Cannabis infused sauce refers to two different products. One is a cooking sauce that carries decarboxylated cannabinoids, such as THC or CBD, in fat or in an emulsified liquid. The other is a cannabis concentrate called sauce, a dab product made of THCA crystals in a terpene-rich liquid. The two items share a name and little else. They differ in how they are made, how they are used, and how they are dosed.
Culinary cannabis sauce
A culinary infused sauce starts with an infused fat. THC and CBD are fat-soluble, so oil, butter, or cream carries the cannabinoids. Pesto, tomato sauce, gravy, curry, hot sauce, and barbecue sauce work as bases because they contain fat.
Water-based sauces need an emulsifier. Sunflower lecithin at 1 to 2 percent of total volume holds the cannabinoid-bearing oil in suspension and slows separation.
Steps
- Decarboxylate the flower. Heat at 230 F to 240 F for 30 to 45 minutes. This converts THCA to THC and CBDA to CBD.
- Infuse the fat. Combine the decarboxylated material with butter or oil at 160 F to 180 F for 2 to 3 hours. Stir every 20 minutes.
- Strain. Press the plant material and discard the solids.
- Add the infused fat to the sauce at the end of cooking. Heat above 300 F drives off terpenes and degrades cannabinoids.
Potency math
Label potency is a calculation, not a measurement. The formula: grams of flower x 1000 x THC fraction x 0.877 x extraction efficiency. The 0.877 factor accounts for the acid form converting to the active form.
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Example: 7 g of flower at 20 percent THC gives 7,000 x 0.20 x 0.877 = 1,228 mg of THC before extraction. At 70 percent efficiency, the batch holds about 860 mg. Split into 12 servings, each serving holds about 71 mg.
Home infusion efficiency runs from 40 to 80 percent. Lab testing is the only way to know the real number.
Dosing
A standard adult-use edible dose in states with legal cannabis is 5 mg to 10 mg of THC. Oral THC bioavailability is 4 to 12 percent, lower than inhaled. Effects start in 30 to 90 minutes, peak at 2 to 4 hours, and fade over 6 to 8 hours. Food in the stomach delays the onset.
CBD doses in clinical research run from 25 mg to 600 mg per day. A sauce serving delivers far less.
Hemp and CBD sauce rules
Hemp-derived CBD sauce must test at or below 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis. The FDA states that adding CBD to food or drink is not lawful under federal law, including hemp-derived CBD. Some states have their own rules. Check state law before selling or shipping.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight jar. Fresh sauce keeps 3 to 5 days. Frozen sauce keeps 2 to 3 months. Light, heat, and oxygen degrade cannabinoids. Label every container with total milligrams and milligrams per serving.
Concentrate sauce
Sauce in a dispensary means a cannabis extract. Lab reports for these products often show 40 to 70 percent THCA and 5 to 15 percent terpenes. It is vaporized, not eaten. THCA is not psychoactive by mouth at low doses, and heat converts it to THC.
Safety
- Keep infused sauce away from children. Store it in a locked box, not the refrigerator door.
- Wait 2 hours before taking a second serving.
- Do not drive after eating a THC sauce.
- CBD can interact with blood thinners and some anti-seizure drugs.