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Not only am I a coffee fiend, I’m steak obsessed as well.

So, what happens when you combine those two obsessions?

Good things. Only good things.

This post is a little different from our regular posts because, while I’m using a coffee rub from Pups with Chopsticks, the process for preparing the sirloin steak is all mine.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time working through the best way to make a steak at home that actually tastes like a steakhouse steak.

Guess what? With a cast iron skillet and an oven, everyone can learn to make a steakhouse-quality steak at home!

And it only takes 30 minutes!

More on that process below.

To make a coffee-rubbed steak, you can either purchase a pre-made dry coffee rub, or you can make your own at home. I chose to make my own. It’s more fun that way.

All Purpose Coffee Rub

Source: Pups with Chopsticks

Making your own coffee rub at home is something I highly encourage you to try.

And this All Purpose Coffee Rub from Joyce at Pups with Chopsticks combines warm, earthy spices like cumin and paprika with coffee.

Guess what? It takes less than five minutes to mix.

And you can double or triple the batch depending on how much you think you’ll use it. Just store it in an air-tight container and you’re ready to quickly elevate a weeknight meal.

But will your steak taste like coffee?

Not really. It will be savory. And spicy. And earthy. The coffee enhances the flavor of the meat, acts as a tenderizer, and helps form a crust on the steak that seals in the moisture of the meat.

Looking for our other January Coffee Obsession Posts?

Coffee, Bacon, and Date Scones

Coffee Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Vanilla Mocha Biscotti

Simple to Make and Made to Impress−30-Minute Cast Iron Oven Finished Steakhouse Sirloin with Optional Coffee Rub

Growing up, we always had a cow in our freezer. Wait…that sounds odd.

So, let’s back up a bit. My mom is from a small farm near a small town in North Dakota.

North Dakota gets very, very cold and snowy in the winter.

In fact, she, and her sister and brother, lived in town during the week in the winter so they could go to school.

Because there was no guarantee you could get the few miles from the farm to the town on a daily basis.

While that wasn’t a perk of living on a farm, there definitely were perks.

There was my grandma’s garden right outside the kitchen door a few steps away from the Sheyenne River. In that garden were the best carrots I have ever tasted. We would pull them out of the ground, brush off the dirt, and devour them on the spot.

Nothing better.

Except for the cow in our freezer at home in Denver.

The Perks of Being a Farm Girl’s Daughter

One of the best perks of having family from a farm in North Dakota was that we would get half of a butchered cow sent to us every year.

We had a full size freezer in the basement dedicated to housing that cow.

But, I had forgotten how lucky we were until two years ago when a family friend asked if we wanted a portion of a cow he was going to buy.

Ummm, yes! Count us in!

The meat is a higher quality, we know exactly where it came from, and it’s cheaper than the grocery store.

Plus, we always have beef in the freezer. Which makes my heart happy.

And it makes my heart happy to share with you how you can make a steakhouse-quality steak at home in less than 30 minutes!

30-Minute Cast Iron Oven Finished Steakhouse Sirloin with Optional Coffee Rub

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. (approx.) sirloin steak
  • 4 Tbsp salted butter, split in half (I use frozen butter)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • All purpose coffee rub−optional (we used Pups with Chopsticks’ recipe)

Cookware:

  • Cast Iron Skillet (I use a Calphalon 12-inch skillet which you can find here)
Sirloin Steak, salt, pepper and all purpose coffee rub. The makings of a steakhouse steak!

Instructions:

  • Preheat your oven to 450°. I use my lower oven drawer for finishing the steak.
  • Let your sirloin steak sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before searing it. This allows for a more even cook and prevents the muscle fibers from tensing up. No one wants a tense steak!
  • While your steak is resting, heat your cast iron skillet over medium high heat until you can feel the heat when you hold your hand 6-8 inches above it. Get the skillet hot!
  • Generously salt and pepper both sides of the steaks. If you are opting to use the coffee rub, pat a generous amount of the coffee rub onto both sides of the steaks. (Note: For this recipe, I only added the coffee rub to one of the steaks as my family hadn’t tried the rub yet and I wanted a “backup” steak in case they weren’t enamored with the coffee rub.)
Rub steaks with generous amounts of salt and pepper and with the coffee rub if you’re using it. Steak in front seasoned with salt, pepper, and the coffee rub. Steak in back seasoned with just salt and pepper.
  • Add the olive oil and 2 Tbsp of the butter to the cast iron skillet. I use frozen butter so that it melts a bit slower and doesn’t burn.
Melt 2 Tbsp frozen butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat
  • Once the butter melts, add the steaks to the skillet and sear for 2 minutes on each side. You may need an additional 30 – 60 seconds to get a crusty sear.
  • Once both sides are seared, turn off the burner then add the remaining 2 Tbsp of frozen butter to the pan. Melt the butter and spoon it over the steaks.
The steak in front is coffee rubbed with salt and pepper. The steak in back is seasoned only with salt and pepper.
  • Place the cast iron skillet into the pre-heated 450° oven and cook for 5-6 minutes for rare steak. If you want medium rare or medium, you will need to increase your cooking time by a few minutes. The exact time will depend on the thickness of your steaks as well as your preferred finished internal temperature.
  • While the steaks are in the oven, place a rimmed cutting board on a sheet of aluminum foil and turn the foil up the sides of the cutting board. This will help collect any juices that try to escape the board while the steaks rest.
  • After the steaks have cooked for 5-6 minutes, remove them from the oven and transfer them to the cutting board. Cover them semi-tightly with aluminum foil. You want to keep the heat in the foil tent so that the steaks continue to cook.
Time for the steaks to rest before slicing and serving!
  • Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes. The steaks will continue to cook during this time.
  • Uncover the steaks, slice them against the grain, and serve.
Peeking at all the deliciousness.

So, what was my family’s verdict on the steak with the coffee rub?

They loved it!

We’ll be making more of the rub and more coffee rubbed steak in the near future.

Perfectly rare sirloin steak.