Coffee Brisket Rub Recipe

Kick up your beef brisket from a good brisket to an amazing brisket with this simple 5 ingredient Coffee Brisket Rub Recipe. This will be your new favorite way to season your beef brisket.

If you're looking for a delicious and unique way to prepare beef brisket, look no further than this coffee rub recipe. Combining the bold flavors of coffee and spices, this rub will give your brisket a rich and complex flavor that is sure to impress.

Whether you're grilling or smoking your brisket, this coffee rub adds a depth of flavor that can't be achieved with traditional seasoning blends. Plus, it's easy to make a good coffee rub with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. So fire up the grill or smoker and get ready for a mouthwatering meal that will leave your taste buds begging for more.

Ingredients

Ground Coffee - Ground coffee is great in dry rubs for beef, lamb, and pork. It adds a deep rich flavor to the meat that is hard to beat. 

Garlic Powder - Garlic powder is a versatile ingredient that can be used to add flavor and depth to a wide range of dishes and is perfect to make spice blends since it is already prepped for that purpose.

Onion Powder - Onion powder is a convenient alternative to fresh onions because it has a longer shelf life and does not require chopping or peeling. Additionally, it provides the same distinct onion taste without the texture of freshly chopped onions. 

Black Pepper - Black pepper is a popular ingredient in dry rubs for meat. Its pungent and spicy flavor adds depth and complexity to the taste of the meat. It can be easily adjusted according to personal preference.

Salt - Salt is a crucial ingredient in any dry rub recipe. It not only enhances the flavor of the meat, but it also has an important role in tenderizing it. Adding salt to the rub helps to break down the protein fibers in the meat, resulting in a more tender and juicy end product. 

How to Make Coffee Brisket Rub Recipe & Use It

To make the rub simply mix together the ingredients in a small bowl.

Step One: Prepare your beef brisket, trim the fat cap, remove any excess fat, and trim up the edges. Then use a tablespoon of coffee rub per pound of brisket. Make sure you rub it all over the exterior of the brisket. 

Step Two: Then place your coffee-rubbed brisket on the grill grates in your preheated smoker. Smoke the brisket at 225 degrees F until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 202°F.

Expert Tip: Your beef brisket will run into a stall at an internal temperature of around 170°F internal temp. You can keep cooking and push through, or you can wrap it with aluminum foil or butcher paper to get it through the stall more quickly. 

Step Three: Once the beef brisket's internal temperature reaches 202°F, remove it from the smoker and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes. 

Step Four: Then slice and serve your coffee rub brisket. You can save it with your favorite barbecue sauce. Enjoy!

Variations

Sweet Rub - For sweetness add brown sugar. We especially like to use sweet flavors on 3 2 1 Ribs and Pork Belly Burnt Ends.

Spicy Rub - For spicy flavor add chili powder or cayenne pepper.

Common Questions

Why use Coffee?

Coffee gives wonderful flavor and aroma to a dish. It provides some bitterness that adds a beautiful complexity to a savory meal. We use fresh coffee beans and grind them to a medium grind for a great texture. I do not recommend using a very fine grind, like espresso ground coffee. I do recommend a dark roast or at least a medium roast for a great roasted coffee bold flavor.

How much coffee rub do I need for a brisket?

Great question! I recommend one tablespoon coffee rub mixture per pound of brisket. A third of the rub is salt. I use about a tablespoon salt per three pounds of beef, so if we do the math, you can easily figure out that 1 tablespoon of the coffee rub will season 1 lb of beef. A whole beef brisket will be about 12 to 16 pounds. So you will need 12 to 16 tbsps of coffee rub. We can change that to about .75 to 1 cup of rub.

What else can I use coffee rub on?

Coffee Rubs are great for many cuts of beef, whether it is brisket, prime rib, or ribeyes. This coffee brisket rub is also very versatile, you can use it on all your red meats, even pork tenderloin, as well as dark meat like chicken thighs for a classic smoked bbq flavor.

Can I make dry rub in a large batch?

You do not need to make a new rub mixture each time you plan to cook. I recommend making large batches of dry rubs. You can keep most of them on a pantry shelf for several months if you have a good airtight container. Honestly, any dry rub recipe is really focused on ratios. so if the recipe calls for tablespoons and half tablespoons like this one. You can easily increase that to cups and half cups. Just use a large mixing bowl to combine the dry ingredients well and then put it into a container for storage. It makes cooking a little easier if you don't need to make the rub each time.