Grilling for more than 20 years with a serious love for coffee that spans the same time, I’m not sure why it has taken so long to try a coffee rub to season ribs. After reviewing a number of options for Test Kitchen Tuesday, I landed on this recipe from Recipes Planet, persuaded by the author’s description. He doesn’t include a recipe for cooking the ribs, so my plan is to use my own Missouri-Style Ribs recipe, using this coffee rub on beef back ribs.
I hope you join me in this delicious adventure!
In the next week or so:
1. Make the recipe (posted below)
2. Leave a comment describing your experience, adjustments, or suggestions.
3. Subscribe to comments so you can see what others have done.
4. If you are especially proud of your creation, snap a photo and send it to me at savoringtoday@comcast.net so it can be included in this post or include a link to your site with your comment.
Coffee Rub for Ribs
Source: Recipes Planet
Serves: 4
2 tablespoons freshly ground coffee
2 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
Note from Recipes Planet author: Not a coffee drinker myself, I wasn’t sure how this would go over, but I ended up loving it-the way the coffee plays with the other spices, smoke, and meat. And the coffee-ness didn’t dominate. Rather, the ground beans added an earthy quality to an already complex mix of flavors. The ribs eaten dry were fantastic, but even better with a coating of stout barbecue sauce.
Coffee does some pretty incredible things when it comes to flavor- even to most people who don’t like coffee. I love using coffee or espresso in baking (especially when paired with chocolate!) I had never thought to use it in an application like this! Definitely something I would like to try.
I agree, coffee gives chocolate that extra depth of flavor in baked goods that is unmatched — interesting that cocoa is in this recipe too. Hope it can work its magic on my ribs tonight
I’ve used coffee rubs on beef and been really pleased with the results. Your rub sounds wonderful. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
I liked the flavor of this combination of spices, though I couldn’t distinguish a coffee flavor. I would describe the flavors as very beefy with an ancho chili finish. Just like coffee gives chocolate a deeper chocolate flavor, I believe it did the same for these beef ribs, hence, more beefy flavor. I’ll need to try it on a steak to know for sure when the spices aren’t covered by a barbeque sauce.
Additional Notes:
1. Be sure to grind the coffee fine or use a mortar & pestle to combine the spices into a fine rub. We drink a coarse grind for French press and I didn’t check the setting when I ground the coffee–the was a little distracting.
2. Use a light application of sauce, or none at all to really appreciate the flavors in the rub.