Throw together this coffee rub quickly and easily with simple ingredients – perfect on chicken, beef, or pork, it’ll tenderize and enhance the flavor as it cooks up on the smoker.
Coffee rub – certainly not your every day run-of-the-mill steak or burger seasoning.
Or chicken. Brisket.
The list goes on. Who doesn’t love the opportunity to fire up their smoker? Coffee is a spice that adds a deep, rich flavor to food – especially red meat (beef…), but also lamb, and chicken.
Coffee is the main ingredient in this Coffee Rub recipe, together with ground coriander, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and garlic powder.
What kind of coffee?
If you spot coffee rub in specialty shops, you’ll find that it’s made with fresh ground coffee. Other recipes for coffee rub will claim that you must use instant or the grounds will not “dissolve”.
I have found that the best coffee to use is your favorite variety (for me, it’s New Mexico Piñon Coffee Company Ground coffee) – the fresher the grounds, the better it helps to activate the meat. A medium grind works best – not too coarse, not too fine.
A simple bowl and funnel are all you need to mix up the ingredients, and siphon them into a glass shaker. I always find myself reusing glass spice jars from spices I’ve used in the past. They make wonderful containers for rub, and they are completely liftable, too!
Homemade Coffee Rub
This coffee rub comes together easily with just a few simple ingredients:
- brown sugar (dark or light)
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cayenne pepper (or, if allergy, then substitute mace)
- paprika
- ground cumin
- ground coriander
- kosher salt or salt flakes
- fresh ground coffee
Mix it all up and transfer to this metal shaker to make use that much easier. Apply it liberally to your meat from a height of 8-12 inches to ensure even distribution.
Store as you would your regular spices and seasonings.
Did you make this rub? If you did, please take a second to give the recipe a STAR rating and leave a comment.
Homemade Coffee Rub
Ingredients
- 1/4 C ground coffee avoid finely ground, use a medium ground, and fresh is best
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp ground pepper
- 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper adjustable
- 1 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Eliminate any crumps with a fork.
- Store in an airtight jar or rub shaker. Use when needed.
Leave a Reply