Cowboy Coffee Steak Rub: Steakhouse Crust, Backyard Chili
Saddle up and fire up the grill. Cowboy Coffee Steak Rub is a bold, rugged seasoning built for serious steak lovers — dark, earthy coffee notes layered with black pepper, red pepper, paprika, and onion. It's not a heat-forward rub; it's built for deep, roasted flavor and the kind of bark pitmasters chase. A collaboration with Game Changer Smokers, it's gluten-free, keto, and paleo, with about 1/4 tsp of coffee per serving — enough for flavor, not enough to worry about caffeine.
How to use it on steak
- Pat ribeye, New York strip, tri-tip, or burgers dry and coat generously with the rub, pressing it in.
- Rest 20–30 minutes at room temperature so the crust has time to set before it hits heat.
- Sear hot and fast — cast iron, open flame, or a smoker finished on high heat — to lock in the crust without burning the coffee notes.
- Rest the steak 5 minutes before slicing.
Cowboy Coffee Beef Chili
A pot of chili is one of our favorite uses for this rub. Here's how we make it:
- 2 lb ground beef or beef chuck, browned
- 2–3 tbsp Cowboy Coffee Steak Rub, stirred in as the beef browns
- 1 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1–2 cans beans (kidney or black)
- 1 cup beef stock, simmered 45–60 minutes
- An extra pinch of the rub stirred in at the end to sharpen the coffee-forward finish
Best on: ribeye, New York strip, brisket, tri-tip, burgers, wild game, and stirred into beef chili.