Coffee Rubbed Steak

I've written before about how a good steak can be a remarkably inexpensive meal, given the right preparation. Recently, I stumbled upon a secret ingredient that really kicke my steak up to the next level. That ingredient, as intrepid title-readers may have already learned, is coffee.

If you're anything like the guy who asked me in the supermarket how I was going to prepare my steak (weird), you are probably wondering if I've misspoken. That is a ridiculous thing to wonder, given the fact that I am taking the time to type this out. I wrote coffee and I meant coffee. Coffee Rubbed Steak is delicious.

Now, we're not just taking coffee beans and rubbing them all over a steak. Instant coffee is the way to go, and it mixes with some other spices. If you have espresso powder, that will work nicely too - the dark, bitter flavor is what we're looking for in this rub. If no instant espresso is around, though, instant coffee works just fine. If it's the granular kind, you'll want to mash it up with a mortar and pestle; I find that Starbucks' Via packets are pretty much perfect for recipes that call for instant coffee, although I hardly ever have them on hand.

Coffee Rubbed Steak
1 tsp instant coffee/espresso
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp pepper
1 steak
dab of olive oil

As you can see in the ingredient list, this rub is really a melange of bitter dark flavors with brighter light notes. The acerbic coffee is balanced by sweet sugar, which in turn is matched by a salt, pepper, and chili powder blend.

For steak types, it's really whatever your wallet wants. I can pick up a nice sirloin or flank for not too much, but a ribeye is a nice treat every now and then. This rub will work with any steak, though.

To prepare the meat, simply combine the spices in a small bowl, brush a tiny bit of olive oil on the steak, and then rub the mixture on both sides of the beef. Throw the steak into a hot pan with a little bit of olive or vegetable oil, and cook it for about 6-8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak. If you have a meat thermometer and are safety conscious, make sure the middle of the steak reaches around 135 degrees. If you don't have a meat thermometer or aren't safety conscious, make sure the steak isn't too red in the middle and looks delicious.

As we've mentioned before, you should let your steak rest before slicing into it, to preserve the juiciness. Take the meat off of heat, go tell all of your friends about this website, and then dig in.

About Chris

Chris writes about food and drink for Nom and Glug. He can crack an egg with one hand, but he often misspells his own name, so it balances out.