Instant Pot Cannabis Oil: A SweetSue Picture Tutorial

[SweetSue]

I am wondering if you could use a Crock-Pot like a double boiler?
My CP is a 2 qt job with a removable pot.
I will only have a small amount of cannabis

I’m sure it could be used as a double boiler. May I ask why that would help you with making infused oil?

I’m catching up and finding I’ve overlooked you for a couple days. There’s a message over at the other thread. I had a thought. I’ll catch you over there.

 

[Cannacaps4U2]

Sweet Sue
I have a couple of basic questions

On the decarbing I have been setting my oven to 240° for 40min, using a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
I will decarb at 235 for 110 min, but should I use a different container?
I notice you use a roasting bag, and I have read about using a pie pan covered with foil.

My next batch I will try the oven method used by intheshed. He does 210° for 7 hours (using olive oil)
I will be using coconut oil and I wonder if the time and temp should be the same?

 

[Cannacaps4U2]

SweetSue
I have been searching and reading and combining different aspects of this process.

This is the recipe I used last night and finished this AM.

Cannabis coconut oil recipe:
Supplies needed
One qt. glass baking dish
Aluminum foil to cover dish
Small ½” paint brush for collecting small cannabis particles
Sunflower lecithin 1.5 tsp
10 g ground cannabis
100 ml coconut oil
1 tablespoon 150 proof alcohol

Preheat oven to 235°f
Decarbed process:
Crumble cannabis buds into baking dish, cover with foil, bake for 90 min, then let cool.
(Just couldn't do the 110 min you recommend)
After cooling grind in food processor to very fine (almost powder)
(Grass city BrassNWood grinds to flour and doesn't strain)
Place ground cannabis back into the baking dish.
Moisten the cannabis with the alcohol and let stand for 5 minutes
(Found another post about this, the alcohol is supposed to start dissolving the trichomes)
Add 100 ml of melted coconut oil, and 1.5 tsp sunflower lecithin.
Cover and bake at 220 for 25 minutes
Remove baking dish and cool, then place in the freezer for several hrs.
Remove baking dish from freezer allow to warm to room temperature
Reheat in oven set to 220 for 40 minutes
The baking and freezing process from BrassNWood
Cool, strain, and fill capsules.
I ended up with 113 size 00 capsules, will see tonight just how strong.

Picture of finished product some of these are starting to solidify.

 

[luckydux]

Great write up! Thank you thank you thank you!

 

[luckydux]

Is it possible to feel buzzed using grape seed as a topical? Or must it be added to another carrier? Seeing you strain it with your bare hands made me wonder

 

[SweetSue]

Is it possible to feel buzzed using grape seed as a topical? Or must it be added to another carrier? Seeing you strain it with your bare hands made me wonder

Topicals don’t penetrate to the blood level unless you have an open cut. Although they won’t make you “high” with topical application, we have learned that applied to the DMR (the pad of skin at the top of your spine) it’ll lift your spirits.

Any carrier oil will work to get cannabinoids absorbed better. We choose the oil for the condition we’re treating.

 

[SweetSue]

How I Choose The Carrier Oil For Cannabis Infusions

Let’s begin with a discussion of long-chain fatty acids vs medium-chain fatty acids.

Long-chain vs Medium-chain triglycerides

• SweetSue
• Jan 14, 2019

From ShakeBot

From SFGate: Healthy Eating
All fatty acids share the same basic structure: One carboxyl group -- a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and single-bonded to a hydrogen and oxygen compound -- attached to a chain of carbon atoms. The number of carbon atoms in this chain is almost always even and consists of at least four carbons and a maximum of 28. Long-chain fatty acids have at least 14 carbon atoms in their tails.

What does this mean to us when we make cannabis oils?

Medium-chain fatty acids, when taken through the gut, will be absorbed and sent directly to the liver, where the enzymes are going to begin to metabolize the cannabinoids. Long-chain fatty acids taken through the gut are absorbed directly into the lymphatic system, which is usually where we're working to get them to in the first place. Eventually all fatty acids end up in the lymphatic system. Long-chain fatty acids shorten the trip.

The lymphatic system is the home of the immune system, responsible for controlling alien invasion and inflammation.

How do I apply this knowledge in a practical way?

I like to keep things simple. Here's how I work this out:

* If I'm making an oil for recreational euphoria I'm choosing coconut oil. I want those cannabinoids to get to the liver quickly so the delta-9 THC can be more quickly metabolized into 11-hydroxy THC.

* If I'm making an oil to treat liver disease I choose coconut oil for the quick transport to the liver, keeping in mind that coconut oil is a vasodilator and can be potentially painful for a patient with a stressed liver.

* If I'm treating just about anything else I reach for (extra-virgin olive oil) EVOO, preferably organic, cold pressed.

* If making a topical oil I generally reach for grape seed oil, for its absorbing potential and ease of sourcing. Pumpkin seed oil is another option for super-fast delivery, and can be slowed down by mixing with grape seed oil. Remember that the smell of topicals often need to be covered with essential oils, which offer their own therapeutic benefits.

There are many oil options available, and no one should limit themselves in choosing. By experimenting with different oil and more exotic blends you may unexpectedly find something that works better for you. Cannabis is the ultimate personal medicine. Allow yourself to play.

Fatty Acids

• SweetSue
• Jan 14, 2019

Picture from slideshare.com

 

[scrumpdilly]

Grape seed is used here because this is linked to a thread for topicals, and grape seed works wonderfully well for topicals.

You can use whatever carrier oil you desire. I use olive for most medicinal treatments, coconut when called for or when baking with the oil. Almond makes a wicked massage oil. Grape seed, as mentioned, for my topicals. Pumpkin seed oil is a quick transponder in the skin. Sinks right in, leaving no time to spread it, from what I hear. I’ve not used it yet myself.

I dry a couple different ways, depending on need. Hang dry is used mostly when the fridge is packed with bags of low and slo. The dehydrator will dry a harvest in 50 hours at the lowest setting, and when I need it done in 3 days that’s what I reach for.

I prefer low and slo. It results in a clearly superior product.

Learning a lot! I heard of a fridge dry method but had trouble finding information on it. Do you have any threads about it?

 

[SweetSue]

Learning a lot! I heard of a fridge dry method but had trouble finding information on it. Do you have any threads about it?

You timed that question well scrumpdilly. Yes indeed, I have the link right here..... DrZiggy's Low and Slow Drying. Feel free to peruse, and don't hesitate to jump to the current pages and ask questions.

 

[SweetSue]

Forgive me Cannacaps, I don't often miss posts, but I certainly missed yours. Let me see what I can answer for you.

Sweet Sue
I have a couple of basic questions

On the decarbing I have been setting my oven to 240° for 40min, using a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
I will decarb at 235 for 110 min, but should I use a different container?
I notice you use a roasting bag, and I have read about using a pie pan covered with foil.

My next batch I will try the oven method used by intheshed. He does 210° for 7 hours (using olive oil)
I will be using coconut oil and I wonder if the time and temp should be the same?

Oldbear has used the foil cover of a suitable jar with a pinprick for his oven decarbs all along. Many people choose a foil cover on a pie pan. I'm personally uncomfortable with the smell of decarbing cannabis wafting through the neighborhood, which is what you get open on a baking sheet. We choose roasting bags because they can contain the smell best. I always toss mine into the freezer to cool before opening.

I've cooked oil in the oven on 170°F for 36 hours and my decarb wasn't as complete as it was at 235-240°F for 110 minutes. It wasn't my recommendation, it was scientifically proven by the Dutch. I've tested my own Instant Pot oils for decarb, and they're close to complete decarb. Neiko tested buds cooked at 235°F (to my recollection) and had them tested. They tested at around 97% decarb.

Made me smile to read that you couldn't do it. Lol! I understand completely. I trust both the Dutch researchers and the experience of our members.

SweetSue
I have been searching and reading and combining different aspects of this process.

This is the recipe I used last night and finished this AM.

Cannabis coconut oil recipe:
Supplies needed
One qt. glass baking dish
Aluminum foil to cover dish
Small ½” paint brush for collecting small cannabis particles
Sunflower lecithin 1.5 tsp
10 g ground cannabis
100 ml coconut oil
1 tablespoon 150 proof alcohol

Preheat oven to 235°f
Decarbed process:
Crumble cannabis buds into baking dish, cover with foil, bake for 90 min, then let cool.
(Just couldn't do the 110 min you recommend)
After cooling grind in food processor to very fine (almost powder)
(Grass city BrassNWood grinds to flour and doesn't strain)
Place ground cannabis back into the baking dish.
Moisten the cannabis with the alcohol and let stand for 5 minutes
(Found another post about this, the alcohol is supposed to start dissolving the trichomes)
Add 100 ml of melted coconut oil, and 1.5 tsp sunflower lecithin.
Cover and bake at 220 for 25 minutes
Remove baking dish and cool, then place in the freezer for several hrs.
Remove baking dish from freezer allow to warm to room temperature
Reheat in oven set to 220 for 40 minutes
The baking and freezing process from BrassNWood
Cool, strain, and fill capsules.
I ended up with 113 size 00 capsules, will see tonight just how strong.

Picture of finished product some of these are starting to solidify.

Overall a good recipe, and you should expect good results, IMO. I have a couple thoughts:

* Can you link me to the post about the need to include alcohol here? Quite frankly, the heat and agitation caused by that heat alone will free the plant's oils from the trichomes. I make every effort possible to keep alcohol out of the formulations. Personal choice, cannabis medicine doesn't need to include alcohol, even minute amounts.

* When working with coconut oil you don't need to freeze. If room temps are below 76°F it's going to go solid. The extra cold in the freezer isn't going to do much more, IMO. Instead, if I do this step - which isn't often - I do a series of solid to liquid to solid to liquid, using the fridge if the atmosphere in the room is too warm. This allows the lecithin to disperse the components out finer and finer.

I'm about keeping it simple. The only time I'd personally take this time and effort would be for a very special case, probably with a patient extremely immune system-stressed.

I'm a fan of 100% efficiency, part of the reason I love my brownie doses so much, so I encourage the fine grind and no strain.

I love seeing pictures of member's bowls or jars of capsules, ready to go. How was the effect for you?

 

[scrumpdilly]

You timed that question well scrumpdilly. Yes indeed, I have the link right here..... DrZiggy's Low and Slow Drying. Feel free to peruse, and don't hesitate to jump to the current pages and ask questions.

Thanks so much!

 

[Derbybud]

So i did some oil last week and it came out smelling and tasting completely different. There is a minimum smell and taste from my plants and if anything could have been stronger with the amount of plant material that i used. So here's what I did.
Took 200 grams of cbdutch treat buds out of the freezer. They were not dried at harvest so I put them on a drying screen for 24 hours in temps of 68f and about 50%rh. Then into a turkey roasting bag on a cookie sheet and into the oven for 2 hours at 235f. After that cycle I put them in our mud room to cool at 40f for about an hour. I then put it into my MBII machine and topped with grapeseed oil to the max marked on the inside. I had to compress the plant material down to get it all in there. Next I ran the MBII for 4 hours at 160f then back into the mud room over night and the next day ran it again at 160f but at only 2 hours. Again into the mud room to cool then open it up the next day and added my sunflower lecithin and another 2 hours at 160f. I cool this again over night and just warmed it up the next day by running a 120f cycle for an hour. I then strained off the oil and ended up with a little less than 2 pints of oil that has hardly any cannabis smell. Now i haven't been dosing yet with it as I'm trying to use up my older oils but i did get a damn good buzz off of it when cleaning things up with a piece of homemade bread. More so than I've gotten before while cleaning things up. I'm not sure why I did this run this way but I'm pretty sure I'll be glad I did.

 

[Derbybud]

Oh crap this should have gone in a different thread. Sorry

 

[SweetSue]

Oh crap this should have gone in a different thread. Sorry

Not to worry, it’s actually very appropriate here Derbybud. This is a technique I’ve been thinking of adopting with the Instant Pot too. It’s occurred to me that there’s more going on than we understand with decarb, and it may well be that THC decarb isn’t all we should be concerned with.

I know from personal experience that you'll get buzzed faster off bud you decarb first, and we’ve never found a good explaination for why that works. Infusions left to sit for longer times (think days to weeks) before straining become more potent.

Until we have better testing facilities willing to look deeper into the compositions without bankrupting us were left to wonder.

I believe my next batch after I get home will be done with an additional cycle.

 

[Derbybud]

The smell and taste is so different and the only thing i did different was the 3 cycles instead of a single 160f for 6 or 8 hours.

 

[luckydux]

I followed your instructions Sue but I’m not sure it worked. When I took it out of the instant pot it was still bubbling. Is that a sign that it wasn’t finished? I took 8 caps yesterday, size 0, and although I could feel it, i think I should of felt it more. I’ve been staying somewhat medicated over the last 2wks so my tolerance is up there but still think it was lacking. Suggestions??!!

 

[Cannacaps4U2]

Forgive me Cannacaps, I don't often miss posts, but I certainly missed yours. Let me see what I can answer for you.



Oldbear has used the foil cover of a suitable jar with a pinprick for his oven decarbs all along. Many people choose a foil cover on a pie pan. I'm personally uncomfortable with the smell of decarbing cannabis wafting through the neighborhood, which is what you get open on a baking sheet. We choose roasting bags because they can contain the smell best. I always toss mine into the freezer to cool before opening.

I've cooked oil in the oven on 170°F for 36 hours and my decarb wasn't as complete as it was at 235-240°F for 110 minutes. It wasn't my recommendation, it was scientifically proven by the Dutch. I've tested my own Instant Pot oils for decarb, and they're close to complete decarb. Neiko tested buds cooked at 235°F (to my recollection) and had them tested. They tested at around 97% decarb.

Made me smile to read that you couldn't do it. Lol! I understand completely. I trust both the Dutch researchers and the experience of our members.




Overall a good recipe, and you should expect good results, IMO. I have a couple thoughts:

* Can you link me to the post about the need to include alcohol here? Quite frankly, the heat and agitation caused by that heat alone will free the plant's oils from the trichomes. I make every effort possible to keep alcohol out of the formulations. Personal choice, cannabis medicine doesn't need to include alcohol, even minute amounts.

* When working with coconut oil you don't need to freeze. If room temps are below 76°F it's going to go solid. The extra cold in the freezer isn't going to do much more, IMO. Instead, if I do this step - which isn't often - I do a series of solid to liquid to solid to liquid, using the fridge if the atmosphere in the room is too warm. This allows the lecithin to disperse the components out finer and finer.

I'm about keeping it simple. The only time I'd personally take this time and effort would be for a very special case, probably with a patient extremely immune system-stressed.

I'm a fan of 100% efficiency, part of the reason I love my brownie doses so much, so I encourage the fine grind and no strain.

I love seeing pictures of member's bowls or jars of capsules, ready to go. How was the effect for you?

Sue to answer your questions
Here is the link to using a small amount of alcohol when making coconut oil

BE ALL - END ALL GUIDE TO EDIBLES

Also BrassNwood over at grasscity is a huge proponent of heating then freezing process a couple of times.

My latest batch gave me 113 of the 00 capsules and I take three
This seems a lot like my other batches.

 

[SweetSue]

Sue to answer your questions
Here is the link to using a small amount of alcohol when making coconut oil

BE ALL - END ALL GUIDE TO EDIBLES

Also BrassNwood over at grasscity is a huge proponent of heating then freezing process a couple of times.

My latest batch gave me 113 of the 00 capsules and I take three
This seems a lot like my other batches.

Sorry... I had to silently back out of the room. There’s not a lot of science going on there, but there was a lot of arguing and trying to prove the point. Not my favorite learning atmosphere.

I don’t know how old those posts are - couldn’t find a date - but we know much more now about terpenes and cannabinoids, to begin with. Maybe it was presentation....

I’d like to see the test results on oil made with bud treated with alcohol vs bud untreated. @Cannasavvy ? Lol! You’re the one with a tCheck in your holster. Lol!

Until proven otherwise I’ll stand behind my belief that when making oil infusions it’s unnecessary to add alcohol to the process. It adds an extra step to a simple process and uses a solvent that’s frustratingly difficult to source. My goal is to keep this kitchen alchemy as simple and affordable as possible. One of the reasons I became an advocate for infused oils was to get away from ethanol as much as possible.

That’s not to say I’d snub you or anything for doing so Please, I encourage members to make oils by any method they find useful. Before I’d personally change my production methods to include the alcohol step I’d prefer something more than what I found by following that link.

 

[SweetSue]

I followed your instructions Sue but I’m not sure it worked. When I took it out of the instant pot it was still bubbling. Is that a sign that it wasn’t finished? I took 8 caps yesterday, size 0, and although I could feel it, i think I should of felt it more. I’ve been staying somewhat medicated over the last 2wks so my tolerance is up there but still think it was lacking. Suggestions??!!

I’d recommend you run it again and let it naturally vent. In other words let it cool for a couple hours before opening it. It was still decarbing when you opened it. I’ve figured out it’s that extra time in there that gets the more complete decarb.

 

[Cannasavvy]

Sorry... I had to silently back out of the room. There’s not a lot of science going on there, but there was a lot of arguing and trying to prove the point. Not my favorite learning atmosphere.

I don’t know how old those posts are - couldn’t find a date - but we know much more now about terpenes and cannabinoids, to begin with. Maybe it was presentation....

I’d like to see the test results on oil made with bud treated with alcohol vs bud untreated. @Cannasavvy ? Lol! You’re the one with a tCheck in your holster. Lol!

Until proven otherwise I’ll stand behind my belief that when making oil infusions it’s unnecessary to add alcohol to the process. It adds an extra step to a simple process and uses a solvent that’s frustratingly difficult to source. My goal is to keep this kitchen alchemy as simple and affordable as possible. One of the reasons I became an advocate for infused oils was to get away from ethanol as much as possible.

That’s not to say I’d snub you or anything for doing so Please, I encourage members to make oils by any method they find useful. Before I’d personally change my production methods to include the alcohol step I’d prefer something more than what I found by following that link.

I have also seen this suggestion but never tried it. Ive never seen enough positive commentary on it to feel like it was worth trying. However, the extractors prewash all their material in ethanol. I will ask them about it. Things that make you go hmmm.