If you’re serious about your weed, cannabis oil is a must-have. For starters, it lets you turn just about anything into an edible. Making cannabis oil is also a great way to put your leftover stems, trim, and shake to good use. And for medical marijuana patients, cannabis oil is one of the easiest ways to dose your medication. The best part of all is that you can make cannabis oil in a crock-pot.
Basic Materials Needed To Make Cannabis Oil in a Crock-Pot
There are only a handful of things you need to make super potent cannabis oil.
Crock-pot
Sometimes called simply a slow cooker, a crock-pot is that contraption your grandmother uses to make Sunday pot roasts. It’s basically an electric device that lets you cook and simmer things at slow temperatures for extended periods of time.
Crock-pots are perfect for making cannabis oil, as they let you slowly extract as many cannabinoids out of your plant material as you can. Any slow cooker will do, so dust off that crock-pot and get ready to cook up some killer cannabis oil.
Oil
There are tons of options for the oil you use. If you plan to use your cannabis oil for making edibles, go with a neutral-tasting oil like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed. If you want an oil that will add extra flavors to your dishes, use olive oil. And if you’re looking for an oil that will add health benefits to complement the medicinal qualities of the cannabis, try coconut oil.
All these oils will get the job done. Basically, you just need something fatty to make cannabis oil. THC and other important cannabinoids do not dissolve in water. Instead, they bind to fat cells. When you put all this stuff together in the slow cooker, you will basically be pulling cannabinoids out of the plant matter so it can bind to the fatty oil instead.
Cannabis
This is obviously the most important part of the whole thing. The weed. Go with whatever strain you like the best. If you are making cannabis oil for medical uses, it’s probably best to go with a strain that is high in CBD.
When making cannabis oil, you can use any part of the cannabis plant. If you are using trim or shake, you will need more plant material since there will be less THC. But if you are using a high-grade flower, you’ll use less plant matter since it will have much higher THC levels.
Steps To Make Cannabis Oil in a Crock-Pot
Step 1: Add Your Ingredients
To get things started, measure out your oil and weed. In general, you should use one ounce of cannabis for every two cups of oil. As we just mentioned, though, if you are using potent flower you won’t need quite as much. On the other hand, if you are using lower-grade stems, shake, or trim, you will probably need a bit more.
Now put your oil in the crock-pot. Add the plant material. Stir it all together to be sure the plant matter is thoroughly covered by the oil.
Step 2: Low and Slow
Once the weed and oil are all mixed together, turn the slow cooker to its lowest setting. You need enough heat to decarboxylate the cannabis but not so much that you scorch it.
Decarboxylation is the process through which heat activates the THC so it can get you high. Your slow cooker should provide enough heat to make that happen without harming the THC or heating it to the point that it vaporizes away.
Let the whole thing simmer for six to eight hours. Stir it every once in a while. You can leave it for longer, but there isn’t really a noticeable benefit to extending the time. After six to eight hours, you should have extracted the bulk of the cannabinoids. Turn off the slow cooker and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Strain
Place a fine metal strainer over a bowl. Slowly pour the mixture into the strainer and let the oil drain into the bowl. Now use the back of a spoon to press down on the plant material. Try to press out as much oil as you possibly can.
Now you can get rid of the plant material. If you grow your own cannabis, toss it in your compost pile so you can make your own homemade fertilizer.
Step 4: Store and Use
Pour the cannabis oil into a jar, screw on the lid, and store it in the refrigerator. You can now use the oil in a number of different ways. You can eat it straight all on its own.
Or you can use it in your favorite recipes. Simply replace whatever oil, butter, or fat the recipe calls for with your homemade cannabis oil and you will instantly transform the dish into an edible.
Pro Tip: If you bake with your cannabis oil be sure you do not put it in the oven at temperatures higher than 390 degrees Fahrenheit, otherwise you risk damaging or vaporizing out the THC. Double check the temps listed on the recipe and make adjustments to oven temperatures and baking times as needed.
