Skip to main content

Weed-Infused Barbecue Sauce Will Take Your Cookout Higher

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This summer, the bartender at the dive bar down the block that plays Creed way too often isn’t the only one who is going to be taking you (or your cookout guests) higher. Thanks to chef Burt Bakman of Trudy’s Underground Barbecue in Los Angeles (otherwise known as the hottest pitmaster with the hardest-to-eat-at place in the city), you will take control of your own destiny (those golden streets await) when you mix up a batch of his sativa-spiked brisket sauce, which was first published in the cannabis culture magazine EMBER.

Now, we’ve covered canna-cooking in the past (if you missed it, check out our podcast episode and this recipe for monkey bread), but this brisket sauce helps unite some of our favorite things in life: cooked meat and feeling good. It is the complete opposite of being in one’s own prison, really.

How could these two things — so good on their own — not be good together? They can’t. It is physically impossible for these two items, when brought together into this beautiful union, to not make the other better.

Below, check out the full recipe and get ready to accept whatever you decide to put this sauce on (brisket or another cut of beef) with mouth wide open.

(That’s the last Creed joke, we promise. We’re as torn about it as you are.)

Burt Bakman’s Brisket Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1.25 cups ketchup preferably organic
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • .25 cup pomegranate molasses
  • .25 cup water
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 5 tsp ground mustard
  • 5 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • .5 tsp garlic powder

Method:

  1. Blend to combine.
  2. To spike: Add your desired amount of cannabutter (recipe below).

Customizable Cannabutter

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1/8 to 1/2 ounce of dried cannabis flower
  • 3/4 saucepan full of water

Method:

  1. To make the cannabutter, melt the stick in a saucepan three-quarter full of simmering water.
  2. Once the butter has melted, add crumbled and dried cannabis flower to the butter and water in the pan — start with one-eighth ounce or add up to one-half ounce total for a more potent experience.
  3. Simmer butter-water-cannabis on lowest setting for three to four hours.
  4. Strain into a heatproof container and refrigerate overnight until the butter separates.
  5. Remove the finished cannabutter, discarding the larger leaf bits, etc. that sink to the bottom. Use the butter as a base for Bakman’s sativa brisket sauce.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
We know the most popular cocktails — Try these underrated drinks instead
Try some alternatives to the most popular cocktails
Cocktails

Recently, we wrote an article about the 10 most popular cocktails in the US. Not surprisingly, it was littered with classic drinks like the Mojito, Margarita, Old Fashioned, and Moscow Mule. But drinking cocktails isn’t a popularity contest. Just because many people seem to enjoy Espresso Martinis doesn’t mean you have to stop drinking your classic Dirty Martini.

But, if you take a moment to peruse the list of the 10 most popular drinks, you might see a few you like and others you aren’t sure about. That’s okay. Lucky for you, we’re here to help. That’s why today we’re all about the underdogs.

Read more
How to start your own home bar: the tools and mixers
the best home bar glassware version 1612854960 for your 2021

So you're building up your home bar. You've got the essential spirits in. You've added a selection of liqueurs and bitters to combine them with. Now, it's time to add the finishing touches. From mixers to tools to glasswear, we're rounding up everything else you'll need to turn a corner of your kitchen into a great home bar.
Speaking of the kitchen – this is, in my experience, the absolute best place for a home bar. While I love a good bar cart for a living room (or even an office, if you have that kind of job!) these are really more decorative than a practical place to mix drinks. The problem with using bar carts for serious cocktail making is twofold: One, the surfaces are usually too low, at below hip height, so you'll be bending over uncomfortably while you try to make your drinks. That's not chic, and it's hard on your back too. Instead you want something that's counter level, hence opting for the kitchen. The second issue is access to ice and a sink. Mixing serious cocktails requires a large amount of ice and frequent washing of glasses and tools. Sure, you can get an attractive ice bucket for your bar cart, and that certainly makes a fun decorative accessory. But you'll still be running back and forth to the kitchen to use the sink all the time anyway.
If you love the style of a bar cart, I certainly wouldn't want to stop you having one. They are great fun, and stylish to boot. I have a bar cart myself in my living room, which I love and use for very simple mixed drinks like negronis (though even then, you still have to go and fetch ice every time you want a drink). It's a great place for occasional special bottles, particularly beautiful glasswear, cocktail books, and other decorative accessories.
But for serious cocktail making, you want an area of clear counter space, near to a sink and to a freezer full of ice, and with easy access to all your bottles and tools. I find a small kitchen island perfect for this purpose, tucked into a corner of the kitchen near the appliances. Store bottles and equipment on the lower shelves of the island or on wall-mounted shelves to save space, and make sure you have a lamp or decent overhead lighting so you can see what you're doing while you mix. You'll want a small chopping board as well for slicing citrus and other fruit, and a small, sharp knife that you can borrow from your kitchen equipment.
Then it's time to turn your attention to home bar tools.

Essential home bar tools

Read more
Big Green Egg brings back a fan-favorite item for a limited time
However spend your evenings outdoors, the Big Green Egg Chiminea is there to help keep things warm
The Big Green Egg Chiminea.

Love good times by the fire on a chilly night? Want to enjoy a few drinks in a toasty spot after a long day at work? Of course, we all do. But throwing some logs in a pit in the ground doesn't quite do it. If you want a cozy evening, Big Green Egg brings the wow with the release of a special Chiminea to celebrate 50 years in business, and it will take your gathering around the fire to a whole new level.
The Big Green Egg update

Big Green Egg has been the go-to for outdoor grillers and smokers looking for an outdoor cooker for decades. But if you want to hang out in the fresh air without cooking, the Chiminea is what you need. Freestanding fireplaces aren't new, and Big Green Egg isn't trying to reinvent them. The vintage version from 1999 is the starting point, with upgrades worthy of a 50th anniversary.
What's cracking with this egg
If it's not broken, don't fix it, right? But even the littlest changes will make something feel fresh. For those who aren't the best at starting a fire and keeping it going, the Chiminea comes with Lava Rocks to keep the flames roaring more evenly and for longer. Made from NASA-grade ceramic, the quality isn't something to worry about, either. And, yes, it's still in that gorgeous, signature deep green color. 

Read more