Espresso Rubbed Strip Steaks with Lemon Herb Chimichurri

🥩 Spice Rack · Dinner

Espresso Rubbed Strip Steaks with Lemon Herb Chimichurri

This espresso rubbed steak with chimichurri is a full steakhouse dinner built in your kitchen — a dark, smoky coffee crust, a bright lemon herb sauce that cuts right through the richness, and a burrata salad that looks like you tried harder than you did.

No Reservation Required (Thursdays Count)

• One cast iron skillet, one cutting board, and thirty minutes of actual active time — the rest is resting and assembling.
• Three Java Momma Spice Rack products are doing serious work here so you don't have to.
• The chimichurri gets better the longer it sits — make it first, ignore it, thank yourself later.

The Java Momma Twist: We use Espresso Rub here because fresh-ground Sumatra coffee does something specific to a strip steak that generic coffee grounds don't — it builds a deeply savory, slightly smoky crust that caramelizes in the cast iron and makes the whole kitchen smell like a very good decision. The Tuscan Spice Blend carries the chimichurri — garlic and rosemary do the structural work so you're not building a sauce from scratch. And Corn on the Cob Seasoning goes straight onto the burrata salad and makes it taste like you planned the whole meal in advance. (You did. Barely. It doesn't show.)

What You'll Need

For the Lemon Herb Chimichurri (make this first — it gets better as it sits):

• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 T. Tuscan Spice Blend
• 2 tsp. shallot, finely chopped
• 2–3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ c. sugar
• ¾ c. olive oil
• 3 T. champagne vinegar
• Sea salt to taste

For the Espresso Rubbed Strip Steaks:

• 2.5–3 lbs strip steak, cut 1½" thick
• 3 T. Espresso Rub
• 4–6 oz. butter

For the Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Salad:

• 2–3 large heirloom tomatoes, any variety
• 2 balls burrata cheese
• 1 tsp. Corn on the Cob Seasoning
• 2 T. pine nuts, toasted
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• ¼ c. roughly chopped parsley

How To Make It

Start with the chimichurri. Then the salad. Then the steaks — so everything lands on the table at the same time.

Step 1 — Lemon Herb Chimichurri

1. Combine the herbs. In a small bowl, combine parsley, cilantro, Tuscan Spice Blend, shallot, sugar, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine.
2. Add the oil. Pour in about two-thirds of the olive oil and stir. You want all the dry ingredients lightly suspended in oil with a loose, sauce-like consistency. Add more oil as needed to get there.
3. Balance and taste. Add the champagne vinegar, then taste. You're looking for a good balance of herbal and tart — bright but not sharp. Adjust with sea salt as needed. Set aside. It gets better as it sits.

Step 2 — Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Salad

1. Arrange the tomatoes. Slice heirloom tomatoes about ¼" thick and arrange on a platter. Tear each burrata ball in half and nestle on top of the tomatoes.
2. Finish and set aside. Sprinkle Corn on the Cob Seasoning over everything, followed by the toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Finish with roughly chopped parsley. Leave it on the counter — it's ready when you are.

Step 3 — Espresso Rubbed Strip Steaks

1. Bring to temperature. Pull steaks out and let them come to room temperature. Pat completely dry with a paper towel — this is non-negotiable for a proper crust. Coat each steak generously on both sides with Espresso Rub and let rest while the pan heats.
2. Heat the cast iron. Place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and let it get properly hot — about 2 minutes. No oil needed; the rub and the steak fat will handle it.
3. Sear the first side. Add the steak and sear for 3 minutes undisturbed. Don't move it. Let the crust form.
4. Flip and baste. Flip the steak. Add 2 T. butter to the pan and immediately begin basting — tilt the pan slightly and spoon the foaming butter continuously over the top of the steak. Cook and baste until the internal temperature reaches 125°F for medium rare. The temperature will climb to approximately 130°F while resting.
5. Rest — don't skip this. Remove the steak from the pan and let it rest 5–7 minutes before slicing. This is when the juices reabsorb. Cut it too soon and they end up on the cutting board instead of in the steak.
6. Slice and serve. Slice against the grain, spoon chimichurri generously over the top, and serve alongside the burrata salad. Sit down. You earned this.

Swaps & Permission Slips

• No strip steak? Ribeye is the obvious upgrade — more marbling, more drama. Flank steak works well too if you're feeding more people; slice thin against the grain.
• No champagne vinegar for the chimichurri? White wine vinegar is the closest sub. Red wine vinegar works but shifts the sauce a touch more acidic — not a problem, just taste as you go.
• Not a cilantro person? Double the parsley. The Tuscan Spice Blend carries the sauce — cilantro adds brightness but it's not load-bearing.
• No burrata? Fresh mozzarella is the easy swap. The salad will be slightly less dramatic but still very much worth it.
• Want to grill instead of cast iron? Same rub, same method — cook over direct medium-high heat, 3–4 minutes per side for medium rare. Skip the butter baste and finish with a pat of butter directly on the steak while it rests.

One Dinner, A Whole Spice Rack Moment

If this meal taught you anything, it's that the right blends do the heavy lifting so you don't have to. The Espresso Rub, Tuscan Spice Blend, and Corn on the Cob Seasoning are all still useful long after tonight — on weeknight pasta, roasted vegetables, pork ribs, chili, and things you haven't thought of yet.

Browse the full Java Momma Spice Rack for more ways to make dinner feel like it was worth the effort. Because it was.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does espresso rub make steak taste like coffee?

No — and this is the question everyone has before they try it. The espresso doesn't come through as coffee flavor. Instead it adds deep, roasted, earthy notes that intensify the beef and create a dark, caramelized crust. The Sumatra base in Java Momma's Espresso Rub is specifically built to behave this way — bold without being recognizable as a morning drink.

What does a coffee rub actually do to steak?

A few things at once. The coffee grounds create a crust when they hit the hot cast iron, sealing in the juices and adding texture. The mild acidity in coffee also works as a natural tenderizer, which is part of why butter-basted strip steak with an espresso crust is so consistently tender. The brown sugar in the rub helps the caramelization along — that dark bark on the outside isn't burnt, it's intentional.

How do you cook espresso rubbed steak in a cast iron pan?

Get the pan properly hot before the steak goes in — about 2 minutes over medium-high. Pat the steak completely dry before rubbing (moisture is the enemy of crust). Sear 3 minutes per side, add butter after the flip, and baste continuously until you hit 125°F internal. Pull it, rest it 5–7 minutes, then slice. That's the whole method.

What's the difference between chimichurri and a regular herb sauce?

Traditional Argentine chimichurri is parsley, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar — very simple, very sharp. This lemon herb chimichurri takes that base concept and builds on it with Tuscan Spice Blend (which adds garlic depth and rosemary warmth), lemon zest, and champagne vinegar for a slightly more complex, citrus-forward version. Same job — cutting through rich steak — but with more layers.

How long should steak rest before slicing?

At least 5 minutes, ideally 7. The rest period is when the muscle fibers relax and reabsorb the juices that get pushed toward the center during cooking. Cut too early and that liquid runs out onto the cutting board instead of staying in the steak. Set a timer. Walk away. Make yourself useful by getting plates.

Can I make chimichurri ahead of time?

Yes — and it's actually better if you do. The herbs soften slightly, the Tuscan Spice Blend blooms in the oil, and the lemon and vinegar mellow into each other rather than competing. Make it up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered at room temperature (or refrigerated if longer). Bring to room temperature before serving and give it a stir — the oil may have separated slightly, which is normal.