Oven Roasted Coffee-Rubbed Pork Shoulder
“Yes, you read it right—this Oven Roasted Coffee-Rubbed Pork Shoulder has coffee rubbed all over it and is absolutely one of a favorite-tasting roasted dishes you will ever have! It is so flavorful, tender, and tender, no one will think it is made with just a handful of ingredients and a Dutch oven. The coffee-crusted pork is seared and then roasted for hours to get that fall-off-the-bone tenderness that is to die for!”
Why use Coffee Rub in Meats?
Though it is common to use it for drinking or flavoring desserts, using coffee with savory dishes is not as weird as you might think. If you have never tried using coffee as a dry rub to your meats, then you might want to break out of your shell and give it a go! Here are several reasons why:
- Coffee gives the pork meat a deeper, earthy flavor! Using it as a rub will not give you coffee-flavored pork, so do not worry! What it does is intensify the natural savoriness of the meat, kinda like how it deepens the cocoa flavor when added to chocolate cake or bread batters.
- Helps in making the pork tender. Since most coffee is acidic in nature, it acts as a great meat tenderizer too! And you can see from the pictures here that it is undeniably true!
- It creates a delightful crust when seared and roasted! Aside from the obvious aesthetic, it adds to the dish, coffee grounds bring out a favorite of the accompanying seasonings on the pork rub mix. It highlights the sweetness of the caramelized sugar and the zing from the cayenne pepper! They retain a bit of their bitter taste which adds another complex layer to the crust.
Helpful Tips
- Pat the pork shoulder or butt dry with a paper towel right before rubbing. This will ensure that you get the rub on without it falling off due to excessive moisture and get a crispier crust when seared.
- Use your hands and fingers to generously rub the pork, including all the crevices of the meat.
- The cooking time may vary depending on the size of your pork cut, this recipe is for 5 to 7 lbs of meat cut, so you need a large dutch over to fit it in.
- Add more broth to the bottom of the Dutch oven if needed to make sure it does not dry out.
- Let the meat rest to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing and serving!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can we use other spices for the dry rub? Absolutely, you can add or swap them with other earthy and spicy ones like paprika, cumin, onion powder, mustard powder, chili powder, etc.
- Is it better to keep the rub on longer? The longer the coffee rub stays on, the more flavorful it gets, so if you want to do it the night before, do so!
- Can we market the rub ahead of time? You can make a big batch of coffee dry rub to use for later. Store it in a tightly lidded jar to keep it from oxidizing and clumping together.
Serving and Storing Notes
Serve your Oven Roasted Coffee-Rubbed Pork Shoulder with rice, mashed potato, or potato salad for a hearty dinner meal. This also goes well with a side of Buffalo Chickpea Salad or Grilled Corn, Burrata, and Poblano Salad.
Any leftovers should be placed in a sealed container or covered tightly with foil before storing them in the fridge for up to three days. This can also be kept frozen for a month or two. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.
Prep 15 minutesCook 4 hours 30 minutesTotal 4 hours 45 minutesMakes 6
Ingredients
- 1 5 to 7lb Bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/4 cup Coffee grounds
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp Cayenne
- 1 cup Beef broth
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- In a small bowl combine ground coffee, brown sugar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and pepper. Take your pork shoulder and place it on a baking sheet or large plate, and pat dry. Take the coffee seasoning and rub it all over the pork.
- Next, take a large Dutch oven and preheat it to medium-high heat. Add olive oil to the Dutch oven. Sear the pork shoulder on both sides for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef or chicken broth to the Dutch oven and place it into the oven uncovered to cook for about 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and cook the pork (uncovered) for another 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Once you start cooking the pork at 250, we would check the temperature every hour or so to gauage how fast the pork is cooking. Depending on how much fat you have on the pork shoulder it could take less or more time. Also, if you need to add more broth to the bottom of the Dutch oven that’s okay. Once it's reached the desired temperature, remove the pork from the oven to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.
