Now that I’ve made up some of this stuff 10 times or so using a slow cooker, I can offer a few observations about this technique. A modest investment in time and accessories is needed. Sure, there are so many variables involved with making this stuff that it’s easy to have less than ideal results and be disappointed, BUT, in my view the payoff makes it worthwhile for someone like me who doesn't smoke. It's a great alternative to smoking too. I don't mean to make all this sound more difficult than it really is, but it's obviously not as easy as striking a match. There might not be anything new in what follows (thank you all!), but it might answer some questions for someone who reads this now. Here’s what I got:
Starting material - Probably goes without saying, but when first trying this method (and if you can), stick to one strain or blend of mj until you get good results.
Moisture - Unless you grow and use your own, there's probably a little in your mj. To get the best grind and prevent grinder stickage and loss, dry it first. Some say you want to do this anyway, to "activate" the 'noids and 'nols or whatever. I'll stay out of that discussion here.
Grind – The finer the better. If you compared results with two batches—one having used, say, a small electric coffee grinder and another where the mj was broken up by hand or rubbed through a strainer—I can almost guarantee the first batch will be better. You want the grind to be as fine as possible. This exposes the maximum surface area of the mj to hot oil.
Scale – Use one. At first I didn’t have one so I used a measuring spoon. When I’m done grinding the mj, it is very close to a fine powder but it is also a bit fluffy. Now I use a nice little 100g scale I got on sale and my results are now more consistent.
Start-up – If you’re using a slow cooker, allow plenty of time for your cooker to come to temperature. Mine takes almost an hour and a half before it is stable. You probably won’t get good results if you start with a cold pot and cook it for two hours.
Vessel – What to use in your slow cooker? Unless you’ve scaled up the recipe for large quantities (you lucky dog, you!), make your stuff in something you can set inside the pot. Some use a coffee cup. I use a wide-bottomed shot glass. Your vessel should be deep enogh to take a temperature but not so wide as to make harvesting difficult. Naturally, the vessel should not have insultating qualities. The slow cooker’s lid is important to maintaining the desired temperature. Keep it on as much as possible. I don't use water in my slow cooker because it doesn't get the vessel and oil hot enough.
Oil – There’s plenty of discussion here about how much to use. Too little oil is not good; too much doesn’t really hurt anything except increase the volume of the product needed for a given dosage and possibly your waistline. (ha ha) I’m not finding a very big difference so far between using clarified butter (ghee) and coconut oil, but I’ve only done one batch using the (recently acquired) coconut oil.
Thermometer - A thermometer really is not optional. RAT (right-about-there) temperatures using the oven dial or whatever will only add to the chance of less than good results. First time through I used extra oil in a wide-bottomed shot glass without investing mj in it so I could see what’s going on. Track your temperatures in the oil during cooking until you’ve got the process down by checking it frequently. For a slow cooker, keep the lid on as much as possible. Temperature profiling of your process and making appropriate adjustments could arguably be the most important variable here.
Stirring – I stir my mix during cooking at least once or twice if I can. Maybe it helps ensure all the material is exposed to the hot oil. However, since I use a bit more oil than called for, my weak science-fu suggests this may be unnecessary due to convection in the heated oil. Still, it can’t hurt, right? Just try to keep the amount of time the lid’s off the pot as brief as possible to conserve heat. That goes for temperature checking too of course.
Time – The near-end time frame consensus so far here appears to be two hours at temperature. The far end is unsettled, but might be around 4 hours. Some have gone longer. I’ve cooked for as long as 6 hours and that batch was not any better—in fact, it may have been a little worse. I suspect that it takes two hours to extract something like 95% of the gettable good stuff and with longer cooking it’s a case of diminishing returns. YMMV.
Yield - Don’t get frustrated if you think it’s taking more mj for a given effect than, say, a vaporizer. Yield (effectiveness) will improve with experience.
Capsules – Strictly speaking, you don’t have to have them. Individual doses can be taken “straight,” but this way increases variability of dosage to a degree. Using caps helps control dosage for a given batch and, for sure, there is the convenience of pill form. I am headed towards using caps, but again, you don’t have to.
Time for effect – Be patient! It takes a full two hours for my stuff to work. When you’re learning, it’s hard to have to wait two hours to find out if your stuff works and then be disappointed with it. Persistence pays here.
Besides the obvious circumstantial advantages of eating prepared mj, I encourage anyone interested in trying edibles for its other benefits. The duration, physical and mental effects are a little (some might say a lot) different than smoking in a very positive way. If you don’t want to or can’t (like me) smoke, then this is the best method I’ve come across so far.
Good luck.
Just be sure your reading the mixture and not the bottom of the cup V/O .
Everything I say in this forum is completely true, and should be construed as fact. I do smoke weed, and sometimes I eat it. Not only that I sell it, along with every other drug known to man and a few that aren't. Everything I do is 100% illegal, and I condone others breaking the law. All pictures that I post are not taken from the internet, but are of my own illegal operation. Also, I speed and don't come to complete stops at stop signs.
