Coffee and Garlic BBQ Rub Seasoning

Product: Trader Joe's BBQ Rub and Seasoning with Coffee and Garlic
Price: $1.99 (3.5oz)

Recently, BBQ has become more than just an event every other month when friends come by. For some inexplicable reason, I entered into the next stage of open fire cooking...smoking! Not sure how it happened but I went from having one propane grill to a total of seven grills and smokers of varying size and shape. As a result of this hobby (actually, it's more an obsession), I began refining my taste buds for sauces and seasonings. I've made my own, I've bought off the shelf and have generally learned a lot about "flavor profiles."

So one day I want into TJ's and lo and behold, they have their own brand of BBQ rub. And it has coffee and garlic! Despite an unashamed coffee chugger, I never ventured to try a coffee rub on any of my meat. So when I saw the rub, I knew I had to try it. I immediately pulled one off the shelf and picked up a tri-tip from another store.

Let's face it, Trader Joe's meat section is a bit lacking. And tri-tip is by far my favorite meat to grill for a "quick" meal. I used quotes because my prep and technique is not actually all that quick, as I use the reverse sear technique for all my large beef pieces. Anyway, I went to another store that offers a bigger and better selection of USDA Choice quality and above. I picked up a nice looking tri-tip and was on my way.

Prep was simple enough. After some light trimming, I sprinkled on a decent amount of the rub all around the meat. I let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours, then I took it out while I started the grill.

I used my Weber kettle for 2-stage indirect heat for the reverse sear method. On the indirect side at approximately 275-300 degrees, I cooked the tri-tip for about 50-60min. Once the internal temperature got to about 125, I put it directly over the coals to create a sear.

Looks great, right? So how did it taste? To be honest, it was better than average. It wasn't mind blowing but it packed in a nice subtle flavor. In fact, you can tell the steak came out a little "earthy" which I attribute to the coffee. Overall, a very nice rub especially for the price. But my recommendation is to add some salt onto the meat before the actual rub to get the most of this experience.