“Huh-wha? Coffee rubbed pork?”
Yep, that’s what I said. I made a killer seasoning rub out of coffee (ground to a powder), brown sugar, cayenne, and the usual suspects (salt, pepper, garlic). Slow cooked pork is pretty much good anyway you fix it, but this rub adds just a touch of that deep, smokey, aromatic flavor that coffee has… plus a ‘lil sweetness from the brown sugar and a ‘lil kick from the cayenne. There really is just a hint of spicy from the cayenne that I think is necessary to balance the mellow coffee so I wouldn’t suggest skipping it this time.
I liked this so much that I actually made two of them this week. The first roast I bought was small and extra fatty so after I cooked it, there wasn’t much left. So, I went back to the store and bought a huge boston butt (or pork shoulder) and made another. And I’m so glad I did.
Pork shoulder or Boston butt is definitely the way to go for this roast. That cut has a decent amount of meat but still enough fat to keep it tender while it cooks. You can buy and cook it with the bone in if you’d like. My roast came bone in but it was about twice the size that I wanted. So, I cut half off and used it for this recipe and then froze the rest to make BBQ pulled pork on another day. You definitely get a discount if you buy the large roast as opposed to the smaller half size, so go ahead and buy it and freeze half. But please note, pork shoulder bones are a really crazy shape and unless you’re familiar, you might have a difficult time removing it.
Coffee Rubbed Pork Roast
Coffee Rubbed Pork Roast
Servings 6Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs. Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder ($5.84)
- 1 oz. approx 3 Tbsp coffee beans ($0.58)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp salt ($0.10)
- 15-20 cranks cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 1 tsp minced garlic ($0.24)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
Instructions
- Grind the coffee beans into a powder. If using grinders in a grocery store or coffee house, choose the “espresso grind”. Combine the coffee grounds, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, black pepper, garlic, and smoked paprika in a bowl.
- Pat the mixed dry rub on all sides of the pork roast. It is okay if some falls. off. Place the pork roast in a slow cooker. Scoop up any of the rub that fell off and toss it in the slow cooker as well. Secure the lid, turn the heat on to low, and let cook for 8 hours.
- After 8 hours, the pork should be tender and should shred easily with a fork. Carefully lift the roast out of the slow cooker and transfer to a serving platter. Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
First make the rub by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl: coffee (ground to a fine powder), brown sugar, cayenne, salt, cracked pepper, garlic, and smoked paprika.
Stir it up until it’s evenly mixed.
This is the pork roast that I bought. It was huge so I cut half off for this recipe and then I froze the second half (after removing the bone) for later use. You can cook it with the bone in if you’d like. The meat will be so tender after cooking that it should fall right off of the bone. If you’re leaving the bone in, cook it on high for the first hour to make sure the internal temperature reaches a safe zone quickly.
Pat the coffee rub all over the roast (even the underside). It should stick pretty well from the moisture in the meat. Some will fall off but you can just scoop that up and toss it into the slow cooker.
Place the pork roast in the slow cooker, secure the lid, and cook on low for 8 hours.
And then you have this. It looks black and scary, I know… but it’s totally delicious. Promise.
Carefully lift the roast out of the slow cooker and serve. It will be tender and delicate so lift carefully if you want it in one piece!
It was so tender and delicious….
If you want a higher flavor to meat ratio, you can cut the pork into large chunks before adding the rub. That way, more surface will be in contact with the seasoning. I kept mine in one piece mainly for the photographs.
This recipe can be made in the oven using a covered dish like a dutch oven, but heating an entire oven for 8 hours it much less energy efficient than heating a small slow cooker. The slow cooker is basically like a miniature oven!
Finally got around to making this over the weekend! Best Pork Roast Ever and super easy. It was also the first time I brined it, so that could have a lot to do with it.
Thanks!
This was dinner tonight and it was amazing! Thank you!
I inadvertently used twice the spices because of an un-marked measuring spoon, but it was great. The meat was tender and juicy, the rub giving it a special flavor. I used barbecue sauce on the meat and it worked great with the rub flavoring. Great recipe!
I am so fascinated by this recipe! Delicious!
I’ve been using the leftovers of this in hash for the last several days – saute onions, diced potato, bell pepper in a big pan, pull apart chunks of meat and throw them into the pan once the veggies have started to get tender. Throw in some of the leftover sauce, as well. Cook until tender. Devour.
The roast itself was fantastic, though I ended up cooking it in the oven because I didn’t quite have enough time to do it in the crockpot. Next time I might use the pressure cooker, because again – time.
Looks great! So original. I would have never thought to use coffee with pork. I’ll have to try this in the oven as I don’t have a slowcooker. Thanks
Ma’am, are you aware that you are my savior? I am a college student on a tight budget and have been following your recipes religiously. I recently was able to get a 7 pound Boston butt for $12, and I have more pork than a know what to do with. I have a feeling that experimenting with pork roasts may be something I do a lot more of in the future. This will be the next on the list (I tried your pulled pork one last. INCREDIBLE).
That being said, would you be able to throw in a recipe every so often that, like the pork roast, is very easy to eat on for about a week and can be varied in many different ways? You probably have a lot more on here that I haven’t noticed, but here we are.
Thanks again. If you put these recipes into a book, I will buy them in a heartbeat as a thanks. Keep up the delicious work!
Made a couple nights ago, but just used regular coffee. Super tasty! Thanks!
That does it, I really need to get a slow cooker! I CAN’T WAIT to try this. As a college student, I just love Budget Bytes! Literally the last 5 meals I’ve made have been right from this blog. Thanks x1000000!!
This is the first recipe I’ve ever tried in a crockpot and it was so easy! I got so much tender meat from one $7 pork roast, and will be making soft tacos for days : )
This recipe sounds so interesting! I’ll be making this for sure!
Jessica – I actually didn’t put any liquid in. As long as your piece of meat is not too thick and your slow cooker has a ceramic bowl, I think it conducts and maintains enough heat to keep it safe and to cook it all the way through. Mine sure did! :)
Lora – I served it with the corn pudding (the last blog post before this one) and some simple collard greens. It’s been a fantastic meal all week!
This has absolutely nothing to do with pork, but I was making beef stew the other day, and used part of a fresh french press I’d just made to deglaze my stockpot!
It was so awesome!
Looks wonderful! What did you serve with?
I’ve been really wanting to try a coffee rub so I’m so glad you posted this. Did you put any liquid in the crockpot at all, or just the roast?