Pot brownies are a classic edible and probably what most people think of when they think of a marijuana edible. Even recently the Collegian did an April Fool’s article stating that CSU would start serving pot brownies (yes, it was fake, don’t get excited). Though to make pot brownies, and other many other edibles, you have to start with canna-oil/butter.

This post will teach you how to make cannabis oil, for all your edible making needs.

The reason we’re doing a canna-oil recipe instead of a canna-butter, is because the oil will absorb the THC better than butter, specifically coconut oil, although the process and ratios are the same no matter what oil or butter you use.

First and foremost, you’re going to need some marijuana. Any type of marijuana will do, and you have some options when it comes to it. A lot of people use trim, or leftover flower and leaves from the trimming and drying process. This is the least potent, but cheapest option for making oil. A step up would be shake, which is what falls off the cannabis buds and sits at the bottom of your jar. This is more potent and slightly more expensive than trim, but still not as good as pure bud. Actual marijuana flower (the bud, or female part of the plant you smoke) is the best option, especially if you can get it strain specific and decide for yourself if you want your oil to be sativa, indica, or a hybrid. This will easily taste the best when the process is finished (granted it still won’t be great) and trim will taste the worst.

As for quantity of marijuana, it’s all up to personal preference. Most recipes call for one ounce of marijuana per pound of coconut oil. Some call for less, but I would only ever suggest less if you haven’t ever had experience with edibles or marijuana, even then I normally still wouldn’t suggest it. Personally, I use and think one and half to two ounces work best (depending on what I think the potency is), unless using actual bud, then one is just fine.

So, what you want to do is take a big slow cooker and put your pound of oil in. Then, you want to lightly grind your cannabis (don’t grind stems if you choose to use them). You don’t want a fine powder here for flavor purposes, though if you’re really lazy, a fine powder would save you the step of straining. After grinding your cannabis, you put it straight in with the oil. Then, you put the heat on low and let it sit for at least 6-9 hours and upwards of 18, stirring occasionally for the first 2-4 hours.

After the mixture is done cooking, you’re going to want to let it cool to a temperature that you can physically handle, without letting it solidify. After it is cooled, take a strainer with cheesecloth inside and place it on the container you will keep your oil in. Slowly pour the oil onto the cheesecloth and strainer including the remaining plant matter. Then, squeeze the cheesecloth with the plant matter to get any excess oil out of it. This is best done in smaller batches.

And that’s it. You’re done. Keep your container in the fridge to last longer. You now have some great cannabis oil to use next time you want to make edibles.

Collegian Blogger Dylan Simonson can be reached online at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @DylanSimonson0.