How to make cannabis-infused bacon

Just when you think you’ve experienced all there is to love about bacon, you learn about cannabis-infused bacon. Aside from the marvel that is the union of these two royalties, the real ingenuity lies in utilizing the bacon fat for activation of the THC in the cannabis (similar to cannabis-infused guacamole). This allows preparation of a medicinal meal using the raw plant, as opposed to purchasing or preparing cannabis oil or butter. Further, the versatility this offers is invigorating; is there a dish that isn’t improved with the addition of bacon? Let your mind run wild.

Recipe for Bacon-Infused Cannabis

Ingredients:

• Bacon, sliced
• Cannabis, ground into a fine powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225°F. Spread the ground cannabis onto a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes.

Place the desired number of bacon strips (let’s not kid ourselves here, you’ll probaby use the whole package) on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Once the cannabis is done baking, remove and preheat the oven to 275 °F. Sprinkle the baked ground cannabis over each strip of bacon, adding more or less depending on the desired potency (it may be easier and/or faster to use a salt shaker for this process).

Bake the bacon for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the strips, and sprinkle cannabis over the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes:

All leftover fat on the cookie sheet is medicinally active, so you may want to save it and get creative! One quick option is to soak up the grease with bread and voila: cannabis bacon bread. You could also use it as an oil substitute for egg scrambles, stir fry, etc.

If you’re feeling adventurous, consider making bacon cups. Instead of laying the bacon flat on a cookie sheet, cover the back of a muffin tin with tin foil and wrap bacon around each of the cups. Depending on the size of the cups, you may want to slice the bacon strips in half. Sprinkle each bacon mold with ground cannabis like you would strips. Bake for 20 minutes at 275 °F (no need to flip and season halfway through).

Recipe: how to make cannabis-infused honey

Note: Homemade edibles are very difficult to accurately dose. This guide will give you some tips for more precise dosing, but all DIY cannabis cooks should be aware that there’s no way to guarantee the potency or homogeneity of their batch.

Cannabis-infused honey couldn’t be any easier to make. This recipe comes courtesy of The Wellness Soldier Cody Lindsay and requires just two ingredients, indirect heat, and time.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of honey
• 3.5 grams of decarboxylated cannabis

The essential first step: Decarboxylating the cannabis

Before making your infusion, you’ll need to decarboxylate, or “decarb”, the cannabis flower you’re working with. Skipping this step will result in a weak or inactive finished product. Here’s why: Cannabis buds produce a non-intoxicating acidic cannabinoid called THCA. When we smoke or vaporize cannabis, the heat converts THCA into THC, the molecule that delivers euphoric effects. If preparing CBD edibles, this same process should be applied.

Directions for making a cannabis infusion with honey

1. Decarb the cannabis. Preheat your oven to 245ºF. Place cannabis buds on a non-stick, oven-safe tray. Cover the tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Insert the tray into the oven and set a timer for 30-40 minutes. Older, drier cannabis may require less time. (Tip: you can also set your oven to 300ºF and heat for 10 to 18 minutes, although low-and-slow is the recommended approach when decarbing to better preserve the cannabinoids.) Every 10 minutes, gently mix the buds with a light shake of the tray to expose the surface area of the buds equally.
2. Combine the cannabis and honey in a double boiler to apply gentle heat on the stove top.
3. Simmer. Maintain low heat and let the mixture simmer for at least 40 minutes. The mixture should never come to a full boil.
4. Strain the honey. Set a funnel on top of a jar and line it with cheesecloth. Once the honey has cooled off, pour it over the cheesecloth funnel and allow it to strain freely. (Tip: Squeezing the cheesecloth may push more bad-tasting plant material through).
5. Storing: Honey can be stored in a cool dark area for 1-2 months.
6. Dose carefully. Refer to dosing information below before adding your honey to any snacks, dishes, or desserts.

Recipe: How to make a cannabis-infused birthday cake

Ingredients

• 3½ cups cake flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup room temperature butter (2 sticks)
• 1½ cups sugar
• 8 large egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Rainbow sprinkles

Infused buttercream

• 10 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1¼ cups room temperature butter (2½ sticks)
• 2 tablespoons room temperature cannabutter
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line two cake tins with parchment, cooking spray, and sprinkled flour
3. In one mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt
4. In a glass measuring pitcher, add milk and vanilla extract
5. In a stand mixer, beat together room temperature butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy
6. On low speed, slowly add the flour to the butter and sugar mixture in three parts, one at a time, alternating with half of the milk mixture until you have a smooth batter
7. In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and cream of tartar until medium stiff peaks, then add sugar until you have stiff and glossy peaks
8. Gently fold a quarter of the egg whites into the cake batter until smooth, then gently add the remaining whites. Fold together until you have a smooth and consistent batter
9. Stir in sprinkles and then divide the mixture into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes
10. Let the cakes cool for 10 mins, then run a small knife around the edge of the cake and carefully remove the cakes from the tins. Peel off the parchment, then let cool completely on a wire rack, face up

Buttercream

1. In the stand mixer, beat together powdered sugar and room temperature butter and cannabutter until smooth
2. Slowly add the milk to the mixture and beat until smooth and consistent

Decorating

1. Trim the rounded tops of the cakes, then cut in half along the equator into 2 even slices (so you have 4 pieces in total)
2. Put one piece on the cake stand, then add some icing to the edge of the cake, then place another piece on top and repeat until all of the cake pieces are used. For the last piece, use one of the bottom pieces flipped upside down so you have a nice flat top for the cake
3. Ice around the sides and top of the cake to the desired thickness, then cover with rainbow sprinkles.