter is the basis for marijuana cookery and as the author of The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook, I’ve been approached by people touting literally dozens of different recipes for “the ultimate cannabutter.”
To find out which was best for myself, I took butters into my own hands by testing four top methods side-by-side using the same basic ingredients in each batch.
Using a 1/2 ounce of the same kind of cannabis and 8 ounces of clarified butter as our ingredients, we tested four different methods from well-known cannabis cooks and had the finished butters analyzed by SC Labs and Steep Hill in California. The lab results revealed how much THCa remained in the butter, showing us the potential THC that was not successfully activated, along with other useful information.
The Ultimate Cannabutter Experiment was repeated twice, with different types of cannabis used for each batch, for eight total butter samples. Two different laboratories analyzed each set of samples along with the cannabis used to create the infusions, allowing us to confirm trends by comparing the data sets.
Preparation Time: 6 hours
Equipment: Oven, Electric Kettle, French Press, Tea Ball
Secret Weapon: Blanching
For the fourth method, we’ve chosen a supposedly scentless and flavorless method for infusing THC into butter, developed by Jeff the 420 Chef.
This ingenious method involves placing the buds in a tea ball and blanching in boiling water before shocking in an ice water bath. The water is pretty murky after the cannabis is removed, meaning something is being left behind—is it the smelly terpenes and grassy-tasting chlorophyll? The rehydrated cannabis is still sticky, but less pungent, smelling more like steamed broccoli. Then, the blanched buds are dried in the oven at 220ºF for an hour.
Create your infusion by placing the buds and the clarified butter in a French press, then set the press into a boiling electric kettle for two hours. You will need to add water several times throughout the process to keep it all from boiling off. Using the French press adds another straining step, which means more butter can potentially be left behind in the buds and the cheesecloth. This method created an exceptionally beautiful green colored cannabutter.
This newly developed method comes to us from Jeff the 420 Chef, who has claimed it reduces the smell and taste of cannabis in the final infusion. Jeff’s completely “scentless and tasteless” method is proprietary, but this similar procedure does seem to reduce the amount of grassy flavor present in the finished product.
1/2 oz. weed
8 oz. of clarified butter
First, start by setting your electric kettle to boil, and preheat your oven to 220ºF.
Prepare a bowl full of ice water. Place your cannabis in a tea ball and blanch it in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and shock it in the ice bath for 1 minute to cease the cooking.
Break up the re-hydrated cannabis and spread it evenly on a baking sheet or ceramic dish. Toast it in the oven at 220ºF for one hour.
Remove the toasted cannabis from the oven and let cool. Return the electric kettle to a boil.
Combine the cannabis with the clarified butter in a French press. Place the entire French press inside the boiling water, and let it sit for 2 hours. Check it periodically to ensure the water isn’t evaporating completely, and add more water if necessary.
Remove the French press from the water and press the lid down to squeeze the plant matter down to the bottom. Pour the finished infusion out of the French press and through a layer of cheesecloth set into a metal mesh strainer, capturing the liquid cannabutter in a bowl.
Use your cannabutter or pour into a butter mold and store in the refrigerator.
Check Out The Other Methods And Results From The Ultimate Cannabutter Experiment:
Method 1: Scientific Cannabutter
Method 2: Bioavailable Cannabutter
Method 3: Water-Simmered Cannabutter
Method 4: Scentless Cannabutter
Results from the Ultimate Cannabutter Experiment
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