Pork Roast with Coffee Spice Rub
Pork Loin with Coffee and Spice Rub
We were having a pork loin for a recent dinner with friends and I wanted to come up with something fun to season it with. I decided to go with a spice rub that included ground coffee. I played around a little but found a mixture that I think has just the right mix of seasonings. You can make a bigger batch and just keep it on hand. The rub would certainly go well on beef, lamb, duck and maybe even turkey. I plan on trying that out soon. The coffee gives the meat a wonderful, almost charred flavor, like it just came off the grill. It worked great on the pork loin but could also be used on chops being cooked in a skillet or grilled.
The tricky part was being sure not to over cook the pork loin. While it is recommended to go 20 minutes a pound on a boneless loin I went just a little under on the 5 1/4 pound roast we had, cooking it at 350 for 1 hour and 30 minutes. It came out cooked through and very juicy. Here is the recipe for the rub and directions on how to use it.
Coffee and Spice Rub
¼ c. ground coffee
¼ c. brown sugar
2 T. paprika
2 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, salt and ginger
1 t. allspice
½ t. cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and stir to mix well. Store in a cool place, preferably in the refrigerator. Rub can be used on roasts or on chops, steaks and smaller cuts of meat. If using on chops that are being pan fried watch carefully as the sugar in the recipe could burn.
To use the rub: several hours before cooking place the roast in a shallow pan and sprinkle heavily with the rub. Use your hands to spread it evenly and cover completely. Place plastic wrap on clean surface and transfer roast to the wrap. Fold plastic wrap to cover roast , using more plastic wrap as needed so meat is sealed well. Return to fridge for at least a couple of hours, or overnight. When ready to cook, bring roast out and allow to stand 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and place roast in a roasting pan on a wire rack.
For the pork roast allow about 20 minutes per pound. Larger roasts need a little less time per pound. When roast is finished- remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes, or a little longer before cutting.
Rest roast 5 minutes, then slice
