Smoked Coffee Rub Tri Tip
On October 12, 2020 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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This Smoked Coffee Rub Tri Tip is the ultimate flavor experience. My homemade coffee rub perfectly complements the rich, buttery beef of a smoked tri tip roast. The combo of coffee and beef make for a unique and must-try tri tip you won’t soon forget.
Smoked Tri Tip Seasoned with Coffee Rub
Coffee Rub Tri Tip is beefy goodness in all of its glory right here, people. If you didn’t already know, I love beef. I have a few cuts of beef that I favor above the others, but tri tip is definitely in my top 5. It’s simply a no-brainers for me. Not only is it beautifully marbled and a breeze to smoke, but it’s simply packed with flavor. It also gets major bonus points for being pretty easy to grill without overcooking.
I think tri tip a great starter cut for beginning grillers. And this particular coffee rub tri tip is a great starter recipe for beginning pitmasters. The tri tip is slow smoked (I used my pellet grill) over indirect heat for 3 hours before being seared over screaming hot coals. It’s the best of both worlds, low and slow BBQ and hot and fast grilling.
Coffee Rub for Tri Tip Roast
The best part about this recipe is that you get a great rub recipe, a good long smoke on some beef, and happy tummies at dinner. If you haven’t jumped into making your own rubs, now is the best time to start. I have been making rubs from scratch for a while now, and this is our newest favorite.
This isn’t the first ever coffee rub recipe I’ve posted (coffee and beef are an amazing combo), but I’ve found that coffee grounds can get bitter when cooked over high temperatures. I knew I wanted to sear this tri tip for a beautiful dark bark, but I still wanted that coffee flavor. That’s where the not secret anymore ingredient comes into play. Instant coffee crystals! You get that amazing, rich coffee flavor without any bitterness from burned coffee grounds. Such an amazing pairing with the chili pepper, cayenne, and coriander in the rub. This rub is savory, earthy, and has a deep richness that melts into the tri tip.
Ingredients for Tri Tip Coffee Rub
The secret to this tri tip is in the coffee rub. Don’t let the combo of coffee and beef scare you! They actually pair incredibly well together. Here’s what you’ll need to assemble to make the coffee rub:
Begin with 1 teaspoon of the following:
- Coarse sea salt
- Instant coffee crystals
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
Next, add 1/2 teaspoon of these seasonings:
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Whole coriander (crushed)
- Onion powder
Finish up with 1/4 teaspoon of the following for some much needed heat:
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
How to Smoke Coffee Rub Tri Tip
When making this coffee rub tri tip, you only need to focus on 4 steps. It’s a relatively easy recipe that just takes a little bit of time to allow the tri tip a nice, low and slow smoke.
- Coffee rub. Combine all ingredients for the coffee rub in a bowl. After trimming any excess fat off the tri tip, season the meat. Season the tri tip on all sides with the coffee rub, and press the rub into the meat. (Contrary to the name, you don’t actually need to “rub” the seasoning into the meat as this will make it flake off).
- Smoke. With your smoker preheated to the lowest setting (under 200 degrees F, if possible), place the tri tip directly on the grill grates and close the lid. This first smoke will likely take around 3 hours for the meat to come up to temperature, but remember that every cut of meat is different. Some take a lot longer, and some are ready crazy fast. Invest in a good instant read meat thermometer, and go by temperature and not by time. Cook the meat until it is within 10 degrees of your final desired doneness temp (110 degrees F for rare, 120 degrees F for medium rare, 130 for medium, 140 for medium well, or 150 for well done).
- Sear. Remove the tri tip from the grill and crank up the heat on your smoker to the highest setting. Place a 12″ cast iron skillet on the grill grates and allow the skillet to preheat. Once the skillet is hot, place the tri tip in the skillet and sear each side for 4-6 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches your final temperature (120 degrees F for rare, 130 degrees F for medium rare, 140 for medium, 150 for medium well, or 160 for well done).
- Rest and Serve. Remove the meat from the skillet and place it on a cutting board. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing (against the grain!) and serving.
More Tri Tip Recipes
Ooooh, my friend, do I have some treats for you! These recipes for tri tip are popular ones on the site, and you’re sure to love them.
Coffee Rub Tri Tip Recipe
Smoked Coffee Rub Tri Tip
Video
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 pound tri tip roast
Tri Tip Coffee Rub
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon whole coriander crushed
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker. Start your smoker on the lowest heat setting (mine runs about 175-180 on Smoke).
- Make the coffee rub. Combine all of the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and set aside.
- Trim and season the tri tip. Trim any excess fat off of the tri tip and liberally season with the dry rub.
- Smoke the tri tip. Place the seasoned tri tip directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke for 3 hours or until the internal temperature of the tri tip is within 10 degrees of your final target temperature (110 degrees F for rare, 120 degrees F for medium rare, 130 degrees F for medium, 140 degrees F for medium well, or 150 degrees F for well done).
- Preheat a cast iron skillet. Take the tri tip off the grill and place a cast iron skillet on the grill grates. Turn the temperature up to the highest heat setting (at least 400 degrees) and allow the grill pan to preheat.
- Sear the smoked tri tip. Place the smoked tri tip in the grill pan and sear on each side for 4-6 minutes. Use an internal thermometer to monitor the temperature of your tri tip. Pull the tri tip off the grill at 120 degrees F for rare, 130 degrees F for medium rare, 140 degrees F for medium, 150 degrees F for medium well, or 160 degrees F for well done.
- Rest and serve. Allow the tri tip to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing against the grain. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This post was originally published in January 2016. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Made this the other day, was amazing. Huge hit with the family. I was wondering if I’d be able to do this with a prime rib roast? Would I cook/smoke it the same way? Thanks!
The rub would work great with prime rib, but you’ll want to follow the cooking time directions for a prime rib recipe.
Does caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee make a difference in the flavor profile?
Wow turned out great First time smoking anything The only thing I put a little butter in the pan Before I seared the meat
I have used this recipe a few times already and each time I have a beautifully smoked and seared tri tip. Smoked in the Traeger @ 180-190 degrees F until I hit 120 degrees (2.5-ish hours) and then a trip across the Blackstone to sear it in. Thank you for posting this recipe. I’m about to use it again tomorrow. 🙂
Luckily a local ranch, Ft. McCoy, sells Tri-Tip (grass fed-grass finished) because the supermarkets in FL do not. The 2.66 lb. tri-tip came with a nice fat cap like a brisket and must say that crisped up nice on the cast iron using the sear burner on my Kenmore gas grill after smoking 15 mins on the Traeger @ 185° then for 1 hr. @225°. Pulled at 110° then on to the cast iron skillet. Used Hickory pellets. The beef was phenomenal. Between this and the 3-2-1 Ribs I’m set for company
Would this rub be appropriate to put on the night before and let set in fridge? Didn’t know if the coffe component or other ingredients would not be good for overnight. I typically do this with any rub before smoking or grilling
I haven’t tried this myself with this rub. Let me know how it turns out if you do.
What if i don’t have a cast iron skillet what is a good alternative
You can increase the temperature on your grill and sear on the grates if you don’t have a cast iron pan.