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My Coffee Rub makes a perfect complement for beef, especially steaks and prime rib. Savory and earthy, this delicious rub for beef is ready to use in minutes with a simple blend of pantry spices and ground coffee. It's even delicious on other meats, like chicken thighs!
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Best Coffee Rub for Steaks
One of my favorite ways to change up a recipe is to try a different seasoning blend. If you know me, you know I make prime rib every year for the holidays - this is how I discovered how amazing coffee rub is for beef! After making grilled prime rib with coffee rub, I knew I had to try this amazing beef rub recipe on other cuts of meat.
The coffee rub is deeply flavorful, with an earthy taste that works well with slow cooking methods like braising, roasting, or smoking, and quick cooking methods like grilling, pan-searing, and even air-frying. You really can't go wrong with a good coffee rub.
And trust me, you do not have to like coffee itself to love this rub. The ground coffee highlights the richness of the meat without overpowering its natural flavor. Give it a try on brisket, prime rib, steaks, kebabs- the list goes on!
Coffee Rub Recipe FAQs
Coffee rub is a mix of ground coffee plus seven different seasonings, including salt and pepper. It can be prepared either as a wet or dry rub, with or without the inclusion of brown spicy mustard.
Coffee in a rub creates an incredible crust on whichever meat you're using it for, so it will sear beautifully and have the rich flavors of the seasoning rub imparted into the meat without overpowering its natural flavor. Coffee, thanks to its acidity level, also acts as a meat tenderizer.
Coffee rub is best used on beef dishes like steak, roast beef (especially prime rib), brisket, and kebabs, though it can also be used for other meats, such as chicken thighs, pork chops, bacon, or even fish.
Coffee Rub Ingredients
- Brown spicy mustard
- Ground coffee
- Paprika
- Granulated garlic
- Minced onion
- Brown sugar
- Salt and black pepper
The two key ingredients to making coffee rub are the ground coffee and the brown spicy mustard. The brown spicy mustard is applied first, before the coffee rub, by rubbing it on the meat. If you prefer, it can be left out entirely and only the coffee dry rub may be used.
How to Make Coffee Rub
- Add ground coffee, paprika, granulated garlic, minced onion, brown sugar, black pepper, and salt to a bowl. Mix well until fully combined.
- Rub brown spicy mustard on the meat, then apply the coffee rub and pat it down for best results. If you prefer, the spicy mustard can be left out so only the coffee rub itself is used.
Coffee Rubbed Steak
You can use coffee seasoning on any of these cuts of beef and it will elevate the flavor
- Grilled New York Strip Steak
- Grilled Porterhouse Steak
- Smoked Tomahawk Steak
- Grilled London Broil
- Ribeye Steak
For best results, I recommend following our steak temperature chart.
Coffee Rubbed Brisket
These are just a few examples of what you can pair with a coffee rub. Try more of my best steak recipes or roast beef recipes to pair it with, or apply it to another meat of your choosing like Grilled Prime Rib Roast.
Best Beef Rub Recipes
- Dry Rub for Ribs - super simple and delicious with short ribs
- Brisket Rub Recipe - easy 4-ingredient rub
- Steak Rub Recipe - sweet and spicy rub
- Prime Rib Rub Recipe - super simple 3-ingredient rub
- Tri-Tip Rub Seasoning
- Meatloaf Seasoning Recipe - perfect for keto meatloaf
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📋 Recipe
Best Coffee Rub for Steak
Equipment
- 1 small bowl for mixing dry spices
- 1 small bowl for mustard, if using
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoon Brown Spicy Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Coffee
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Minced Onion
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
Instructions
- Add ground coffee, paprika, granulated garlic, minced onion, brown sugar, black pepper, and salt to a bowl. Mix well until fully combined.2 Tablespoons Ground Coffee, 2 Tablespoons Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Granulated Garlic, 2 Tablespoons Minced Onion, 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper, 1 Tablespoon Salt
- Rub brown spicy mustard on the meat, then apply the coffee rub and pat it down for best results. If you prefer, the spicy mustard can be left out so only the coffee rub itself is used.3 Tablespoon Brown Spicy Mustard
Notes
- The two key ingredients to making coffee rub are the ground coffee and the brown spicy mustard. The brown spicy mustard is applied first, before the coffee rub, by rubbing it on the meat. If you prefer, it can be left out entirely and only the coffee dry rub may be used.
- Store leftover coffee rub, without the mustard, in a tightly sealed jar for up to a month.
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