Delicious, Melty Cheeseburger With Secret Cannabis Sauce

Cannabis sauce is the secret ingredient for this summer’s BBQ meet ups.

It’s summertime and that means – peak grilling season! The beautiful sunshine and the seasonal social events are easy ways to help shake off any lingering wintertime blues you might be battling. Can it get any better? Well, yes. Bump the BBQ up a notch by slapping on a dash of cannabis-sauce to that tasty burger. 

We definitely advocate for a Big Summer Bash of infused cannabis foods to put a smile on your face and to bring your friends and family together. There are two reasons for this. First, to demonstrate that gourmet cannabis cooking is super easy. Like any proper BBQ recipe, anyone can make these dishes. Second, we want to illustrate how cooking with cannabis is a valuable way to reap the medicinal benefits of this wonderful plant.

Cannabis BBQ encourage community to combat loneliness, work with the endocannabinoid system, and in general combats mental health disorders. Cannabis – whether in a burger, cannabis sauce or otherwise – can elevate mood and fight depression.

BBQ Season Infusions for Bringing Joy

According to a recent meta-analysis published in Personality and Social Psychology Review, lonely people sleep poorly, and are more likely to experience depression and anxiety. They also have reduced immune and cardiovascular functioning, and exhibit signs of early cognitive decline. Worse, these symptoms get worse with time. In other words, it’s about time to plan a casual BBQ with friends to boost your mood and improve your health after a long, lonely winter. ^[1]Masi, C. M., Chen, H.-Y., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2011). A Meta-Analysis of Interventions to Reduce Loneliness. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15(3), 219–266. … Continue reading

Adding a dash or two of cannabis into the mix might also help improve mood and stave off loneliness. Cannabis is under investigation as an antidepressant. As you prep for the party, choose a strain with an antidepressant profile, which means limonene and linalool as primary terpenes. These terpenes, in their purest form, demonstrate usefulness for mood disorders. There may also be mood-benefits to choosing strains with CBD-rich ratios.

Before you get started, the following recipes require cannabutter, which can be made well in advance. It can be stored in the fridge or freezer until needed. Tried and true cannabutter recipes here and here. Also be sure to follow our simple-cooking with cannabis instructions, to avoid these common mistakes.

The Canna-Burger

What’s better than a burger in the summer? A cannabis burger! The recipe below is gratefully adapted from Cannadish.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp mustard (regular or Dijon)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 onion, finely grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 lb. ground beef, or veg equivalent
• 2 tbsp cannabutter

Method:

1. Preheat the grill or cast iron frying pan. Lightly oil, if needed.
2. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine all ingredients (except for the cannabutter) in a large bowl until totally combined. Don’t overwork the mix, as the fat may begin to render.
3. Once fully combined, add the cannabutter and gently mix.
4. Form into small patties roughly ¾ of an inch thick.
5. Place your patties on the preheated grill or pan, and close the lid or place a lid on top of the pan. 
6. Grill the burgers for around six minutes per side, flipping only once. Check that the patties are no longer pink inside.
7. Serve on a bun (or lettuce wrap) with all your favorite condiments – including …

Homemade Cannabis-Infused BBQ Sauce

It’s not a summer grill up without a good BBQ sauce! Below is our adaptation of Leafly’s BBQ Recipe that can be used for a vegetarian or carnivore BBQ, or even adapted for a vegan-friendly crowd.

Ingredients

• ¼ c. olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 tbsp salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/3 c. water
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp allspice
• ½ c. brown sugar
• 1 c. ketchup
• ½ c. apple cider vinegar
• ¼ c. molasses
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp cannabutter (or cannamarg!)

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine oil, onions, and salt over medium-low heat. Stir constantly for two minutes, until the onions start to turn golden brown. 
2. Add garlic, and cook for another two minutes. 
3. Add tomato paste, still stirring constantly, and cook for two more minutes.
4. Stir in water and sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer. Allow to simmer while the sugar dissolves, and reduce the liquid by half.
5. Add all that spices. Cook five more minutes then add the remaining ingredients, except the cannabutter. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. This allows all of the flavors to develop and thickens the sauce. 
6. Remove from heat. Allow the sauce to cool before processing in a blender on high speed until smooth.
7. Finally, add the cannabutter, and blend on low until the sauce develops a shiny appearance. 
8. Enjoy on chicken or cauliflower wings, burgers, sausages, or anything else your heart desires!

There are a million other ways to pack cannabis into your big-summer bash. That might mean an appetizer of fresh-cut veggies from your garden and a bowl of cannabis hummus. Or, if you love the heat, make some THC-infused Louisiana hot cannabis sauce.

If you want to impress your friends, we’d suggest crab cakes with the addition of a special medicinal ingredient. No matter what, a delicious cannabis feast is a great way to combat depression and its associated loneliness. We’d love to hear how you are working cannabis into your big summer BBQ this year.