Spicy Chocolate BBQ Rub

We've been doing a lot of grilling on our little hibachi bbq this summer and, I discovered that one of the things I like about cooking is mixing things together. A little salt and pepper didn't quite satisfy my desires, and Ben took over the actual bbq part of the affair. We'd made some spice rubs at a fundraising event in Los Angeles for the charity my brother-in-law started with a friend of his, called Food Forward. We ran out of that and Ben bought a dry rub at the grocery store and I didn't like it so much. I decided to look for some interesting rub recipes and this is where I realised that one of the things I love about cooking is mixing stuff together and seeing what happens. This is my second rub recipe and the first that I would like to save. With Ben's increasing skill at the grill, we eat very well indeed.

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup salt
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
½ tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsps granulated sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, spice grinder, or mortar and pestle. Grind until the pepper flakes are crushed into a fine powder. Store leftovers in a tightly covered jar for up to one month.
2. It is particularly good with lamb, but also good with steak, and accompanied by grilled red onion.
3. To Try - with a cut of pork.