Homemade Java Rub for Grilling

Make this Homemade Java Rub for a fun flavoring while grilling. It leaves a mild coffee flavor and is well worth it for trying something new and exciting.

We are in full Christmas mode over here and that means our friends are getting BBQ rubs for gifts this year, especially this amazing Java Rub. I love to give and receive gifts that are useful and people can put into action immediately in their home. Your friends will love this one! 

We made this rub last weekend and put it into little jars for Jason to take into work for his buddies. They know he is a hard core griller on the weekends and they love it when there are office parties and Jason brings in his new grilling recipes. This is a fun way to share an important part of a recipe with friends that they can use on their own time. 

☕ Recipe Instructions

The key to this recipe is to make sure you are using finely ground coffee. If you don’t, your rub is going to have an incredible gritty texture to it and it will be pretty disgusting. And, there is no need to wonder how I know that! I thought I would save a step when I first made this, and boy did I regret it.

TIP #1: If you don’t have finely ground coffee at home but want to make this right now, you still can. Do these couple of things: 

• Use your coffee grinder to grind the coffee to a very fine texture. I added my ground coffee and spent a few minutes making it even finer. 
• If you don’t have a coffee grinder, use your small Cuisinart turn it into finely ground coffee. You may have to pulse it back and forth several times but it does work. I’ve done it this way several times! 
• If you prefer, the finest ground coffee I could find is from Illy’s. It is so good, but I sacrificed some for this rub. 😀

Ok, so you now have finely ground coffee. Combine all the ingredients together and mix well. Spread on the meat and rub it generously! 

PRO TIP #2: I estimate how much rub I need for the meat and pour it into a small container.  Then, I don’t have to worry about touching the raw meat and the jar of java rub. Call me crazy, but I just prefer to keep them separate and not worry about any cross contamination.

💡 Recipe Tips

Java Rub is great on any red meat or chicken! We used this batch on steaks that we grilled last weekend but this would be fantastic on a rib roast over the hot coals as well.

It is pretty flexible and I added it to a few chicken wings to see how it did.  It was phenomenal. I may try to use it as the rub for my beer can chicken next. 

I haven’t tried it on pork yet, but I bet it will be great.

It is probably too strong of a flavor for a light fish, though.

📌 Items to Note

We stored the Java Rub in our ½ pint jars and we have also stored them in freezer jam jars. I think it really depends on what you are going to do with it. Just make sure that they can be sealed up really well. We live in a very humid environment and so leaving anything exposed to the air is challenging. 

As I said above, I love giving these as gifts and here are a couple of the cute jars that will make this an elegant gift.

I love these as they are already for gift giving with the ribbons and tags!

These are some of my all time favorites that I keep in the house all the time! They are rarely empty as they are perfect for holding spices and sauces!

More Rubs and Sauces

Easy Cherry Bourbon BBQ Sauce – This is a delicious sauce that whips up in no time. Toss this on chicken breasts or your wings as they are ready to come off of the grill. This one makes a fabulous dipping sauce as well, so make extra! 

Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce – This sauce is fabulous on chicken thighs or wings for a tailgate party. They are finger licking good with a hint of spice, but not over the top for those that like it a little mild. 

Delicious All Purpose Rub – This is a terrific go-to rub for any occasion. You can definitely rub it all over chicken wings or thighs before you grill and add a sauce. I like it without the sauce too.  Your choice! Either way – I love this recipe!