Cocoa Rub

I've heard a lot of good things about cocoa rubs and was eager to try this. The taste of cumin was so bold it dominated everything else.

I made it this way: 1 tsp. each of salt, cocoa powder & instant espresso powder, 2 TBsps. brown sugar (omitted the regular sugar) and 1 TBsp. of everything else. I felt this kept the flavours in balance, without any of the components being over-powering. We rubbed it on chicken legs and baked on 350F for 45 mins. to 1 hour. I might increase the cocoa and espresso powder a bit next time.

Nice blend of flavors! And it still leaves room to add more heat if you want to. I used about 3 tbsps. to season a batch of vegetarian chili, as I always add cocoa to my chili anyway so it made sense, and worked great! Later I used some as a rub for boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts. I browned those and made a chicken, sweet potato, tomato and black bean stew. Oh, I did also use the rub on slices of tofu, but it basically just tasted like dry rub on tofu - won't be repeating that one. Much better suited for meats, stews, chilis, and maybe even some fish. Thanks for sharing!

Holy Cow! This rub is the best thing to pass my taste buds in years! We used it on pork and beef ribs and it tasted different yet WONDERUL on each of them! Thanks for the great recipe!

Great Flavor! Used on grilled brisket and even on the charred (aka burnt) pieces it still was great! It's a great deep and garlicy flavor with just enough sweetness to taste, but not over-power. I did use only about 3T. of salt, but I don't think using the full 1/4c. would be bad....especially on a cut of meat without the thick layer of fat that the brisket had. Loved it!!****UPDATE: Great on beef ribs and chicken breast! Love it!!

This is a wonderful reciepe. And the flavors are FANTASTIC. I only gave this 4 stars because as written is far to much salt. So I would suggest decressing the salt. It is also not made for the spice sissy as it has a pretty good kick. I'll be lowering the ground pepper as well. But the flavors are on point. Wonderful and I will try again.

This is a GREAT rub ... But has way to much cumin in it ...I will cut way back on it with the next batch I make and will up the brown sugar....I use it for my smoker and the food has been great. I gave it 4 stars just cuz of all the cumin...othere wise YUMMY

This was SO good! I used all the ingredients, but didn't have enough cumin and garlic powder, so I upped the onion powder a bit. I also halved the salt because I used this in a shaker bag with chicken legs. Roasted them in the convection oven at 375 and they came out very tasty and juicy. It made enough to thoroughly - perhaps too thoroughly - coat about 14 legs. Probably a little intense for many, but everyone I served it to raved. UPDATE: This time I made it with half the salt and no onion powder (on hand, y'know?)and took it to a pot luck. I watched carefully - only adults took it, but they all finished it. It was too dark, funky looking, and strong smelling for the kids.

I halved the recipe and it made enough for 4 chicken breasts. Served "cocoa rubbed" chicken breast over alfredo pasta, we liked that it tasted like the blackened chicken pasta we order in restaurants. Very easy to prepare and the flavour had kick without being too hot for my liking. Will be a pantry standby for us!

I was worried this would be too spicy, but I used this on a roast and it was awesome. My guests all went back for seconds. Thanks!

I put this rub on a pot roast tonight and it was out of this world fantastic. My hubby just told me it was in the top 10 best I have ever cooked!

Made as submitted. It was to salty for my family. I liked the flavor, so next time will decrease salt. Thank you for the recipe.

Very tasty. I used this on salmon. I did decrease the chili powder and pepper down to 1 Tbls because I do not like overly spicy foods. With this reduction it was very tasty. I had used sea salt crystals and wish that they had been ground a little more as I did get a piece of salt during one bite that wouldn't have occured with a finer milling.

This was AWESOME!!! We put it on beef ribs for the 4th of July and didn't have a rib let.

Wow! This rub was so tasty! I put it on thin slices of chicken and fried in olive oil. My boyfriend and I loved it. The only thing I changed was that I halved the amount of chili powder and black pepper and it wil still pretty spicy. I still have quite a bit of it left and can't wait to try it in something else.

Great flavor

I love this rub, very different from other rubs I have tried. I like to add a little bit extra brown sugar for more of a sweet flavor

Add my 5 stars to the list... Blending cocoa powder with common pantry spices makes bbq ribs pork-tastic! Thanks jcjeffers, I'll use this one often.

This is a great rub on just about anyting! If you use this and it still doesn't come out great, it has to be the meat

I made this for our steaks today and it was really good! I cut back on the cumin a little because the one I have is quite strong and it was perfect. Definitely a nice flavor for summer.

This rub was okay, WAY too much salt. I would reduce by half at least.

Gives steak a real nice kick. We take the salt down a bit and make only half the amount shown here, and we'll still get a couple more meals out of it (store it in airtight container).

Made this just the way it is and I must tell you, this is one of the best rubs! It goes on everything from pork chops to chicken!!! This is definitely a staple rub in my kitchen!

With a slight tweak, this is a very versatile recipe; not just as a rub. I decreased the salt to 1 tbsp, and found it also makes a good dip for chips or veggies. I mix about 3 tbsp of the rub into a 6-8 ounce cup of plain Greek yogurt. When using as a steak rub, I just sprinkle on a bit of salt as well, to compensate for what I took out of the recipe. I've also mixed it with flour and/or bread crumbs (and a bit of salt) for oven-fried chicken.

Used half the amount of salt after reading all the reviews. Overall a great flavorsome blend that went well with steaks. Hint of cumin was tad strong so may cut back next time.

This is the best. I adjusted somewhat. Up the dark cocoa to TBL and add a full tsp fresh ground dark coffee. Used on ribs, ribeye (grilled and searing skillet in the oven), slow cooker brisket and pork butt. I’ve passed it around and it wins. Best ever.

This is quite cumin-heavy, which overpowers the other spices, and you don’t taste the cocoa at all. I would decrease the cumin to 2 tablespoons and increase the cocoa to 1 or 1.5 tablespoons. This makes quite a bit, so you might want to halve the recipe like I did. A half recipe makes ½ cup of seasoning. The rest of the ingredients were spot on and there was no need to add salt when serving the meat. I've used it on grilled flank steak so far and will make it again!