Mushroom-Coffee Dry Rub
Dried mushroom powder and ground coffee. A shaker of it turns camp meat into something with depth.
- calories
- 15
- weight
- 0.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 75
- protein
- 1 g
- serves
- 12, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried slippery jack mushrooms | 1/2 cup, ground | any bolete works; dry them hard before grinding |
|---|---|---|
| Ground coffee or espresso | 2 tbsp | fine grind, not percolator coarse |
| Onion powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried thyme | 2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tbsp | added so the rub seasons on its own |
Method
- At home, run the dried mushrooms through a blender or spice grinder until they are a fine powder. Sift out anything gritty.
- Stir the mushroom powder together with the coffee, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and salt.
- In camp, coat meat with a thin film of oil first, then press on about a teaspoon of rub per portion.
- Cook over moderate heat, not roaring flame. Mushroom powder and coffee both scorch fast, so pull the grate up or push the coals aside.
- If the fire is too hot to control, stir a spoonful of rub into oil and use it as a finishing sauce off the heat instead.
This is a carry-along seasoning, not a meal. Ten minutes of grinding at home buys you a jar that fixes bland camp protein for a whole season, and it weighs almost nothing.
The coffee is the part that makes it work. Slippery jacks dry down into something loud and woodsy that can take over a plate on its own; the ground coffee sits under it, bitter and roasted, and pulls the mushroom back into range. The real constraint is heat. Everything in the jar is already dried, so it burns long before meat gets a hard sear. Cook lower and slower than you would over a bare grate, or mix the rub into oil and add it at the end.
Packing
Grind and mix at home, carry in a small screw-top spice jar or a doubled snack bag. It clumps in humidity, so add a grain of rice and squeeze the air out.
Variations
- Mix a spoonful into instant gravy or a pot of beans for a meatless dinner.
- Stir into softened butter at car camp and melt it over a steak.
- Swap the thyme for rosemary if you are cooking lamb or venison.
https://foragerchef.com/slippery-jack-coffee-rub