Creating the Cannaburger

Oh Cannaburger my Cannaburger—wherefore art thou Cannaburger? You’re a Cannaburger because you’re a cannabis burger, of course! The Cannaburger can ignite any BBQ into a spectacular show of green fireworks and a delectable taste for the munchies. Since the burger has become a staple favorite at BBQs, family functions, and bars, why not introduce the Cannaburger as a staple into our lives as well?

This Cannaburger recipe satisfies any craving you may have for the meat-weed combo. Cook it for yourself, your best friend, your boyfriend, or your enemy; the Cannaburger is sure to make an impact on every aspect of your exploration in the world of dégustation. And it’ll get you hella stoned.

What is cannabis conversion? Let’s begin with the “cannabis” portion. Cannabis is, of course, a green leafy vegetable that the government took away from us. But hello! It’s so beneficial. And it’s green… which means it must be good for you, right?

We’re all used to the beautiful pictures of cannabis buds: round, plump, and ready for smoking. But that’s just it—cannabis buds are meant for smoking. They are not ideal to cook with. Instead, save the good stuff, and cook with shake or trim.

The shake, or the trim, is everything that is cut off around the bud (which is usually swept up into the garbage and forgotten about). Often, if you’re clever, you can make hashish out of it. For cooking, and for the sake of this crash course in cannabis conversion, shake is preferred. If you can’t find shake, however, you'll have to make due with the marijuana you can find.

A hybrid strain of indica and sativa is recommended for this Cannaburger recipe. White Palm’s White Castle produces a social and uplifting “high” while also producing a stronger relaxed “stone.” The White Castle hybrid incorporates a sweet strawberry flavor into its makeup, and pairs subtly with the strong meat of the burger.

I can’t emphasize this enough: not all cannabis is created equal. The best cannabis for cooking is clean cannabis. Phant Extracts is the clean, natural choice to include with your food. Some growers put pesticides and herbicides in their crop, and some don’t even flush their crops properly. Please, know your source! Choose clean cannabis.

What is conversion? This is very important: You need to convert cannabis BEFORE you ingest it or it won’t have any intoxicating effects on you. If you were just to ingest the shake and trim dry...nothing would happen. But if you (please give me a drum roll for this big word here) "decarboxylate" it, tada! It’s ready for ingestion. Decarboxylate is a scientific term for “if you knock the carbon element off of the THCA molecule, you can get high!” In short, when THCA becomes THC, your cannabis becomes psychoactive. Thus, allowing you to experience all of its effects.

It’s Time to Decarboxylate!

The lower the temperature you use in decarboxylating, the longer the process is going to take. This patient process is recommended because you lose fewer terpenes at a lower temperature. Simply…

• Preheat the oven to 240º
• Break up the shake into smaller pieces
• Place the broken shake in a layer on top of a baking sheet
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (stir every 5 minutes please!)
• When the cannabis is a dark color (about medium to light brown) take it out, and allow the cannabis to cool
• Grind the cannabis in a food processor (or with a fun mortar and pestle!)
• Store in an airtight container

Once you have mastered the art of cannabis conversion, you can gain a lot of product out of a small amount of cannabis shake.

Creating the Perfect Cannaburger

Now that you have mastered the art of cannabis conversion, you’re ready to create your very first Cannaburger! For this recipe, you need:

• Fatty hamburger meat
• Converted cannabis (0.75 grams per serving)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 cup of red cracked chilis
• 1 tablespoon of rock salt
• 1 cup of minced onions
• 1 egg
• Favorite Hamburger Bun
• Toppings galore! (Ketchup, Mustard, Relish, Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Cheese)

Start with fatty hamburger meat, and not lean ground meat. The fatty hamburger meat is best for cooking with cannabis because of the marijuana conversion: the conversion of the cannabis takes place in the meat fat. Therefore, the fatter the meat, the better the conversion.

The perfect amount of marijuana per person, per serving, is 0.75 grams. For two people, this weighs out to be 1.5 grams. Remember, cooking is math! The exact amount is needed for the perfect recipe. Once you have the proper amount of servings, use the marijuana like a spice, and spread it all over the meat.

Then, pick up your olive oil. Olive oil is great for Cannaburgers, as it helps make the meat smoother for moving around. Place one tablespoon of olive oil all over the meat and marijuana.

Now, this next part is up to you. In terms of "beefing-up" your burger, choose your favorite burger ingredients! In this recipe, we use red cracked chilis (for that extra spice), rock salt, minced onions, and one egg. Mix everything together with your hands and make sure the cannabis flower is evenly distributed throughout all of the meat. If not, the highly enjoyable effects won’t be nearly as fun!

Since we’re making this for two people, create two patties from your mixture. Make sure the frying pan is on high. You want it to sizzle when you place the burgers on! Once the patties are on the frying pan, all you need to do is cook it like you would a normal burger!

Pan Vs Grill

In the age-old debate of pan or grill, Baked simply can’t choose! They certainly both have their benefits. When you use the grill, grilling a burger over an open flame creates a smoky, savory flavor. When you cook burgers on a charcoal grill, for example, the grate sits extremely close to the heat, allowing you to achieve a delectable charred exterior for your burger.

Conversely, not everyone has a grill. Pan frying is both easy and accessible at the flip of a switch or a lighter. A cast-iron skillet that is well-seasoned is ideal for creating thin, diner-style burgers (as it mimics the flat top griddle of a restaurant). You can also create thicker burgers on the skillet, but you’ll need to be careful watching the meat cook all the way through.

Cooking and Cannabis: the greatest marriage since the discovery of food. From cocktails to hamburgers, desserts to eggs, Baked: A Marijuana Cookbook explores the vast and highly anticipated world of cooking with everyone’s favorite green ingredient: weed. With easy to follow instructions, engaging photographs, and a fool-proof “you-can-read-this-even-if-you’re-high” approach, Baked makes a great gift for first time chefs, stoners, food aficionados, and grandmothers. Presented by Potent, powered by pot, Baked makes any cooking occasion a smoking hot one.