Xlr8's Magic Brownies - Step by Step - With Pictures!

[Hiker]

Krush, when you infuse your oil, are you heating it alone, or with water?

I make mine using butter, or coconut oil (the only 2 oils I use), water, and dry trim cooked in a big pot. I did a batch recently on the BBQs side burner. Worked great. Didn't heat up, or more important, stink up the house! I will let mine cook for many hours. Like 8-24. Mostly depends on what else I have going on. Just make sure the water doesn't all evaporate.

I did find a great new tip last time... When I was at the local farmer store (Purina store), I found a 'jelly strainer' kit for ~$8. It's a metal frame holds a little cotton bag over a glass bowl. After I'm done 'cooking' the oil, I just pour it into this strainer, and let it drain. I figured out I need to buy some dedicated waterproof and thermally protective gloves for this, but I was able to squeeze most of the oil out of the bag with my hands and some big spoons after it cooled a bit. This is basically the same process I used before (filtering through a cotton bag), but having a device specifically intended for the task really worked better. This time I recovered ~10 of the 16 ounces of butter. I'm hoping I can get to at least 12 ounces (75%).

After that I do what you said. My oil and water mix drain right into a glass bowl that I put into the fridge until the oil hardens. Then it's a simple matter of lifting off the puck/wafer of oil off the top of the water. All the gross stuff stays in the water on the bottom, and I'm left with some pretty nice looking oil. Huh I thought I posted pics of the butter process before, but I don't see them in my gallery. I'll have to document my process next time.

I like to do the infusion with the water and oil as it also help control the temps. Water boils at 212F, so your oil and cannabis never get hotter than that

 

[krusht2]

Hiker - I have used both double boiler method, bud goes in oil, not water and our other option, weed in water & oil!
I will be making RSO w/ this autumn crop, using frozen ISO-alcohol in January, when my alcohol can freeze - I'll process it all at below freezing for clear, pure rose-coloured HempOil, then the used goes into a large pot of near-boiling water, adding oil only after pounding the shyte with an electric mixer to break it up.

I no longer use butter - while coco oil is V. pricey, I love that coconut oil is so healthy, while butter is so not!

So I have no real favorite method - if I'm making my butter w/unused bud/trim, I go double boiler for 2 hours or longer! With used shyte, I go 30-45 min. in water w/ oil; I'm sure it's all the same, but I also have made my coconut oil extraction and then add more 'black' oil so I get a super-saturated batch and one(1) SMALL brownie (1.5" square) will pacify an angry bull! Two(2) brownies, I guaranphuquingtee you miss wurk!

Want to know what is 'black oil'? Just ask! Plus - I'm looking for answers to lots of questions so let's keep this rolling!

Peace Light Love Truth adavida

 

[krusht2]

I make mine using butter, or coconut oil (the only 2 oils I use), water, and dry trim cooked in a big pot. I did a batch recently on the BBQs side burner. Worked great. Didn't heat up, or more important, stink up the house! I will let mine cook for many hours. Like 8-24. Mostly depends on what else I have going on. Just make sure the water doesn't all evaporate.

I did find a great new tip last time... When I was at the local farmer store (Purina store), I found a 'jelly strainer' kit for ~$8. It's a metal frame holds a little cotton bag over a glass bowl. After I'm done 'cooking' the oil, I just pour it into this strainer, and let it drain. I figured out I need to buy some dedicated waterproof and thermally protective gloves for this, but I was able to squeeze most of the oil out of the bag with my hands and some big spoons after it cooled a bit. This is basically the same process I used before (filtering through a cotton bag), but having a device specifically intended for the task really worked better. This time I recovered ~10 of the 16 ounces of butter. I'm hoping I can get to at least 12 ounces (75%).

After that I do what you said. My oil and water mix drain right into a glass bowl that I put into the fridge until the oil hardens. Then it's a simple matter of lifting off the puck/wafer of oil off the top of the water. All the gross stuff stays in the water on the bottom, and I'm left with some pretty nice looking oil. Huh I thought I posted pics of the butter process before, but I don't see them in my gallery. I'll have to document my process next time.

I like to do the infusion with the water and oil as it also help control the temps. Water boils at 212F, so your oil and cannabis never get hotter than that [/QUOTE]

 

[Elderberry]

I have questions on decarboxylation. According to an article on another website, decarboxylation occurs between 246 degrees and 435 degrees. Your recipe calls for putting it in the oven at 220 degrees, which appears to differ with the article I referenced.

Regardless, assuming that the decarboxylation process occurs when heated (whether it be 220 or 246-435), wouldn't the decarboboxylation take place either while cooking the oil (assuming that the temp is ~220) or for sure during the baking process at 325 degrees? (i.e. why would you need the extra preliminary oven step?)

 

[krusht2]

You raise a good point!
In baking, most ev'thing is done @ 350 degrees, so I've never bothered w/decarb, but I have read claims that it does make your product stronger, but I don't comprehend how or why!

I have questions on decarboxylation. According to an article in Marijuana Growers HQ, decarboxylation occurs between 246 degrees and 435 degrees. Your recipe calls for putting it in the oven at 220 degrees, which appears to differ with the article I referenced.

Regardless, assuming that the decarboxylation process occurs when heated (whether it be 220 or 246-435), wouldn't the decarboboxylation take place either while cooking the oil (assuming that the temp is ~220) or for sure during the baking process at 325 degrees? (i.e. why would you need the extra preliminary oven step?)

 

[Xlr8]

I have questions on decarboxylation. According to an article in Marijuana Growers HQ decarboxylation occurs between 246 degrees and 435 degrees. Your recipe calls for putting it in the oven at 220 degrees, which appears to differ with the article I referenced.

Regardless, assuming that the decarboxylation process occurs when heated (whether it be 220 or 246-435), wouldn't the decarboboxylation take place either while cooking the oil (assuming that the temp is ~220) or for sure during the baking process at 325 degrees? (i.e. why would you need the extra preliminary oven step?)

Haven't read the article (and the link gets wiped by automated process). But I can still answer your question:

The temperatures you are quoting are vaporization points of various compounds in cannabis. Not a decarboxylation temperature range. Well... let me correct myself somewhat here. In that temperature range (the range is because there are many compounds, and they instantly vaporize at different temps), decarboxylation happens instantly and vaporizes away (or in the case of actually using a vaporizer, into your lungs).

I won't spend a lot of time talking about the science - but decarboxylation is the removal of CO2 from the cannabis. An example of what this does is causing non-psychoactive THCA to convert to THC.

Decarboxylation will actually occur at room temperature, if you give it long enough. Basically, when cannabis is completely dry, it's "decarbed". For example, have you ever heard people argue that they could get "high" by eating raw weed (swallowing a bud, for example)? Some say they've tried it and nothing happened, others swear they got super stoned. Well, they both might be right. Good bud (for smoking, say) should not be so dry that it can be eaten raw and give you a giant buzz. But... dried out bud (think crispy) will probably get you high if you eat it raw (yuck!). As the bud dries, the THC related compounds are activated. This is how vaporizing works, and for that matter smoking. Nothing decarbs and activates THC faster than a flame!

With baked goods, we don't want the decarbed materials to go up in smoke or vaporize away prematurely. So, with the oven, we're really just trying to ensure the activation of compounds like THC and CBD by speeding the drying (decarboxylation) process without vaporizing it or burning it away before we use it in our edibles. Decarbing ensures that things like THCA (which won't have good medicinal effects) are converted in to the more psychoactive, medicinal THC prior to absorption into oil, which is what makes it all work. Sure, cooking may activate some of this too, but why not cover your bases and get it all (or as close to it as you can). This makes the difference between "good" brownies and "great" brownies. Or whatever you might be making with your oil.

Hope that helps!!

X

 

[Hiker]

What Xlr8 said!

I try to never bake at 350. About 325 is the max I'll try. I've tried the carboxylation as a separate step, and can't tell any difference in potency. I boil mine for a very very long time, so my oil sits at 212F for hours. That might get the bulk of the compounds to activate. I'm not sure. WHen I lower the baking temp, I also increase the time, so maybe that lets the process happen in the oven too? I'm not sure.

I think the lecithin is the real key here. From my initial testing (only started keep keeping notes recently so some info is fuzzy memory), it doesn't matter, in regards to potency, if I add the lecithin when infusing the oil or when cooking. It does make a difference with my water and oil separation method though. I think it makes that line between the oil and the water a little softer. Makes sense since that's what an emulsifier is supposed to do. So I've decided it's best to add it when I cook. If you're not using the water and oil method, maybe it's better to add it at the start.

 

[krusht2]

Thanks dood - i'm likin' this thread

I'm sure 3 hours or more in coconut oil will pull all the value out, but who wants to disagree - perhaps pre-decarb means less
time to extract, but from what I read, decarb is 2 hours ennywat! Most of my baking is 325f. and get this for BEST TASTE brownies - add to your recipe - 1 tbsp. grated 80% or 90% chocolate + 1 heaped tbsp. fine-grind coffee (or instant?) nothing tastes better in the brownie wurld - good for Devil's Food cake too!

What Xlr8 said!

I try to never bake at 350. About 325 is the max I'll try. I've tried the carboxylation as a separate step, and can't tell any difference in potency. I boil mine for a very very long time, so my oil sits at 212F for hours. That might get the bulk of the compounds to activate. I'm not sure. WHen I lower the baking temp, I also increase the time, so maybe that lets the process happen in the oven too? I'm not sure.

I think the lecithin is the real key here. From my initial testing (only started keep keeping notes recently so some info is fuzzy memory), it doesn't matter, in regards to potency, if I add the lecithin when infusing the oil or when cooking. It does make a difference with my water and oil separation method though. I think it makes that line between the oil and the water a little softer. Makes sense since that's what an emulsifier is supposed to do. So I've decided it's best to add it when I cook. If you're not using the water and oil method, maybe it's better to add it at the start.

 

[artgrrrl]

Thank you for these great instructions! This is my first time making cannaoil or any type of edibles and I'm super pleased with the results! I used a combination of coconut, canola and vegetable oils, 1 and 1/3 cup yielded a little bit more than 1 cup. I don't have a garden so I used a half ounce of top quality regs shake and tiny budlets and ground them up in my coffee grinder. I don't own a real double boiler, but since I make yoghurt I have a couple homemade double boilers. For the oil I used a large pot and my largest Pyrex glass mixing bowl which fits perfectly in the pot creating a seal to keep the steam in. I have a glass candy thermometer, so there was a slight issue with the thermometer creating a gap in the aluminum foil, which was enough to bring the temperature down, so I created a little foil tent around the thermometer sealng in any lost vapors and keeping the tempurature of the oil at a constant. I let the oil cook for a little over 3 hours. The next night I made the brownies using ghirradelli brownie mix at 325 degrees in a metal 8 x 8 pan.

I tested out the brownies on a variety of friends, some who smoke a lot but haven't tried edibles and some who smoke much more than I, and are experienced edible eaters and I got favorable feedback from everyone! When I was making the brownies I licked the 1/2 cup measuring cup clean and the fork I used for mixing and just that gave me a buzz. While a friend and I were waiting for the brownies to cool we decided to smoke a small bowl between us and that's when the little bit of oil I ingested kicked in. My friend wanted to smoke a second bowl but by that time I was already feeling stoned. After the brownies cooled I cut them into 16 pieces and ate half a brownie. I didn't feel any need to smoke for the rest of the evening. (I did need to quickly put something in my stomach to mellow the buzz a little.) The next night I ate a full brownie and I think I could still feel the results the day after.

Anyway, I followed your instructions to the letter and I'm so happy that my first time ever trying this turned out so wonderfully. I would've been pretty disappointed if that 1/2 oz were wasted.

I have one question: can the extra brownies be frozen without loss of potency? How long will they stay potent if stored in the fridge? I googled this, but I got a lot of results pertaining to freezing your buds which doesn't answer my question as I don't have enough to warrant storing extra greens in the freezer. I just don't want any of the extra brownies to go to waste.

 

[krusht2]

I've been keeping my brownies, granola bars, canncoconut oil and my RSO in the freezer for months at a time - I can't tell if there's any degradation cause all that shyte keeps me too stoned to tell if its no good or am I sure I'm high? or what do YOU think?

I think if you can freeze semen, you can freeze processed cannaoil, bro', but I'm just a 70 yr old hippie!

 

[krusht2]

I know this thread is a few years old, but perhaps ....

I have a good inventory of CannaButter in my freezer - contains no soy lecithin - do you know of any reason why I should not simply add soy lecithin (1 tbsp) as I bake each batch of brownies?

 

[Xlr8]

As far as freezing... I don't see a reason it would cause degradation. While I've not tried what you are describing, I have frozen bud. The key with freezing bud is keeping moisture out, so one critical step with that is to only take out what you need and let it get to room temperature before opening it to prevent moisture from condensation getting everything wet. You don't want to have a repeated cycle of freezing and thawing or you will get degradation. Not sure how that (or if that) would apply with what you are freezing, but wanted to give you as much as I can from my own experiences. By the way, freezing bud can work really well if you vacuum seal your containers first, and this is the trick to how I do it. Then, I always let the containers get to room temperature before opening to prevent instant moisture from condensation.

I've not tried doing so, but I see no reason to think that adding soy lecithin after the fact wouldn't help some or just plain outright work. Would love to get your feedback if you try it so we know for certain!

 

[b4l2k12]

Hey, I know this might have been a repetitive question, but would 12-14 grams of quality bud be sufficient enough for 16 brownies, factoring in tolerance, etc.

 

[krusht2]

Opinions are like rectums - Everybody has one & most of them stink! --- > here's mine:

14 gr of v. good bud will give, @ BEST, the equiv. of 1 gram oil in 16 brownies= 0.624 = equiv. of 1 full daily anti-cancer dosage; so ---> yes, I'm sure you should test with half a brownie, give it 80 or 90 minutes for more, 'cause 4 sure you'll get stoned; also, no danger though - 1st timers be showing some caution, please - a wee small amount can knock down a big man but conversely his 110 lb bride might eat 2 lol

 

[krusht2]

As far as freezing... I don't see a reason it would cause degradation. While I've not tried what you are describing, I have frozen bud. The key with freezing bud is keeping moisture out, so one critical step with that is to only take out what you need and let it get to room temperature before opening it to prevent moisture from condensation getting everything wet. You don't want to have a repeated cycle of freezing and thawing or you will get degradation. Not sure how that (or if that) would apply with what you are freezing, but wanted to give you as much as I can from my own experiences. By the way, freezing bud can work really well if you vacuum seal your containers first, and this is the trick to how I do it. Then, I always let the containers get to room temperature before opening to prevent instant moisture from condensation.

I've not tried doing so, but I see no reason to think that adding soy lecithin after the fact wouldn't help some or just plain outright work. Would love to get your feedback if you try it so we know for certain!

Hey thanx, my brother I bought a bottle of the soy lecithin, organic, added 1 tbsp to my brownies, and the result is not disappointing - after 3 days they appear to work well for my arthritis/back/sciatica for the full day AND last night I didn't seem to need my dosage & felt G R E A T this AM (also, the brownies are velvety smooth) - not that I plan on reducing my volume of oil ingestion, but as the years flow I can be sure that edibles, so simple with Coconut Oil extraction, are plainly the equal to RSO or any other concentrate as far as the medicine side of this wonderful therapy goes!

My mission for the years to come is to promote those of us who have living elder relatives to petition their families to introduce medical edibles to our parents, grandparents & family - you don't need to have an illness to justify edibles - old folks deserve to feel like young folks!

We should have Canna salves in every medicine cabinet on the planet; ditto for all FirstAid kits!

Has anyone seen how instantly CannaButter will end a wasp's sting? a BBQ burn, a cut or knee-scrape?

I had a coulda-been-crippling car-crash in Jan '13 - no meds but 1 Tylenol while waiting for x-rays in the hospital - that was IT! Strictly Cannabinoid therapy & Chiropractics -

 

[Nigoolius]

Hi everybody!

So Im finally started cooking

I followed this recipe to a T and my oil has been on the stove for about 90 minutes now. Ive read this entire thread and saw nothing on a big problem I had.

After I de-carbed and took the weed out of the oven in the oven bag, the static damn near killed me. A lot of material was left clinging to the bag. I scraped it with a knife and put it in the oil best I could but I was wondering if there is a way to prevent this. I was literally throwing THC in the garbage that was stuck. Im about to bring it all together and make my mix. Ill let you all know how it comes out.

 

[Nigoolius]

Hi everybody!

So Im finally started cooking

I followed this recipe to a T and my oil has been on the stove for about 90 minutes now. Ive read this entire thread and saw nothing on a big problem I had.

After I de-carbed and took the weed out of the oven in the oven bag, the static damn near killed me. A lot of material was left clinging to the bag. I scraped it with a knife and put it in the oil best I could but I was wondering if there is a way to prevent this. I was literally throwing THC in the garbage that was stuck. Im about to bring it all together and make my mix. Ill let you all know how it comes out.

Touchdown.

 

[Hiker]

I bet a quick spray of water should kill the static, ie spray bottle with a mist setting.

 

[MassMedMan]

Making these tonight, just de carbed,, have never done that part before and I've never had luck with edibles.... Can't wait to try but I'll probably wait till tomorrow to eat em....

 

[MassMedMan]

Just gonna try the crust...