Java Dry Spice Rub

Ground roasted coffee beans add a wonderful aroma and flavor to this Java Dry Spice Rub. It’s perfect on pork chops, steak, roasts, ribs or, who am I kidding, just about any meat. In fact, sprinkle a little on your pumpkin or butternut squash before roasting. You won’t be sorry.

I must confess that I am normally a purist when it comes to seasoning chops or steak. A little salt and pepper is about all I use because I want to taste the meat. Store-bought spice mixes tend to be too heavy on the salt for me and, stupid as this sounds, it hadn’t occurred to me to mix my own.

A few years ago, though, I was fortunate enough to attend a cooking session with one of the chefs from Certified Angus beef and he shared his recipe for a Santa Maria spice mix. Far from masking the meat flavors, I was amazed by how it brought out the best in the beef.

Java Dry Spice Rub 

Now that I’m a spice rub convert, I’ve been researching different recipes. Coffee is a popular ingredient, along with garlic or onion powder, pepper and salt. I’ve used this spice rub on vegetables, beef and chicken, but it is especially good with pork. This recipe makes 1 pint jar or 135g.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons kosher or Himalayan pink rock salt
2 tablespoon mixed peppercorns (or black peppercorns)
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1/3 cup or 30g your favorite roasted coffee, medium grind
2 tablespoons or 25g brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Method
Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to grind your salt, peppercorns and cumin seeds quite finely.

Add in the coffee, sugar, smoked paprika and garlic powder and mix well.

Store in an airtight container and use within a couple of months for optimum flavor. (If it lasts that long! I immediately started putting it on everything.)

This java dry spice rub is especially lovely on pork.

Come back tomorrow when I’ll be sharing a recipe for a whole pork roast cooked sous vide and finished off in the oven.

Enjoy!

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