Making super easy THC edibles. UPDATED
Last edited Sat Oct 8, 2022, 03:28 PM - Edit history (5)
Update is here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/1157120126
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Due to his chronic pain (his back is a nightmare of herniated and deteriorating discs and spinal stenosis) and to get away from narcotic pain relievers, husband got his medical marijuana card as soon as it was legal in our state a couple of years ago. He mostly smokes it, but in order to get away from him having to do that as much (*cough* *cough*), I wanted him to use more edibles, but buying them is a pretty expensive. Since he mostly cultivates his own plants, being the DIYers we are, we began researching making them ourselves.
The initial step is decarboxylation (decarb) which has to be done in order to chemically change the active ingredient of the flower from THCA to THC to make it absorbable in the digestive system. (This process uses heat and is the reason weed is normally smoked.) Initially, we started making cannabutter and using it in brownies, but then found it's harder to eat enough to get the necessary effects and for a single person to have to eat a whole pan of brownies before they go stale. It's just a lot to eat, especially for someone who has a reduced appetite. Infusing coconut oil to make chocolates is way more convenient and works a lot better for him; it concentrates the THC into smaller pieces making it easier to control the dosage without having to eat very much.
Through research and experimentation, we've landed on a process that's pretty easy and effective. He does the infusing part (and I do the recipes) using my Crock Pot Xpress electric pressure cooker for both the decarb and oil infusion steps:
Decarb step: he puts half an ounce of flower in a mason jar, puts the cap and ring on it, but doesn't tighten it. The jar is then placed on the trivet in the pot and he fills the pot with water level with the top of flower in the jar. Using the SOUP setting on high pressure, it's heated for 30 minutes, then uses quick release to expel the pressure, takes the jar out and allows it to cool.
Infusion step: Put the decarbed flower in an oven safe bowl, cover with 1 cup of coconut oil and cover with foil. Place it in the pressure cooker, again filling the pot up to the level of the oil and flower in the bowl and using the SOUP setting on high pressure, but modifying the time to 40 minutes. Once done, he allows a natural release. (The last time he reused the same jar for both the decarb and infusion steps, the bottom of the jar fell out and there was wasted cannaoil all over the floor.)
Once the infused oil is cool, he uses cheesecloth and one of my larger mesh strainers to separate the oil from the flower. Once all the oil is squeezed from the flower, he discards it as it's not of much use anymore. (Some people try to re-use it, but it's not really worth it as most all of the THC in it is spent.)
Then, I make him some chocolates. (Once he wanted something besides chocolate, so instead of having to buy candy molds and lecithin (emulsifier) I tried making lime jello jigglers. He ate them so they wouldn't go to waste, but texture and flavor-wise, they were less than satisfactory.)
Mostly I use this very simple recipe, replacing the regular coconut oil with the now THC infused coconut oil:
https://www.marthastewart.com/1098645/dark-chocolate-truffles
To make it an easy one dish process with no pans involved, I break up 72% cocoa bars into small pieces with a stainless bench scraper in my 9x9" square casserole, add the oil and water, then just melt it in the microwave using 30 second spurts a couple of times, stirring in between, until it's almost melted, remove from the microwave and stir until the remainder melts, then stir in the vanilla and kosher salt. Once it's all properly mixed, I use the bench scraper to smooth the ganache out evenly. It's covered and placed in the fridge and once it's set, I let it sit on the counter for just a minute to soften just a little, then rather than make truffle balls, I cut it into 1" squares and store them in a container with snap tight lid in the fridge.
I've also made this recipe one time using good white chocolate:
https://flavorfix.com/recipes/cannabis-infused-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups/
I infused both layers of the white chocolate and the peanut butter with the infused coconut oil. Instead of making peanut butter cups, I used the above method with the 9x9" casserole. I had to do it in steps, making the bottom layer of white chocolate and sticking it in the freezer until solid, followed by the infused peanut butter and finally the top layer of the infused white chocolate, allowing to solidify in the freezer between each step. This is not a one dish method, as the both the peanut butter and the last layer of chocolate have to be melted separately, then poured and smoothed over the previous layer(s). Once all layers were complete, I put it in the freezer until solid, then moved it down to the fridge overnight. It turned out harder to cut into squares, even once softened a little (the layers kept wanting to slide apart due to the peanut butter being softer than the white chocolate), so better to make this recipe into the cups as originally instructed. If I use this recipe again, the next time, I'll probably do that, but with the dark chocolate, rather than the white.
Both cannabutter and infused coconut oil can be used in savory recipes, as well, though we've not tried that as it's only for him and it's a lot easier to control in the chocolates. Sometimes he will mix a little of the infused coconut oil with peanut butter and spread it on his breakfast waffles or on crackers if he's out of chocolates. I've also read that some people put it on popcorn or scoop a TBSP of cannabutter on their cooked steaks before eating them. To me, it just feels like cooking with it or melting it over food allows some of it to go to waste, where making the chocolates doesn't. (He licks the spatula. 
)
From my understanding, THC is fat soluble and consuming it in something high fat (or either right before or after) seems to assist it in passing through the blood-brain barrier quicker in order to be effective for pain relief or a head buzz, whichever you're going for. However, unlike smoking which is immediate, it can still take anywhere from hour to an hour and a half or so for edibles to kick in. If new to edibles, it's also very highly recommended to start out with smaller doses to begin with to see how much is necessary without accidentally ending up too high (absolutely no fun!! 
) or with couch lock. The strain, whether it be sativa or indica, makes a big difference, as well, indica strains being more likely to mellow you out and sativa causing some people to want to clean house from top to bottom. 
The problem I've run into is the sites for sweet edible recipes usually don't have reviews from other people who've tried them, making it a leap of faith to use them. So I mostly stick to the first recipe since it's so easy and I've successfully made it numerous times now.
Anyone else have any recipes or experiences in this area they want to share?
= new reply since forum marked as read
I was a weed smoker for 50 years I have switched to edibles since I got my medical card, to save my lungs, and they are expensive, I only have a regular crockpot so I’m not sure what I can do with that 
You can always decarb and infuse using the traditional method. It just takes longer for the infusion step. When we first started, to decarb, the weed was spread out on a tray in the oven or toaster oven to decarb. IIRC, the temp should be set at 325F for 30 minutes, so a crock pot might not get it hot enough. I haven't tried it, so not sure.
The patient is napping at the moment, when he gets up, I'll ask him about the traditional infusion step, tho you can probably easily locate it online.
Those are all fine, but in a pinch, when the pain wakes him up and he needs something in the middle of the night, the chocolates are ready at hand and much more convenient.
Signed, a couple of OLD stoners.
ETA: I don't really like pot anymore and haven't in a very long time.
