Green edition: Going ganja for baking

Some of the greatest fun and creativity in the kitchen comes from experimenting with exotic ingredients. Many chefs consider marijuana to be the next big thing in cuisine. Between pot being decriminalized in several states and the widespread availability of medical marijuana, chefs everywhere are planning ahead for the time when weed is used in many dishes. The common term for marijuana-infused foods is “edibles.”

Some things to remember: Marijuana is still outlawed in most municipalities, and sharing medical marijuana with someone not licensed to consume is a crime. New Mexico does allow for marijuana use for some medicinal purposes.

Also, it is easy to overconsume marijuana when using it in food since it takes such a long time to take effect and marijuana varies widely in potency. Never give food containing marijuana to people without their knowledge and consent.

I have not experimented with marijuana cooking since I do not have a license. In fact, I am allergic to marijuana. This column is for informational purposes only, and the procedures should only be used by people properly licensed to consume medical marijuana or who live where it is legal to use recreationally.

Ancient cultures cooked with marijuana, and it is still consumed as bhang, or spice- and marijuana-infused milk, in India today. The most famous of American edibles is the pot brownie, made famous in the “Alice B. Toklas Cook Book” in the mid-20th century. Originally, marijuana buds were simply ground and added to a brownie recipe, but chefs recently have found that for the greatest effect — both psychoactive and medicinal — they can infuse butter with pot. An additional benefit is that there is no gritty weed left in the brownies.

Recipes vary, but most involve simply heating butter and adding finely ground marijuana to make “magical butter” or “cannabutter.” This butter is used just like regular butter in cooking or baking.

Simple cannabutter

Special equipment needed:

Fine mesh strainer

Electric coffee grinder

Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

¼ ounce marijuana buds, finely ground

¼ pound (one stick) salted butter

Grind the marijuana in the coffee grinder, or use a mortar and pestle. Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a small saucepan over the lowest heat on the stovetop. Once the butter is melted, add the pot in small pinches, stirring between each addition. Let the butter come to a simmer, but do not allow it to boil or scorch. Stir often and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

This process can also be done in a crockpot on the lowest setting. For more potent butter, the amount of marijuana can be increased to ½ ounce per ¼ pound of butter, but in that case the butter needs to be simmered for an hour and a half.

Once the pot is done simmering, strain it through the mesh strainer, pressing the pot with the back of a spoon to get all of the butter. Let the butter cool, then place in an airtight container. The butter will keep well for a few weeks refrigerated, or a few months in the freezer. To use, simply substitute the cannabutter for regular butter in any recipe.

Magical Butter is an electronic appliance that will grind, infuse and stir the butter automatically. It can be used to make salves, tinctures or oils as well as butter.

Since the active ingredients, or cannabinoids, in marijuana are soluble in both fat and alcohol, the leaves and stems of pot can be soaked in a high-proof alcohol such as brandy, rum or grain alcohol such as Everclear. A ratio of one to five grams of stems and leaves per ounce of alcohol works best, according to a number of recipes. Combine the weed and alcohol in an airtight glass jar and let sit in a dark place for three to 10 days. Strain out the solids and store the tincture in a dark glass bottle to protect it from the UV rays of the sun.

This tincture can be added to hard candy recipes as they cool, or used medicinally by the drop.

Edibles chefs suggest preheating raw, dried marijuana to increase the potency. THCA does not have the psychoactive effects of THC, so the carboxyl needs to be removed. This is done naturally when marijuana is smoked or vaporized: the heat removes the carboxylic group (breaking it into water vapor and carbon dioxide) and the THC is freed. There are a number of methods to do this before cooking with weed, and can be found online or in edibles cookbooks.

For more information:

thestonerscookbook.com

magicalbutter.com

theweedblog.com

thecannabischef.com

Steve “Mo” Fye is the food columnist for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter

@UncaMo.