If there is one thing an immersion circulator is good for, it is infusions. The precise temperature of the water bath gives you greater control over your results, and allows you to basically “fix it and forget it.” This is good for extracting all kinds of things, but today we’re going to extract some THC.




This post is the fifth in Lifehacker’s Green Week , a series where we’re discussing medical marijuana, its benefits, drawbacks, and everything you need to know. Keep in mind, we’re not doctors, so you should check with yours before trying it, and similarly, obey the laws and regulations in your area regarding the procurement and use of medical marijuana.



I’ve never been hugely into edibles, because I do not enjoy the taste of weed, but they do seem to be fairly effective. A good edible depends on good THC extraction, so my Anova Precision Cooker seemed like a pretty good fit for this particular job. To test out this theory, I tried a few different recipes. Let’s see how it all turned out, shall we? (Note: If you are unsure about the legality of marijuana in your state, consult this map, and be sure to read up and follow your local laws and regulations, also be sure to check out our guide on how to use medical marijuana safely and responsibly.)


But First, You Must Decarb

For the most effective extraction, you’re going to need to decarb your weed. “Decarbing” has nothing to do with carbohydrates. It’s short for “decarboxylating,” which is a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide, converting THCA (Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid) to THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). This process takes place slowly as the pot flowers dry out, but you can speed it up with the application of heat. Before you ask, there is no need to decarb pot you’re going to smoke, as the heat from the act of smoking takes care of that.




You can decarb your weed in the oven, but that can be kind of stinky, and the whole point of this article is to speed up the process and utilize our handy sous vide. To get started, simply grind up your marijuana and place it in a sealable plastic bag. (Note: this will pretty much ruin your spice orcoffee grinder for all other applications, so prepare for that.) According to Sousweed, you’ll want to set your immersion circulator to 95ºC (203ºF) and submerge the weed-dust containing baggies for about an hour. Your weed will then be THC-ful, and ready for whatever edible recipe you wish to use it in.



Fatty Friends

Once you know how to infuse one fatty substance, you can pretty much infuse them all, and Sousweed can walk you through the process. Butter, olive oil, lard, and coconut oil all infuse at 85ºC (185ºF), it’s just a matter of how long you leave them in there. Besides coconut oil (which has a ratio of 8 ounces coconut oil for 1 ounce cannabis) the ratio for pretty much any cooking fat is 16 ounces of fat or oil for every ounce of decarboxylated cannabis.


Decarb your ground up flowers as described above, stir them into some melted butter or liquid oil (in a sealable plastic bag or mason jar), and let it hang out in nice, warm, 85ºC-bath for four hours. Remove, let cool until you can handle it, and strain through a fine mesh sieve.




I decided to go with butter, since I always have butter, and scaled it down to 4 ounces with a ¼ ounce of marijuana. I wouldn’t use a pricey butter here, because any subtlety of flavor is going to get completely obscured. The result was a very potent spread that tasted strongly of cannabis. If you like how weed tastes, you will like how this tastes. If you do not like how weed tastes, then you will be upset that you wasted both marijuana and butter. (I kind of was, to be totally frank.) Of course, there are ways to obscure the flavor. Chocolate and sugar are pretty good choices, and these DIY Samoas look like heaven.



Start by making a simple shortbread with THC-infused butter, then drizzle on melted dark chocolate, caramel, and shredded, sweetened coconut.


If you want to play around and devise your own edible recipes, be sure to keep a couple of things in mind:



First, pay attention to dosage. Depending on the potency of the marijuana you’re using, you may not want to do cup for cup substitutions of cannabutter for regular. If you’re monitoring your dosages closely, like we discussed earlier this week, you don’t want to overdo it. If you’re not sure how to figure that out, let this handy calculator help you

Depending on the potency of the marijuana you’re using, you may not want to do cup for cup substitutions of cannabutter for regular. If you’re monitoring your dosages closely, like we discussed earlier this week, you don’t want to overdo it. If you’re not sure how to figure that out, Secondly, don’t bake your treats at temperatures over 340ºF.


Dangerous Dulce Dip


Another sweet treat you can whip up is that ol’ Lifehacker favorite, easy dulce de leche (caramel dip, to be honest). It’s not as fatty as the above, and it takes a little longer to infuse, but the result is a very strong and very sweet dipping sauce.




How strong you ask? It’s “am I moving my face correctly while I wait in line to order this burrito strong.” It gets the job done, is what I’m saying. To make this dangerous dip, simply crush and decarb your flowers as instructed above, then swirl it into a jar of sweetened condensed milk (Sousweed recommends a ratio of ⅛ ounces of weed with for one 12-ounce jar of condensed milk. I do not recommend exceeding that ratio.) Let it hang out at 85ºC bath for six hours and remove. In terms of straining out the plant parts, I found that they pretty much all float to the top during the infusion process, so just scrape them off and toss ‘em. Spread that stuff on an apple, stir it into some iced coffee, or just eat it with a spoon, but be careful.

Mix Vices


It’s no secret that my favorite infusions are alcoholic. While I usually prefer using my Anova to infuse alcohol with flavor (as I did in the Great Sous Vide Gin Experiment), it can also be used to infuse vodka (or any alcohol really) with dankness.



Before we begin though, we should note: proceed cautiously. Alcohol should be consumed responsibly in the first place, even more so when infused with weed, and obviously do not do this or anything like this if you’re not at least 21 years old and it’s legal in your state or region, okay?


Now, the procedure similar to the two above, only it requires less weed (one gram per 250 mL of vodka) and it infuses much faster. Just mix your decarbed weed in a mason jar with your alcohol of choice, and sous vide at 95ºC for a couple of hours.

In terms of dosage, I would start with a couple of tablespoons and go from there, as this stuff is pretty strong. (It’s not quite “what am I doing with my face” strong, but it’s “you definitely should not have texted that dude back” strong.) I also wouldn’t use a particularly nice spirit for this, as the pot is going to completely obscure the flavor. If you want to add just a little bit of THC magic to your cocktail, I suggest using your infusion as a basis for bitters.


To learn the finer points of DIY bitters, check out our complete guide here, but the short version is this:

Find some spices, herbs, or dried fruit that you think would complement the taste of weed. Put a couple of teaspoons of each flavoring in its own little jar and cover it with a neutral spirit. Shake the jars once a day, tasting every couple of days to see how they’re coming along. (A couple of drops in glass of seltzer should give you a good idea). Once they’re flavorful, strain out the plant parts. Mix your variously flavored tinctures with your pot-infused vodka. Funnel into cute little dropper bottles and add a couple of drops to any beverage you feel would benefit from a little tender love and THC.


Here’s another idea for your THC-ethanol hybrid: Soak some gummy bears in that elixir! According to the website Mix That Drink, just place your favorite gummy bears, worms, or cola bottles in a bowl and pour enough vodka over them to cover. How long you let them sit is up to you. They’ll continue to expand up to the 20 hour mark, but they may be a bit slimy for your taste. I like soaking mine for about 12; they’re pretty big by that point, but haven’t begun to degrade yet. Fish your swollen, gelatinous friends out of their vodka bath, and serve.

Overall, I feel pretty confident in recommending sous vide as a method of THC extraction. It’s easy, it’s effective, and it results in a product that will make you question what exactly your lips are doing while you wait in line for a burrito.

Advertisement