If, like most of us, you love the smell of fresh coffee then you’ve probably already experimented with cooking with it. Coffee cakes and bakes are the usual go-to recipes, but have you ever thought of trying a savoury dish?
Coffee grounds work surprising well as rubs or marinades for meat. Not only do they add a good depth of flavour, but they’re readily available and can help you reduce kitchen waste. Once you’ve brewed your coffee, just pop the grounds in a sealed jar in the fridge and use them within a week. Coffee works particularly well with other strong flavours such as paprika. It doesn’t really taste like coffee when used in this way – in fact, if you’re cooking for a dinner party and challenge your guests to identify the earthy flavour they’ll probably struggle!
To make a rich , thick paste suitable for most types of meat (including beef, chicken and pork), you’ll need:
A good single handful of coffee grounds
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chilli flakes (according to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tsp garlic granules, or two cloves garlic, minced
Mix everything together until you have a very stodgy paste (if it’s too thick to be workable you might need to add a little more oil).
If you use coffee grounds as a rub and then fry or roast the meat, the grounds may burn and taste bitter. The best way to cook coffee-rubbed meat is as part of a pot roast. Pat a thick layer of the rub onto the meat until it forms a crust. Fry off a couple of onions and anything else you fancy putting in, such as carrots or celery. Lay the meat on top of the vegetables and add enough liquid to cover the vegetables. For liquid, you can use a mixture of red or white wine and water, or just water.
Cook at 240 degrees C for around 20 minutes or until the liquid is boiling, then turn down the heat and cook for around three hours (depending on the meat you’ve used – beef will take longest). The meat should be very tender and flavourful. Serve with green vegetables and the potatoes of your choice.
If you’re a coffee aficionado, you’ll love our range of top-quality coffee beans, all available at great wholesale prices. To find out more, visit the coffee beans page of our website.