Coffee Steak Rub
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The flavor combination of ground coffee, brown sugar, herbs and spices in this Coffee Steak Rub is absolutely amazing! Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, you’re going to love this recipe! Use it to season smoked tri tip, grilled ribeye, skirt steak and so much more.
Mix some up and keep it in the pantry for up to 6 months to impress your friends and family with the best steak rub ever!
In 2013, I hit publish on one of my favorite recipes ever. Ten years later, and it’s still one of my favorite recipes. The recipe was a Grilled Coffee Crusted Tri Tip. In the blog post for this recipe, I mentioned that I wanted to “package the rub”. While I still think this is a great idea, in the meantime, I’m excited to share this coffee rub recipe so that you can make it at home!
The ground coffee and brown sugar balance out the flavor of this rub perfectly, and help form a mouth-watering crust on anything that you rub it on! Since I first used this coffee rub on a grilled tri tip, this is still one of my favorite ways to use the rub. But I also love to rub it on smoked tri tip, grilled ribeyes and to make the best steak sandwich ever!
I even rubbed it on a pork tenderloin in the crock pot to create Coffee Crusted Pulled Pork. Now this next suggestion for using the rub might sound crazy, but don’t knock it until you try it! My brother actually won a “create your own burger” contest back in 2012 with a coffee crusted burger. I’m just saying, it’s award-winning, so you should definitely give it a try!
This rub will stay good, stored in an airtight container, in the pantry for up to 6 months. So mix some up and let’s start adding a scrumptious coffee crust to tons of different recipes!
Ingredients
For the full ingredient amounts, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Ground coffee – do not use Instant Coffee! The flavor and texture of instant coffee granules is different than coffee grounds and will not work in this recipe. If you do not normally drink coffee and are simply buying the coffee grounds for this recipe, you can store leftover coffee grounds sealed in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 2 years.
- Brown sugar – to balance out the strong flavor of the coffee, I use equal parts coffee and brown sugar in the rub. It helps caramelize the crust on whatever you use the rub on, and adds a nice sweetness to the rub.
- Salt + black pepper + garlic powder – spices used to season the rub.
- Fennel seeds – in my opinion, one of the most underused ingredients in the kitchen. Fennel seeds add a unique sweet, licorice taste that pairs really well with pork and beef. The fennel seeds will toast on the outside of whatever you use this coffee rub on, and add a wonderful flavor to the crust.
- Dried rosemary – this savory herb adds a wonderful fragrance and flavor to the rub.
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Easy as that, you have a flavorful coffee rub, ready to make the best coffee-rubbed steak recipe!
Pro tips
- This recipe makes 15 tablespoons of seasoning mix. This is enough to season approximately 15 pounds of meat. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click the button for 2x in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- I recommend using 1 tablespoon of seasoning per pound of meat. Use it to season larger cuts of meat, like tri tip or brisket. Or keep it in the pantry to use for up to 6 months seasoning smaller cuts of meat, like ribeyes, sirloin, burgers or pork tenderloin.
- The coffee rub will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the rub in an 8 ounce mason jar. If doubling the recipe, use a pint size or 16 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the coffee steak rub with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- To make a spicy coffee chili rub, add 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix.
Ways to use it
This coffee spice rub is more than just a steak rub! It’s delicious on burgers, pork and more. Try it with any of the recipes and ideas below.
- Smoked Tri Tip with Coffee Rub (pictured above) – the delicious flavor of smoking a tri tip, paired with this sweet and savory rub, equals a match made in foodie heaven. After the tri tip comes off of the smoker, give it a quick sear in a cast-iron skillet to achieve a really nice crust on the outside.
- Coffee Crusted Grilled Tri Tip – the original recipe that inspired this delicious coffee steak rub!
- Coffee Rubbed BBQ Steak Sandwich – use this coffee rub to make the best steak sandwiches ever, served with a coffee bbq sauce, herbed goat cheese and grilled onions.
- Pulled Pork Tenderloin with Coffee Crust – this easy slow cooker recipe makes delicious pulled pork. It’s scrumptious and healthy when served in baked sweet potatoes!
- Coffee Crusted Burgers – form 1 pound of ground beef into 4 burger patties. Place 2 tablespoons of the coffee rub in a shallow bowl. Press each patty in the coffee rub on both sides. Make sure that the entire burger patties are coated in the rub. Grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side. Add a slice of gouda, or swiss cheese, to each burger patty during the last 1-2 minutes of grilling. Serve on toasted brioche buns with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions.
- Coffee-Rubbed Steaks – rub your favorite steak, whether it’s a sirloin, ribeye steak, New York strip or skirt steak, with 1 tablespoon of coffee rub per pound of meat. Grill the steak, or cook it in a cast iron skillet on the stove.
- Smoked Pork Chops with Coffee Rub – try my famous recipe for smoked pork chops, but instead of using the traditional pork chop seasoning, try it with this coffee rub. I usually finish the pork chops with pepper jelly, but when using the coffee rub, I recommend finishing them with bourbon bacon jam or a balsamic glaze.
More homemade seasoning blends
Stock your pantry with all of these homemade seasoning mixes to add THE BEST flavor to every meal!
Coffee Steak Rub
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup ground coffee, see notes below
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder, or granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ tablespoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Ground coffee – do not use Instant Coffee! The flavor and texture of Instant Coffee is different than coffee grounds and will not work in this recipe. If you do not normally drink coffee and are simply buying the coffee grounds for this recipe, you can store leftover coffee grounds sealed in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 2 years.
- This recipe makes 15 tablespoons of seasoning mix. This is enough to season approximately 15 pounds of meat. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click the button for 2x in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- I recommend using 1 tablespoon of seasoning per pound of meat. Use it to season larger cuts of meat, like tri tip or brisket. Or keep it in the pantry to use for up to 6 months seasoning smaller cuts of meat, like ribeyes, sirloin, burgers or pork tenderloin.
- The coffee rub will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the rub in an 8 ounce mason jar. If doubling the recipe, use a pint size or 16 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the coffee steak rub with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- To make a spicy coffee chili rub, add 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix.
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Coffee Steak Rub”
Want to try this, what type of coffee do you recommend?
Jill
Hi Jill, for a strong coffee flavor, I would recommend any type of unflavored dark roast coffee.