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Through trial and error, I finally found a cannabis oil making technique that is mess-free, smell-free and stress-free using the mason jar method. This canna-oil is perfect to make a large variety of cannabis-infused vegan edibles.

Note: This post has been updated in February 2020.



Making Canna-oil with the Masson Jar Method

Living in an apartment building, I try to keep the smell down when I make tasty vegan treats with a little extra magic. So here’s how I make potent cannabis oil that can be incorporated in any treats.

The Steps in Making Cannabis Oil

There are 2 important steps to making weed oil:

1.Decarbing your cannabis

2. Infusing your oil with weed

What is decarbing?

In simple words, decarbing is the process in which we heat the marijuana bud to activate the psychoactive components in the flower. The THC-A present in your flower transforms into THC. It is scientifically named decarboxylation, but decarbing is way easier to remember and say.

Why should I decarb my weed?

Unfortunately, decarbing is also the smelly step in making edibles. You are basically baking your weed.

Think back into the last time you baked a cake. Now replace that delicious golden brown smell with that powerful weed smell in your whole apartment or even your apartment building. Hell no!

You might be tempted to skip this step but DON’T!

I repeat

DO . NOT . SKIP . DECARBING .

Heating your flower is the easiest way to decarb your cannabis. While some people like to skip the oven decarbing and decarb their cannabis at the same time as the infusion, there is no proof that the infusion will reach a high enough temperature to activate all THC-A .

This means that if you decide to not decarboxylate your cannabis beforehand, you could end up with week weed oil, and no one wants that! This is why I like to decarb my weed before infusing it with my oil so that I can get the most potent oil I can.

How to decarboxylate cannabis without the smell?

The mason jar method for decarbing cannabis is great because the cooking is done straight in a closed mason jar which I found reduces the smell by about 80 %.

But let’s be honest here, mason jars are not made to be used in an oven. While I have never had a jar crack on me, there is some precaution that you need to keep in mind.

Be careful while handling the hot jar so that you don’t burn yourself.

Never put a hot mason jar on top of a cold surface. The thermic choc caused by the difference in temperature might crack the jar.

Now let’s talk about how to close your mason jar. Most mason jars come with a 2-piece lid that is meant to seal up when canning jams and while making pickles. Obviously, we don’t want the jar to completely seal-up on us, but we also don’t want the potent cannabis smell to escape the jar.

There are 2 ways to close your mason jar in preparation for decarbing your weed in the oven.

1. The aluminum paper

This is my favorite method for closing a mason jar. First, fold a piece of aluminum paper in 2 and use that instead of the flat round piece of the lid. Second, screw on the metal ring that came with the original lid so that the aluminum paper has nowhere to go. I use the same method when I’m infusing my canna-oil in the crockpot.

2.The upside-down piece

The second method for closing up your mason jar is to flip the flat circular-shaped metal piece that comes with your lid upside-down. This will stop the jar from sealing up since the thin rubber piece is not in contact with jar.

If your jar looks like this you are doing it wrong.

It might seal up in the oven!

How to infuse canna-oil?

Infusing is the step where you take your decarbed bud and then infuse it in oil. Indirect heat is best for infusing weed oil since THA can degrade if it is heated at a too high temperature. It is also better because it is easier to keep a stable temperature throughout the infusion process. This recipe uses a Bain-Marie, or water bath, method.

Since having to supervise a stove for a long period of time is bothersome, I use my trusty crockpot to infuse my oil. It keeps a constant temperature and I can just start it up at night and close it in the morning.

Start by putting an old dishtowel in the bottom of your crockpot and then place your mason jar over it. This will stop your jar from rattling round and shattering. Fill your crockpot with water until the waterline is over the oil line in your jar.

Which oil to use?

You can use any light-tasting oil for this recipe. My favorite oil to use is grapeseed oil or any kind of vegetable oil. Coconut oil is also often used.

You don’t want to infuse olive oil or sesame oil because theses strong-tasting oil can become bitter once infused with cannabis.

Crockpot temperature

Now here is the tricky part, not all crock pots are the same. My crockpot is an old hand-me-down that barely simmers at high so this is the temperature I set it up at. ( At least it was free!)

If your crockpot is new and can boil water, set it up so that the water in your water bath is barely simmering.

Now its time to infuse. I often infuse my cannabis-infused oil for up to 6 hours, but 4 hours of infusion should do the job. Don’t forget to check on your crockpot from time to time to fill it back up with water, as needed.

If you forget it for a longer period of time, it’s not a problem. I have left my cannabis oil to infuse for 12 hours before and it was as potent as my other batches.

You can use this weed oil to make tahini chocolate-chip vegan cookies!

Tips & tricks to strain your canna-oil.

I like to use a tea strainer/infuser to separate my oil and plant matter. I simply pour the oil into the strainer into another mason jar. No need for cheesecloths or ending up with oily hands. Press the plant matter with a spoon and you can even reuse your cannabis to infuse plant-based milk afterward or incorporate it in a strong-flavored edible.

THC potency and easy portioning

You can use a THC potency calculator to estimate the amount of THC in your cannabis oil.

I recommend adjusting the quantity of cannabis in this recipe, depending on the strength of your flower, to end up with an oil that has about 20mg of THC per teaspoon.

This will make it easier for you to dose your edibles. For example, if your muffin recipe makes 12 muffins, then you only need to use 6 tsp of canna-oil for all your muffins to have an estimated potency of 10mg of THC, which is a good beginner dose. It also means that there is less potency guessing between each new batch of vegan edibles.

RELATED: Edibles 101: The ultimate beginner’s guide to everything edible

Print Canna-oil: The Mason Jar Method Smell-free weed oil, made in a mason jar Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 4 hours Decarboxilating 45 minutes Ingredients 7 grams of cannabis

1 cup of oil

2 tsp granulated lecithin or 1 tsp liquid lecithin , soy or sunflower Instructions Decarboxylating Preheat your oven at 240 F

Grind your herb with a grinder and put in a mason jar, cover with aluminum foil and closes with the metal ring only.

Put in the oven and cook for 40 minutes. Shake the jar every 15 minutes or so. Your cannabis should be toasty and slightly brown. If your cannabis starts to turn dark brown or black, remove it from the oven even if your timers is not finished.

Remove the jar from the even and let it cool down at room temperature before opening. Infusion Add the oil and lecithin into the mason jar with the previously decarboxylated cannabis. Stir and close it again with aluminum foil and the metal ring.

Put the mason jar in a crockpot lined with an old kitchen towel. Fill with water until the water is higher than the oil level. If you can, put a lid on the crockpot to reduce water evaporation.

Turn on your crockpot and set it up so that the water is barely simmering. Infuse the oil in the mason jar for 4 to 6 hours. Refill the water as needed.

Strain the cannabis oil while still hot with a tea strainer

Let the oil cool down at room temperature and label the jar with a warning and the oil potency.

Use according to your recipe and enjoy! Notes Keep the canna-oil jar away from light.

Adjust the quantity of cannabis to your potency preferance. I like to aim for 20mg of THC per teaspoon.

Identify clearly your containers of oil

Make sure all containers have a warning that the oil inside contains cannabis and what potency it has, even if it’s an approximation. Also, keep it out and away, far from noisy friends, family members, hungry pets or children.

DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE?

Don’t be shy and let me know how it went! You can even leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #loudbowlblog.