Wednesday, July 9, 2014

coffee rubbed pork loin


It was a long weekend-I am still shopping for the perfect pieces for our apartment (even more pics to come soon, I promise!) and Mike and I made a trip to Target on a Sunday.



That’s enough to exhaust anyone. I wasn’t making yet another stop at the grocery store so decided to use Targets fairly limited selection of fresh groceries to whip something up. Did I mention someone I was shopping with (I won’t name any names) was getting a bit cranky and had to go sit down in the outdoor furniture section to relax…? So yeah…



I grabbed a pork loin, a sweet potato, one red and one green apple. No clue what I would make, but arrived home with these ingredients and a hungry and cranky boyfriend.



I have always wanted to test out a coffee rub and had some coffee in the pantry we hadn’t opened. Fully invested in this idea now, I opened the bag and the beans weren’t ground.



We don’t have a grinder—we use a Keurig and I usually drink iced coffee anyway. Not willing to give this up for the zero other ideas I had, or completely throw my hands up and order takeout, I ground those beans, smashing them with my old-fashioned Italian rolling pin.



Let me tell you—I do not recommend this tactic. And luckily there are no pics of the aftermath. coffee. all. over. my. counter. Had I not been in a food-inspired frenzy, I would have thought this through. Maybe a ziploc bag, rolled over with the pin? But I went through with it, and got my grinds.



And let me tell you—the flavor was worth it. Try it out. But buy your beans pre-ground for your own sanity.



coffee rubbed pork loin

2 lbs pork loin

3 tbsp butter



coffee and chili spice rub

3 tbsp of coffee grinds

2 tsp of chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

3 tsp salt

  • preheat an oven safe pan with butter
  • preheat oven to 350
  • combine rub mixture and spread all over pork loin, pressing in and distributing evenly
  • cook on all sides in pan, turning every 3-5 minutes to sear in spices
  • place in oven for 30-45 mins—use a meat thermometer and pull when it reads 155-165 (depending on your preference)
  • let meat rest for 5-10 mins covered in tin foil to seal in the juices and then slice in medallions

apple compote

1 red and 1 green apple, peeled and diced

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup water

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of black pepper

juice of ½ lemon

  • combine all ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat, let it come to a boil
  • stir every few minutes, allowing ingredients in incorporate and reduce down
  • simmer on low heat until pork is ready; spoon on pork medallions


1 comment:

  1. I've never made any coffee dry rub before. I'll definitely have to try this recipe out some time. I really think all boys are the same when it comes to shopping. It's even worse when they're hungry. You just got to bring some snacks or drop them off at the food court.

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