Coffee is the quintessential morning beverage (and early afternoon pick-me-up), but did you know coffee tastes incredible with meat? Coffee and beef make a particularly tasty combination, and these three BBQ recipes using coffee are packed with earthy, bold flavors that tease and tantalize your palate. With coffee and beef combined, you’re in for a BBQ experience like you’ve never had before.

Whether it’s instant or brewed, coffee makes for that “special ingredient” that will have your loved ones begging for more.

Coffee Rub Brisket

Coffee rub smoked brisket is the perfect marriage of rich meat and bold flavor. It’s everything you want in a good smoked brisket – intense, smoky flavor combined with a deep, earthy kick from the coffee rub.

Making smoked brisket can be an intimidating venture, but I’m here to show you that it’s not as scary as it looks! So fire up your pellet grill (My go-to grill for a good brisket is my Camp Chef SmokePro 36 SGX) and dive right in! Check out my post on Coffee Rub Brisket to follow my step-by-step process to prepare, smoke, and slice your brisket.

Smoking brisket takes time, but with a little patience, smoke, and love, you’ll be guaranteed to get that gorgeous dark bark and rich flavor every time.

Coffee Rub

Ready for an awesome rub that is perfect on brisket, steak, and more? This homemade coffee rub is the ultimate rub when you want to bring a savory and slightly spicy flavor to your meat. The ingredient that ties this rub all together is the coffee. Its earthy flavor makes it a perfect rub to compliment good, rich beef.

My recipe for Homemade Coffee Rub is easy to make and packs a unique punch. The flavor tastes less like coffee and more like a deep earthiness that is slightly bitter, but not overwhelming. It’s the perfect rub for beef, but it can be used on other meat as well. Whether used on steak or brisket, it stands up to both low and slow, as well as hot and fast cooking.

Coffee BBQ Sauce

This coffee BBQ sauce is the perfect blend of tangy, sweet, and bold. It’s particularly delicious on beef, but it will bring a rich and flavorful punch to any of your smoked or grilled meats.

I love the way adding coffee to recipes gives them an earthy, bold kick of flavor, and my Coffee BBQ Sauce recipe is no exception! It’s also a breeze to make!

1. First, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook until boiling, then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Allow the sauce to simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Cool and serve!

How easy is that?! After you make your first successful batch, I bet you’ll frequently find yourself making your own sauce instead of buying it at the store.

Pickled Red Onions

Even though this post is all about coffee BBQ recipes, I just had to add a few words about my famous pickled red onions.

These Pickled Red Onions are little bites of tangy heaven. Even the biggest onion critics will find themselves reaching for serving after serving of these addictive onions. They are THE side to serve with your platter of BBQ and are a perfect compliment to pork, beef, sausage, or chicken.

Whether you’re making some coffee rub brisket, steak with coffee rub, or slathering some meat with my coffee BBQ sauce, pickled red onions are a must-have on the side of your meat.

Want More BBQ Recipes

Watch the video below and I’ll show you step-by-step how I make these awesome coffee recipes at home. I’m all about helping you make the best backyard BBQ of your life, so check out more of my smoking and grilling recipe videos on YouTube, Instagram, or our Facebook Page. Follow along and let’s make awesome food together!

Interested in more rubs and sauces from Hey Grill Hey? Head on over to the Hey Grill Hey Store to pick up a BBQ Basics Bundle today!