Re:Once cheap Sriracha now sells for $29.99 in some Bay Area...
by ericbarrett on Friday June 16, 2023 @08:24PM
(#36365782)
Sriracha is originally a Thai sauce (IIRC), though it's popular in neighboring countries.
Huy Fong brand sriracha is based, and originally popular, in California. It has a distinctive flavor; every other competitor I've tried has been too vinegary or too sweet (your tastes may vary, of course). So I can absolutely believe the stories in the article.
I haven't tried Underwood yet. It's made by their original pepper supplier (Huy Fong switched in 2016), but I hear it's a bit different.
Edit: The "new" Huy Fong sauce has a very distasteful aftertaste to me - I kept thinking I had some old/bad bottles that had been laying around the pantry too long, but brand new dated from the store also had the same thing. I likely am in the minority here, but it was enough to stop using sriracha at all until I came across that article and had a chance to order some Underwood. Now it's back in the rotation for me.
If I can't get Underwood there are plenty of boutique hot sauce brands now that have acceptable versions. Yellowbird is quite popular and available, but I find it too sweet for my tastes.
Re:Once cheap Sriracha now sells for $29.99 in some Bay Area...
by silisili on Friday June 16, 2023 @10:32PM
(#36366629)
That's funny, because I actually find Huy Fong too sweet.
I've switched to Texas Pete brand. They are very similar, and I can't describe why I like it better exactly. More 'peppery' and less sweet, if that makes any sense.
Re:Once cheap Sriracha now sells for $29.99 in some Bay Area...
by dharmab on Friday June 16, 2023 @06:56PM
(#36365106)
I've long since switched to other sauces. Currently, I like Yellowbird for a sauce I can get in most stores, and also have a few bottles of Jank (https://bbqjank.com) shipped directly from the manufacturer a few times a year.
Re:Once cheap Sriracha now sells for $29.99 in some Bay Area...
by testfrequency on Friday June 16, 2023 @08:01PM
(#36365630)
I cannot (I can) believe people are stealing bottles of sriracha from Señor Sisig. This is the real local news that depresses me, as it makes me lose faith in our community
Re:Once cheap Sriracha now sells for $29.99 in some Bay Area...
by peatmoss on Friday June 16, 2023 @08:09PM
(#36365692)
It’s ridiculously easy to make sriracha at home. Fermenting a mix of chilies and optionally other veggies and then blending them is a straight path to flavor country. HF’s sriracha is just one take—good, but you can do better at home.
Re:Once cheap Sriracha now sells for $29.99 in some Bay Area...
by peatmoss on Saturday June 17, 2023 @11:27AM
(#36371048)
Even better, this Serious Eats article explains fermented hot sauces in detail. Sriracha is just a subclass of fermented hot sauce that sticks mainly to sweet-hot chilies and garlic. Sriracha also tends to be sweet, so sugar is usually added. I prefer the complexity that e.g. carrot imparts along with the sweetness, and a bit more of the floral bite of habaneros (mixed with bomba chilies for sweetness and color). It’s an extremely slippery slope!
Huy Fong brand sriracha is based, and originally popular, in California. It has a distinctive flavor; every other competitor I've tried has been too vinegary or too sweet (your tastes may vary, of course). So I can absolutely believe the stories in the article.
I haven't tried Underwood yet. It's made by their original pepper supplier (Huy Fong switched in 2016), but I hear it's a bit different.
I've since switched to Underwood Ranch and the flavor I remember from 5 years ago is back.
I now buy it by the case to save on shipping and distribute to friends.
[0]https://www.mashed.com/182079/the-real-reason-huy-fong-srira...
Edit: The "new" Huy Fong sauce has a very distasteful aftertaste to me - I kept thinking I had some old/bad bottles that had been laying around the pantry too long, but brand new dated from the store also had the same thing. I likely am in the minority here, but it was enough to stop using sriracha at all until I came across that article and had a chance to order some Underwood. Now it's back in the rotation for me.
If I can't get Underwood there are plenty of boutique hot sauce brands now that have acceptable versions. Yellowbird is quite popular and available, but I find it too sweet for my tastes.
I've switched to Texas Pete brand. They are very similar, and I can't describe why I like it better exactly. More 'peppery' and less sweet, if that makes any sense.
https://www.seriouseats.com/fermented-hot-sauce-how-to
Once you start making sriracha at home, you may discover that you want more.