Coffee Rub Barbecue Recipes

Coffee can be added both to your cooking and baking but as we are longing for summer right now, we thought we’d give you some tips on how and why to include coffee in your barbecuing. 

Did you know that coffee grounds are perfect to use as a spice rub? It turns out that the acidity level in coffee replicates the tannins that can also be found in wine. The tannins heighten the flavours of the meat, giving you an extra flavoursome steak.

But it doesn’t end there. Another advantage to using coffee in your spice rub is that the coffee helps make the meat more tender, making the meat softer and increasing the moisture of the meat through the creation of a crust that seals in the flavours.

When grinding your beans for your coffee there tends to be a little left over. These little leftovers are perfect to add to your spice rub. Combining coffee with salt and paprika will add a delicious zing to your food. It works with both spice-crusted pork or to take your burger paddies to the next level. Or why not combine the mix with some cocoa to rub on a rack of lamb to perfect a mocha spice-coated lamb dish.

 Spice Rub

If you’re feeling inspired and want to give it a go, a recipe that works perfect as a dry rub and that we would recommend is the following:

• 2/3 cup ground coffee
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

BBQ sauce

Now if you’re looking for a BBQ sauce to go with your meats or anything else that you might throw on the grill then we found this amazing barbecue sauce recipe from epicurious.com, it has a bit of heat to it, but it tastes superb.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 cups chopped white onions

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree

1 cup low-salt chicken broth

1 cup freshly brewed strong coffee or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 cup hot water

Start of by heating the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeño; sauté until onions are tender, roughly 7 minutes. Next step is to add the brown sugar, chili powder, molasses, cilantro, and cumin; stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in the crushed tomatoes with the puree, broth, and coffee; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to 4 cups, stirring often, about 35 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper to your preference.*

Now we only hope you’re as excited as we are about cooking with coffee, coffee is a beautiful natural product that can be used in many ways to enhance cooking and play an exciting part as one of your kitchen cooking staples.

* https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/brown-sugar-and-coffee-barbecue-sauce-354930