"The process I was thinking about doing was low boiling the oil and garlic til the water evaporates and oil stops bubbling. Any thoughts?" My thoughts.... With the heat you're incubating the botulism spores and speeding up the rancidity of your oil.

Yes, strain out the solids after infusing. Here are links to a couple of discussions about this from last week. Dave Botulism in flavored oils Roasted garlic oil and botulism

Flavored oils Infused oils and oil-based mixtures (garlic, dried tomatoes, herbs) definitely can be hazardous if not properly prepared AND refrigerated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires that all commercial garlic-in-oil products contain specific levels of microbial inhibitors or acidifying agents such as phosphoric or citric acid. Some boutique and specialty mixtures may not contain these additives, so always check the label to be sure. FDA recommends that home-prepared mixtures of garlic-in-oil be made fresh for use and not left at room temperatures. Leftovers should be refrigerated and used within three weeks, or frozen or discarded. (In other parts of the country where Type E Botulism is more prevalent, 10 days is the recommended storage time limit in the refrigerator.) Remember, the growth of bacteria and toxin-causing botulism does not alter the taste or smell of the product! The danger of other vegetables in oil (whole chilis, fleshy vegetables or herbs) is less documented than garlic in oil. They are, however, best made fresh, then refrigerated and used within 10 days. To ensure safety, dried tomatoes and herbs in oil also should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Experimenting with one's favorite herb flavors is a creative cook's prerogative. One chef made infusions with basil, peppers and garlic in olive oil, which he used for salads, lean chicken and fish dishes. He suggested vanilla oil for lobster and juniper oil for venison.

There are some pretty scary stories, for sure ! I hear all sorts of crazy things. Here we tell people store garlic only 2 weeks in the fridge, then throw out. Of course, if it shows any signs of spoilage before then, throw it out. It doesn't look, smell, or taste bad to have botulism in it, either. You can't see, taste, or smell botulism. Wow, in a sealed jar, in oil, with the absence of air ! Bottled botulism... This is copied and pasted. The link is at the bottom: STORING GARLIC IN OIL Extreme care must be taken when preparing flavored oils with garlic or when storing garlic in oil. Peeled garlic cloves may be submerged in oil and stored in the freezer for several months. Do not store garlic in oil at room temperature. Garlic-in-oil mixtures stored at room temperature provide perfect conditions for producing botulism toxin (low acidity, no free oxygen in the oil, and warm temperatures). The same hazard exists for roasted garlic stored in oil. At least three outbreaks of botulism associated with garlic-in-oil mixtures have been reported in North America. By law, commercially prepared garlic in oil has been prepared using strict guidelines and must contain citric or phosphoric acid to increase the acidity. Unfortunately, there is no easy or reliable method to acidify garlic in the home. Acidifying garlic in vinegar is a lengthy and highly variable process; a whole clove of garlic covered with vinegar can take from 3 days to more than 1 week to sufficiently acidify. As an alternative, properly dried garlic cloves may be safely added to flavor oils. Here is a link that might be useful: UC Davis on storing garlic.