King of Coffee- By: Chef John Johnson

St. Louis was King of Coffee a century old tradition you may not know.

Coffee has been a long tradition in St. Louis beginning in the early 1800’s as the king of coffee St. Louis was the largest producer of coffee in the world. Finally, in the 1900 there were over 86 coffee companies in St. Louis. By boat, these little beans were brought up the Mississippi from New Orleans and beyond. Roasted and blended before being sent westward by wagon train, stagecoach, and train.

I am sorry to hear that only two serving companies are left brewing here in town. (Thomas Coffee and Ronnoco)  Ronnoco which was first O’Connor coffee before being bought out and changing its name, if you look carefully you can see that the new owners just flipped the name around. St. Louis was one of the first to flavor coffee when during a sugar shortage; they used other sweeteners such as molasses, maple and sorghum.  It truly shows the resilience of St. Louis to be able to reinvent itself over the years to the changing world.

So here I ponder finding myself, looking for a different rub for our fire roasted pork loin and this story fell into my lap. I dedicate this recipe to those who came before with creative spirits and striving for the frontier.


Coffee Chipotle Rub

¼ c your favorite blend of finely ground coffee
2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
¼ c smoked paprika
1/4tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cumin
¼ c Piloncillo Mexican sugar
1 Tbl salt
1 Tbl garlic powder
1 Tbl onion powder

Directions:
Blend all items together. Then rub an even coat on all sides of the pork. Let rest for 4 hours before cooking. You can choose to roast pork over open fire on rotisserie or in 350 degree oven for 55 minutes depending on the size. Check internal temperature to 150 degrees, then pull from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Meat will continue cooking for another 5 degrees.

For more information on Chef John Johnson or to see what he has been up to, check out his Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/ChefJohnJohnson