Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Alyssa Pagano
We use this rub on just about everything that we smoke at the restaurant, but you needn't follow the recipe exactly. Feel free to improvise on the ingredients and amounts, reducing the sugar for a less-sweet "bark" (crust), increasing the cayenne for a spicier one, and so on.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
1½ cups packed dark brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup ground espresso beans
¼ cup freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
Preparation
Combine the sugar, salt, espresso beans, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne in a resealable container, cover tightly, and shake well to combine. Store in a cool, dry place.
Do Ahead: The rub will keep for up to 2 months, at which point the coffee will began to taste stale.
Adapted from Feeding the Fire, by Joe Carroll and Nick Fauchald (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2015. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.
Recipe notes
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