Work is the Meat of Life

The weekends have been hectic lately. But a good kind of hectic. Busy seeing friends. Having social dinners. Running around doing scavenger hunts downtown. Working on my freelance writing and editing. Trips out of town and, of course, trying to relax for the new work week! Unfortunately, dinner takes a back seat. But I’ve made it a priority to cook enough on Sunday to last for a few meals so Paul and I don’t have to eat bowls of cereal or skip dinner.

One of my go-to meals lately is tri-tip. But it’s made special using a coffee dry rub. This rub uses freshly ground coffee– something we always seem to have on hand nowadays– and a few savory spices. Once the dry ingredients are combined, the rub is patted on the tri-tip where is sits for an hour prior to cooking to allow maximum flavor penetration. Heh… penetration.

This recipe is easily cooked in the oven– cleaning up is a breeze if you line the pan with aluminum foil– but can be adapted for the grill as long as the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F for medium roast. But the grilling the tri-tip won’t leave you with concentrated, savory drippings to accompany the roast. Thin cuts of tri-tip can be used in sandwiches or served alongside meat and potatoes. Now that’s what I call a hearty meal!

Tri-Tip with Coffee Dry Rub

Serves 8

1/4 cup coffee, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons pepper, coarsely ground
2 teaspoons onion powder

2-3 lbs. tri tip

Combine all seasonings in a small bowl.

In a shallow roasting pan, pat coffee rub on tri tip. Turn over and repeat until completely covered. Place in refrigerator for approximately an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In middle rack, place tri-tip and cook for 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F.

Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain before serving.