Cowboy Coffee Steak Rub used on a seared steak and in a pot of beef chili

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

  1. Pat ribeye, New York strip, tri-tip, or burgers dry and coat generously with the rub, pressing it in.
  2. Rest 20–30 minutes at room temperature so the crust has time to set before it hits heat.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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