For a while, Huy Fong brand Sriracha had become the most popular hot sauce in the US according to some market research companies, ahead of Tabasco. But then, in 2020, there came a shortage that has lasted through 2023 and the price has soared from $3 to $4 to as much as $30 online.
It seems that Huy Fong has supply chain issues. The ingredients are fresh red jalapeños, sugar, salt, garlic powder, distilled vinegar, potassium sorbate (inhibits molds and yeasts), sodium bisulfite (an antioxidant), and xanthan gum (an emulsifier). It seems that they just can’t get enough jalapeños.
Tabasco has not had a supply problem since it grows most of its own peppers, called Tabascos or technically Capsicum frutescens, for its basic Tabasco sauce. They also make a Chipotle Tabasco and their own Sriracha. In fact, many companies make their own version of Sriracha. Huy Fong Sriracha is easily identified by the green spout on top and the rooster imprinted on the bottle. It is based on a sauce first made in Si Racha, a town in Thailand. Huy Fong is a California manufacturer created in 1980 by David Tran, a Chinese immigrant from Vietnam who tasted the original and decided to try to make something similar when he came to the US.
What sets Huy Fong Sriracha apart from the many other hot sauces is its simplicity, Mike Hultquist, founder of the blog Chili Pepper Madness told WBEZ radio in Chicago. “It really focuses on the flavor of the chilies themselves, without all kinds of other flavor additions. A lot of hot sauces will add things like tomato, carrot, spices, herbs, sugars, honey, brown sugar — all kinds of other ingredients to try to bring something different to the table. But Sriracha is really more of a simple style sauce.”
And that makes it easy to approximate in your kitchen. Check out the recipe below to see how I do it.
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Glove up and slice the peppers in half lengthwise. Discard the seeds. Coarsely chop the peppers.
- Cook. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes with the exhaust fan on high. Remove from the heat and let it cool for about 30 minutes.
- Put on your N95 mask and you might even want to put on swim goggles. Puree in a blender or food processor.
- Pour it through a strainer into a bowl or jar and press the pulp in the strainer to get out the juice. Or not. Free run tastes different from pressed so experiment.
- Pour the sauce into a very clean bottle, preferably one that has just come out of the dishwasher.
- Serve. Use with any dish you want to spice up or since it has no preservatives, you can store it in the fridge for months.
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