I found this older recipe on another forum, but decided it would be a great addition for newbie edible bakers like myself. It’s definitely one of the easiest recipes to follow that I have found so far. Read More for the recipe. Be sure to let us know in the comments of a recipe that you think cannabutter would go good with.

You will need,

1. A large saucepan
2. A stir spoon
3. Butter (It’s about 1lb. of butter to every ounce of weed so make sure you do the math).
4. Marijuana
5. Cheesecloth, and some elastics
6. A couple tupperware containers with lids

Step 1.

Bring a few cups of water, about 3 or so, to a boil on the stovetop, it doesn’t really matter how much water you use because in the end it will all be separated, Just make sure the marijuana is always floating about 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the pan.

Step 2.

When the water is at a boil place the butter in the pan, again it’s about 1lb. of butter (4 sticks) to every ounce of marijuana, so if your using a half ounce of bud that’s about 2 sticks of butter. Be sure not to let the butter burn, if it appears to be burning then let melt on a medium setting.

Move the dial to low heat once butter has melted, it should look like this

Step 3.

Now that the butter has melted you can now add the marijuana, Here I used about 5 grams of fresh nug and about 7 grams of vaped bud. Again make sure the stove is now on a low setting.

Stir occasionally, I tend to stir every time the mix starts bubbling.
I usually let the bud simmer for 3 hours, But you can always tell it’s done when the top of the mix turns from a really watery consistency to glossy and thick.

Step 4.

While letting the mix simmer, You are now going to need to get the cheesecloth strainer ready, which will also be used to store the cannabutter.

Take two sheets of cheese cloth and fold each one over so they each have two layers, place these over a tupperware container (with the lid off), and secure them there with elastics.

It should look like this, I say to make two just in case one container runs out of room.

Step 5.

When the water has turned glossy and thick on top it should look like this

You are now ready to strain the marijuana out of the mix, place your tupperware containers with the cheesecloth lids in the sink and slowly pour the entire mix on top of the cheesecloth like pictured here,

When the saucepan is empty carefully undo the elastic, pick up the cheesecloth from all four sides and squeeze all of the remaining butter out,

I throw away the marijuana after this, you can try and dry it out, let me know what happens.

Step 6.

Now place the lid on the tupperware and place it in the fridge to sit overnight, You need to do this so the water can seperare from the cannabutter, be patient.

Step 7.

Now that you have awakened in anticipation for your new treat, its time to seperate the waste water!

It should look like this now, The cannabutter on top, the waste water on bottom.

Take the lid off the tuperware and hold it upside down over the sink, place a dish in the sink to catch any cannabutter that may fall, squeeze two sides of the tupperware and the waste water will pour out, once all the water is gone your done! The cannabutter is ready to cook with.

If you do not wish to cook with it now, you can just place it back in the tupperware, place the lid back on and store it in the fridge.

Mmmm, munchies.

That’s Mac N’ Cheese Above. Yes it is.

Guide Courtesy of  jcj77d

This is a step by step guide on how to make “Green Dragon”. There are many different recipes/methods on how to make Green Dragon, so ill show you how I made mine & I’ll also include the “rule of thumb” recipies/methods for making Green Dragon along with links to these recipes/methods.

What is “Green Dragon”?
Green Dragon is an alcoholic beverage (tincture/extract) made by leaching the leaves, buds, & stems of the cannabis plant in a high-proof alcohol (higher is better), most commonly Everclear. The THC dissolves into the alcohol resulting in a dark green or brown liquid. Sugar or honey is often also dissolved in the alcohol to mask the extremely bitter taste of the extract.

Basic Preparation:
Green Dragon is a method for extracting the active ingredients found in cannabis leaves, buds, & stems. These chemicals, mainly THC, are not very soluble in water, but much more soluble in organic solvents such as alcohol. In addition, the chemicals responsible for the bitter and “grassy” taste of cannabis material are insoluble in alcohol, but more soluble in water. Chlorophyll is soluble in alcohol. Baking (as in “drying”) the dry buds and leaves prior to adding them to the alcohol in either method increases the potency of the resulting preparation. This is because the baking process converts the inactive tetrahydrocannabinol acids (THCA) into the active THC.
Caution: The amount of pot shown here would work for most regular stoners if it’s a high-grade marijuana (“chronic”). You would most likely get high enough that you wouldn’t be disappointed, but not quite high enough that you would get a panic attack. No guarantees, so each person has to experiment and figure out the right amount. Somebody who has not been high in a really long time would be very sensitive, so they would need to use less pot or use cheaper stuff (“schwag”). A total pot-head would need to use more pot. On an empty stomach you’ll reach a peak high at about 60 to 90 minutes & can last between 4-8hrs (depending on strength & dose taken), whereas a toke or a bong hit takes about 15 to 45 minutes to peak & only last a few hours, so be careful not to take more doses until 90 minutes have passed.

Revisions:
How to make it taste better: Water curing the buds, trim, & leaves will remove most of the chlorophyll & other chemicals in the material, (except the THC & cannabinoids), which is mostly responsible for the bitter taste. Also adding flavored extracts to the the mix, either in cooking process or after your done will improve taste.
How to make it stronger: after your done, you can make it even more stronger/concentrated by letting the Green Dragon mixture sit in the water bath on very low heat to let more of the alcohol evaporate, the liquid will get thicker, but will be more concentrated.
The baking: some people find it better baking the material @ 200F for 20mins better than 325F for 5-8min

Lets Get Started.

Supplies:
Cannabis plant material – Leaves, Buds, & Stems (no seeds if you can).
High-Proof Alcohol – Everclear 190 (if sold in your area), Everclear 151 or Bacardi 151.
Candy or Digital cooking Thermometer.
Containers – 1 pot (for water bath), 1 or more containers (metal or glass) to put mixture in, & a container (prefably glass) to store “Green Dragon” in. Strainer – mesh strainer (or mesh coffiee strainer, paper strainers arnt recommended) & Cheese Cloth or tea towel
Grinder – coffiee grinder, blender, weed grinder or even scissors.
Baking pan or aluminum foil
Measuring Cup
Scale – for weighting plant material

Optional Supplies:
Potato masher, ricer, or even a garlic press
Flavored extract – to make it taste better.

Step 1: Weigh out your plant material. The rule of thumb is .5 – 1.75 grams of High Grade Cannabis per 1 fluid ounce of Alcohol, or 1/8th per 2oz of alcohol. (use 2-3 times the amount if using schwag or leaf material). This can be tweaked to your tolerance.
This is what I used to make my “Green Dragon”. (I made mine stronger than most recipes because I have a high tolerance)

10.3 grams of "Big Bang" buds @ 18% THC

1 3/8oz of "Big Bang" popcorn buds, trim, Leafs & stems

Shot of popcorn buds, leaves, & stems.

.7 grams of kief cake (pressed kief).

7 grams of keif

another shot of kief

Not included in the pictures is about 7 grams of schwag. Total weight of plant material is 63.5 grams or about 2.3oz

Step 2: Grind or cut up plant material using your choice of supplies. (the finer the better, NOT TO A DUST THOUGH). the finer the material is the better the extraction is.

Step 3: Pre-Heat oven to 325F. Spread out ground up plant material evenly on a baking pan (preferably lined with foil). Place pan in oven for 5-8 minutes @ 325F (or when material turns a bronze color) to activate the THCA to THC. DO NOT let temperature get over 380F (this is the temp when THC starts to vaporize, we dont want that).

Shot of ground up material in pre-heated stove w/ a digital thermometer to make sure temps stay in range. Also notice color of the material before baked.

Shot of material after about 7mins @ 325F, notice the color change to a bronze (the THCA is now activated into THC).

Another shot of what the plant material is supposed to look like after baked. (pic courtesy ocitown)

Step 4: Take activated plant material & measured alcohol & place inside your cooking container(s), take this and place it in the pot of water for water bath (like a double boiler). Place thermometer inside the alcohol & plant mixture. Turn on stove & cook the mixture @ 168-172 for 20-35 minutes stirring every 5mins or so, not letting the temperature get over 173F (boiling point of alcohol). Be careful with this step, because high-proof alcohol is very flammable, thats why we use the double boiler method.

Pot w/ water for the water bath (kept water @ about 190-210F)

Baked material in 750ml of 190 Proof Everclear in cooking container.

another shot of baked material in cooking container (also courtesy of ocitown)

750ml (25oz) Everclear 190

Setup of the double boiler & mixture

Shot of thermometer to regulate temps, kept between 168-172F cooked for 30mins

Step 5: Place cheesecloth inside your strainer, & place this over another container (I used the glass measuring cup for easy pouring), then pour your cooked cannabis & alcohol mixture through the strainer, then squeeze out all the liquid you can from the cheesecloth, either by using a spoon to mash the material down, or if you have a masher, ricer or garlic press then use it to do the same. If not you can just twist the cheesecloth really tight to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Cheesecloth in strainer over measuring cup w/ the cooked mixture poured in it, drained, & squeezed (twisted the cheesecloth) to the last drop.

Shot of plant material in cheesecloth in a ricer to squeeze out every last drop of liquid, this can get you up to 15% more out of the material (courtesy of ocitown)

Shot of the strained mixture = 8oz of "Green Dragon" (25oz cooked down to 8oz)

Shot of material after its been all used up & no good, this can be tossed in trash (courtesy of ocitown)

Step 6: Pour your now “Green Dragon” into your storage container of your choice.

Shot of my "Green Dragon" in my storage container.

Step 7: Dosing – Start with 1-2cc/ml. you can take it straight (very hard to stomach), or mix into your favorite drink & then just sit back & wait. I took 2cc on empty stomach & felt it at about 15mins in, & peaked @ about 80min, very strong body high, & really blazed after smoking as bowl

That’s it, have fun & be safe!

Revised on July 6, 2010.