Coffee Crusted Ribeye: Perfectly Reverse Seared Steak

A large, thick ribeye is the ideal steak. Nothing beats a well cooked ribeye with nice marbling and a decent rub that has been smoked and grilled to perfection.

In this recipe, I’ll teach you how to grill a coffee-rubbed steak that’s packed with flavor. The coffee rub brings out the meaty taste of the steak and elevates it to another level.

I’ll offer you advice on how to choose a fantastic ribeye, how to prepare a coffee rub, and how to cook a ribeye that will have your visitors chanting your praises.

Coffee and beef? 

Most people are unaware that coffee may be used to tenderize meat. By incorporating coffee into the rub and let it to rest for a few minutes or up to an hour, you are tenderizing while also imparting taste.

Coffee has over 800 aromatic and taste constituents, and when combined with meat, something magical occurs.

I’m making my own coffee rub, which you can get here.

I don’t find it overbearing, and when coupled with other spices like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika as a rub, it’s a terrific flavor enhancer that improves the meaty taste of a ribeye even more.

Freshly ground or pre-ground?

I used Mango Tree Coffee coffee beans. They are a roaster based in Englewood, Colorado, and they contribute their revenues to food and education initiatives that benefit children all around the globe who are living in severe poverty.

I like to grind mine from fresh beans since I can obtain the size I want and I believe a fresh grind has a superior flavor. If you have pre-ground coffee on hand, that will suffice.

To grind my coffee, I use a basic coffee grinder that can be found almost anyplace. Simply drop the beans in the grinder, close the cover, and grind until the beans are the desired texture.

What to look for when choosing a steak

When selecting a decent ribeye, there are a few things to look for. The marbling is the first thing I notice. Choose a steak with plenty of intramuscular fat flowing through it.

Don’t buy a steak based just on its grade or price. Take your time looking at a few and comparing them. You may sometimes locate a hidden treasure and obtain a steak that really sticks out from the crowd.

I’ve discovered a couple situations when a Choice-grade steak might have easily passed for prime.

Another factor to consider is the thickness of the steak. The thicker, the better in my opinion. I like to cook 2 inch steaks since it gives me more time for my reverse sear procedure.

I’m using Snake River Farms’ thick ribeye steak.

How to reverse sear a steak

When it comes to preparing a steak, my preferred method is reverse searing.

The reverse sear technique starts with a low-heat sear, followed by a high-heat sear for the ideal crust.

I like to add smoke to the meat during the low and slow time to help generate some additional flavors. I smoked this steak using hickory pellets in my Pit Boss 1600 Pro.

I sear the steak on my Char-Broil gas grill just before it’s done, but a cast iron pan or charcoal grill would also work to achieve a lovely crust on the beef and help seal in the flavors.

This method requires a thicker steak to allow for longer time to cook or smoke.

How long does a cooked steak need to rest?

Allowing steak to rest is an important step of the cooking process that is sometimes forgotten. You spent all of this time creating a tasty rub, prepping the steak, and grilling it, and it might all be for nothing if you don’t let it rest.

When you cook a protein, the heat expel the juice from the inside out. If you cut into a steak while it is still hot on the inside, the fluids will drain, leaving you with a drier steak than you should have had.

Allowing your steak to rest for 10-15 minutes after you remove it from the grill allows it to fully cool down and allows the fluids to redistribute back into the meat.

The rule of thumb is that the thicker the piece of meat, the longer the rest period. Allow up to 30 minutes of rest time for large portions of meat like prime rib, and at least an hour for something like brisket.

How to make reverse-seared coffee crusted ribeye

I made our coffee rub using salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, brown sugar, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

After seasoning the steak and allowing it to come to room temperature, I warmed my smoker to 225F and smoked it for approximately an hour, or until it reached an internal temperature of 120F.

While the steak is smoking, keep an eye on the temperature and remove it from the smoker around 15-20 degrees below where you want it to finish.

Because I want my steaks medium rare, I remove them at 120°F and sear them until the internal temperature hits 135°F.

You’ll note that the rub gives the steak a great dark color, which I like.

Allow the steak to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, and feel free to top with a pat of butter if desired. Then, slice the steak against the grain, season with salt, and serve.

The steak should have some heat from the cayenne pepper, some bitterness and savory overtones from the coffee, and some brightness from the salt.

It’s a one-of-a-kind and delicious experience, and it’s a dish you should attempt if you want to try something different. My steaks go well with roasted baby potatoes and onions.

Give these great steak recipes a go next

• Low and Slow Smoked Tri-Tip
• Porterhouse Steak Grilled with Whisky Compound Butter
• Tomahawk Steak Reverse Seared With Garlic Butter Mushrooms
• Brazilian Picanha Steak with Chimichurri