Saturday, August 28, 2010

Two Coffee Rubs for Meat

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Really good steak requires nothing but salt and pepper and a good grill, if you ask me. But sometimes you just want to get a little fancier. I am not a fan of sauce on steak — I don’t think it's necessary — but an occasional rub on the outside can be a good thing. So here are two very interesting treatments for steak using coffee.

Coffee-Rubbed Rib Eye from Bobby Flay

Ingredients
1/4 cup ancho chili powder
1/4 cup finely ground espresso
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili de arbol powder
2 bone-in or boneless rib eye steaks, 2-inches thick, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each
Canola or olive oil
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Procedure
Combine all spices in a bowl. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat. Brush each side of the steak with oil and then season each side liberally with salt and pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons of the coffee rub onto 1 side of each steak. Cook the steak, rub side down until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the steak over, cook for 2 minutes and then transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven to medium-rare doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Coffee-Cured Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients
1 Tenderloin of beef, or buffalo or elk
2 tbl Ground coffee (preferably espresso beans)
2 tbl Light brown sugar
1 tsp Ground cumin
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Fresh ground white pepper
3 oz Vegetable oil
1tsp Garlic powder

Procedure
Combine all ingredients except meat and mix into a paste. Rub the mix all around the meat, working it in evenly, be careful not to leave any lumps. For the best result, I like to cure the beef for 24 hours before roasting. Roast as usual, and remember to let your meat rest 5 minutes before slicing,