Sigh, another Huy Fong / Sriracha Shortage

[Michael_in_TX]

This morning I used up my second-to-last bottle of Huy Fong Sambal Oelek, so I hopped on Amazon to order another two-pack. Huh, the one I've been ordering isn't available. A quick search reveals that none are available. It's even out of stock at my local HEB.

What is going on....well, a quick Google search reveals that we are now under another sriracha pepper shortage, so Sriracha and Sambal will be unavailable for awhile now. When this happened last year, it wasn't until late October that their products started appearing back on the shelves.

Here's a quick USA Today article with some details: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...k/11624642002/

Oh, and I'll save you the trouble. Tabasco has released a "sriracha-style" sauce in a bottle that looks just like the Huy Fong one. I bought one. It's terrible. (Well, it's not terrible....but it is not Huy Fong, either.)

[ecowper]

Try getting some Korean Gochujang …. It’s not Sriracha, but it’s pretty good

[Murdy]

I like the flavor of Gochujang better, but it's really not a condiment like a pepper sauce. I'll add it to a stir fry to flavor the sauce. I sometimes add it to sloppy joe's as well.

[ecowper]

Murdy yep .... I use it to cook with, not as a condiment, per se

[HotSun]

Thanks ecowper , you haven't steered me wrong yet. Wings sounds about right.

[TxF]

It’s been a couple of years, but I remember seeing that they were having issues with the neighbors when they expanded into a new facility. My guess is if you can’t find any they have sold out last years production and you’ll have to wait until the fall for this years production and hope that the flooding does affect their fields.

[shify]

No problem. Just make your own!

[glitchy]

I’m not a big regular sriracha guy, but I was frustrated trying to find more Huy Fong garlic chili sauce.

[Michael_in_TX]

And....that's it. I used up my last bit of Huy Fong Sambal Oelek this morning:



If you have more money than you know what to do with, the 135 oz food service bottles are starting to appear on Amazon, albeit at double the price ($50 or so). I like it, but I don't like it that much.

It is such a simple condiment; just chiles, salt, and acidity, either from lime juice or vinegar.

I've been meaning to try to make my own, but I have not been able to source fresh red Thai chiles in my area. I can get green ones, but that just doesn't look right.

Looks like I'll be trying some of the imitators to see which gets closest.

[Carolyn]

There are cases of it on EBAY for a charity auction.

[bmillin]

I was planning on trying a homebrew replacement but Fresno chiles are the only reds I can find locally, at $6.49 /lb

[ssandy_561]

In my honest opinion I believe companies like to create artificial demand for a product. It gets them free press and drives the demand for their product through the roof.

Is this what is happening here. I’m not sure because I might go through a bottle of sriracha every 6 to 8 months and I really don’t need to get Huy Fong.

But it is amazing that this keeps happening and when the shortages are over their sales are greater for the first few weeks than they would have been for the entire “shortage” period.

I’m not a tin foil hat type of guy but I will never doubt that a company will do anything they can to squeeze more money out of us consumers. And for things like hot sauce I have no problem with the company doing it.

[Attjack]

When I went to my cabin for a summer visit I opened the cabinet to find a bottle of sriracha staring back at me. That bottle has kept the bloody marys flowing ever since.

[Michael_in_TX]

The artificial (perhaps unintended) scarcity thing is something I've wondered about. I know a lot of restaurants in my area, as they couldn't get Huy Fong products, have had to come up with their own.

Now, if these 'home-grown' sauces are less expensive than Huy Fong, they may not go back to Huy Fong, especially as this has been the second major shortage in three years.

[Spinaker]

Get the tar and feathers ready...........I do not get the craze around Sriracha. To me, it is like spicy ketchup.



I would much rather use Chili Garlic sauce in Hot oil or Sichuan Chili Crisp from Fly By Jing

[Murdy]

Anyone check any Asian grocers?

[Bkhuna]

My local asian market sells Sriracha, Three different varieties made in Thailand. Except for Sambal Olek, I couldn't care less if Huy Fong ever recovers.

[HotSun]

Bkhuna , Murdy , same in our Asian markets. Our on international market has at least a pallet of them. Not sure how they compare, as sriracha is only one of many tools in my box and I don't use a ton of it.