To cook with marijuana, you need to, somehow, get the flower’s THC into fat (it’s also alcohol soluble, but that’s for another article). But, wait, there’s more! Yes, there’s even more THC in marijuana than what just simmering it in butter can provide. A marijuana flower contains both THC and THCA. THCA does not activate its psychotropic properties until it’s heated. Sure, when you smoke it, you get all of the THC it has to offer, but, releasing it for cooking can be problematic. So, what to do?

Decarbing

Well, before making cannabutter (just as it sounds, cannabis + butter), the weed must be “decarbed” (decarboxylated). Some recipes may suggest decarbing the weed directly in hot butter directly (which will do the trick), but the amount of time it takes can give you some seriously earthy tasting butter. For this reason, weed should be decarbed in an oven before it’s added to butter.

There are two schools of thought for decarbing weed – higher temperature and less time or lower and longer. Most suggest low and long. So, here’s how it’s done:

     • Preheat oven to 245ºF.

     • Break up the flower into tiny bits. It doesn’t have to be ground.

     • Sprinkle the flower on a non-stick cooking tray (lining it with parchment paper can be helpful).

     • Put the tray in the oven and set a timer for 30-40 minutes (Old cannabis might require less time).

     • Every 10 minutes, mix the buds with a gentle tray shake, to heat the buds equally.

     • Watch the temperature! Too low and it won’t release the THCA, too high, and you’ll burn it.

     • For those impatient types, you can go the fast route: 300ºF for 10 to 18 minutes.

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