Cooking Food Every Day
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Cooking Food Every Day

After I began working from home, I realized that I had the special opportunity to be able to cook at home every day. While most people were working until later in the afternoon, I had time to go to the grocery store, get what I needed, and make a lovely dinner for my family to enjoy. In addition to helping my kids to enjoy better health, I was also able to hone my cooking skills, which was really fun. Now I can honestly say that I love cooking and preparing food, and I wanted to make a blog that centered around my new passion. Check out this website for great tips on cooking and enjoying foods each and every day.

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Coffee Grounds Make Fantastic Meat Rubs

Antonio Alexander

When people think of coffee-based food recipes, the first things that spring to mind are often desserts like tiramisu and coffee cake. However, coffee also makes a spectacular meat rub thanks to the nature of its grounds.

After brewing, the coffee grounds form a cake-like amalgam that instantly adheres to anything it touches. This quality makes the grounds a pain to clean up when they're accidentally spilled on the floor. It also makes them a perfect, semi-wet rub base for beef, pork, chicken, and even lamb.

As a Meat Tenderizer

Most varieties of coffee are mildly to moderately acidic. 

The acids in the grounds, when rubbed on the meat, cause the meat proteins to begin breaking down. After a few hours, when cooked, cheaper cuts of meat begin to taste like their more expensive counterparts with higher marbleized fat content.

The best part is that a coffee-based meat tenderizer has almost no sodium content, when compared to store-bought tenderizers or even brining. In all likelihood, this makes meat tenderized with coffee more healthy. 

Coffee tenderizing is probably the best option for people with high blood pressure.

To Lock in Flavor

The worst part about grilling hamburgers is that a lot of the juices cook out of the patties. But, coating the outside of the patties with coffee grounds creates a barrier that slows the beef juices from boiling out.

You can also use the rub base to experiment with various herbs and spices to enhance the burger's flavor. For example, try adding a tablespoon each of red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder to 1 cup of semi-wet coffee grounds—delicious.

Preparing the Coffee Grounds

Pre-ground coffee sitting on the shelf for an extended period of time loses some of its natural acids and enzymes. Whole bean coffee retains its freshness longer, which means its flavor profile will be more nuanced.

So, start with whole bean coffee if you can. Grind and brew it like you normally would for consumption. Afterwards, brew the coffee again with a fresh pot of water.

The coffee retains less of its flavor each successive time the grounds are brewed. The trick is finding the perfect number of brewings that creates the flavor profile for the rub base.

You can store the caked coffee grounds in the refrigerator. However, they won't last forever. Used coffee grounds will mold. So, be prepared to use the grounds within a day or two at most.

If you have a 2 lb bag whole bean colombian coffee, consider using the coffee as a meat rub for your next family dinner.


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