Reviewed: Aug. 17, 2008

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.

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

EARLANDVALERIE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Orlando, Florida, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2008

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!

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8 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Christine M

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Hopedale, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Holden, Massachusetts, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 28, 2009

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.

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

abrooks

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Arlington, Virginia, USA

Living In: Springfield, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 31, 2009

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!

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6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

L. Sullivan

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Marshall, Michigan, USA

Living In: Alpine, Arizona, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2009

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!

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Reviewer:

kxo

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Melbourne, Florida, USA

Living In: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Reviewed: May 29, 2010

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!!

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6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

MilTay

Reviewed: Jun. 3, 2010

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.

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Reviewer:

Nicolette

Reviewed: Jan. 8, 2011

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!

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Reviewer:

tracy m.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jan. 20, 2011

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.

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12 users found this review helpful