Cooking steak can easily go wrong, resulting in a tough, chewy and tasteless meal. Cooking experts suggest adding coffee to the mix, which can add a savoury depth to the meat while also making it more tender. Although it may seem strange at first, many swear by it and say it creates a flavour that's both "unique and delicious."
Why coffee works as a tenderiser
Coffee is a great natural tenderiser. Experts at Espresso Works write: "The acidity in coffee does not overwhelm or overpower the taste of steak. Quite the contrary — coffee really brings out the flavor of the steak. And in addition to being used as a seasoning for steak, coffee can serve as a steak tenderizer and make the meat extra-moist."
They add: "Coffee-rubbed steak adds an undertone of charring to the flavour of your steak. It helps to highlight the flavor of the outside of the steak to give it different flavour layers without the risk of overcooking. The coffee notes also add an additional profile to this culinary experience without dominating the steak and are lightly spiced for all pallets."
Waitrose's coffee marinade recipe
Waitrose also backs adding coffee to your steak and has its own recipe for coffee-marinated steak available on its website. The supermarket wrote: "You may have heard of tea-smoked chicken or ham cooked in cola, but we love coffee-marinated meat. The coffee imparts a deeply savoury, earthy flavour that complements beef (or pork) beautifully. Sounds eccentric, but tastes incredible. Try this marinade for your next barbecue."
For the coffee marinade, Waitrose recommends using 1 tbsp soy sauce, 100ml cooled espresso, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 clove of garlic, crushed, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard and 2 tbsp light soft brown sugar. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large resealable freezer bag, add the steaks and leave them to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
When you're ready to cook the steaks, heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat them dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Brush them lightly with oil, season well and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or until cooked to your liking. Rest the steaks for 5 minutes under a loose sheet of foil before slicing and serving.
Gordon Ramsay's coffee rub
Some people also prefer a coffee-rubbed steak, which takes a little longer to prepare and cook. Gordon Ramsay also approves of a coffee-rubbed steak. His recipe uses the acidity and bitterness of finely ground espresso mixed with spices and brown sugar to create a rich, savoury crust on the beef. Ramsay's version of the coffee rub steak includes espresso, ancho chili, smoked paprika, brown sugar and Aleppo pepper.
