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Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Sauce Popularity Spreads Like Wildfire

052009hotsaucy.jpg Today the Times profiles the man behind the phenomenally popular sriracha hot sauce Huy Fong, which is currently distributed worldwide at the rate of 10 million bottles a year and is used everywhere from Asian street carts to the kitchens of haute cuisine chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The 64-year-old founder of Huy Fong is named David Tran, a Vietnamese man of Chinese descent who left the Vietnam in 1979 and came to the U.S. by way of refugee camps. He tells the Times, "I landed the first week of January in 1980. By February, I was making sauce." Now Huy Fong fanatics get drawings of the distinctive red bottle tattooed on their flesh, and leave exultant late-night messages on the company's answering machine. And despite an increasing number of knock-offs on the market, demand continues to build; Huy Fongheads can even find their precious elixir on the shelves of Wal-Mart.

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  • stevenp

    Sriracha is great on eggs, burgers, and especially pizza. Never had it on wings--wonder what that would be like.

  • pao pao

    I love it with a piece of ham rolled up with a dash of mayo inside. A wonderful snack!

  • jjazznola

    This sauce uses potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite, and citric acid as preservatives. I would stay away. The best hot sauces such as Frank's, Crystal, Tabasco etc.. never have preservatives in them.

  • Spirit of 76

    That's because the sauces you mentioned are traditional Louisiana hot sauces. They have nothing more than peppers, salt and vinegar. Any hot sauce that adds other ingredients like sugar, garlic or other spices needs either preservatives or refrigeration.

  • MFer

    Here's a great spread or dipping sauce that goes with everything.

    Take some mayo, add Sriracha, and squeeze juice of lemon or lime. All to tastes. Mix.

  • Gotham Observer

    Damn it! That's MY recipie!! Seriously, I was about to post the exact same thing. I came up with that in my kitchen when living in Oregon 10 years ago. You have good taste, MFer.

  • valeriob

    This sauce tastes best in Pho. I put it on everything at home; rice, pizza, pasta... yum

    Only costs 3 bucks in chinatown for the big bottle!

  • sakebalboa

    delicious cock sauce

  • GoToHell

    Stuff is disgusting. Give me Tabasco.

  • Spirit of 76

    Tabasco is overrated. It's mostly heat and little flavor. If you're going to go with traditional Louisiana hot sauce, I have to agree with fuboy that Frank's Red Hot is much better in terms of flavor. Or at least man up with something that'll really set your tongue on fire, like East Armageddon Post Apocalyptic.

  • GoToHell

    Gee that's funny, I love the flavor.

  • JenChungsBaby

    Tabasco's a lot hotter than Frank's (which, btw, is practically the official wing sauce of Buffalo). After years of using Frank's I had to move on to Tabasco just to regain that zingy feeling. I don't buy Sriracha but I'll use it when it's on the table.

    On the SAT it would be "Frank's" is to "Tabasco" as marijuana is to _______ [answer: heroin]. Or something like that.

  • Spirit of 76

    I never said that Frank's was hotter. But Tabasco's heat is at the expense of flavor. Frank's is a better balance of flavor and heat, part of the reason Tabasco is not the preferred seasoning for Buffalo wings.

    Again, if you really want heat, neither is anywhere near the ultimate. Search for specialty hot sauce sellers online and you'll find stuff that makes them look like milk. Heat in chili peppers is measured in Scoville units. Tabasco tops out at 5000 Scovilles in a good batch, normally much less. Frank's Xtra Hot is about the same. There are hot sauces out there with Scoville measurements approaching a million. That's the kind of stuff you don't even want to put on dry food. A few shakes in a bowl of soup will have your tongue writhing painfully. I used to be partial to Spontaneous Combustion, which was probably only in the low six figures.

  • JenChungsBaby

    I know about Scovilles but I don't go for hot sauce made in a laboratory. Those sauces at the top of the scale are typically made from pepper concentrates or additives. Just crush the peppers, add some salt and vinegar, and bottle it. If I want something hotter than Tabasco I'll get habanero or scotch bonnet sauce. But Tabasco's usually good enough for me -- I all ready have enough hair on my chest.

  • smitty

    I dressed up as sriracha for Halloween in 2006. No, seriously.

  • longacre

    I like me some hot sauce, I'll have to pick some up next time I see it in the store.

  • Spirit of 76

    That stuff's okay, but when I really want a little bit of heat in my Asian food, I prefer the chili garlic sauce from the same company.

  • nik13

    I forgot about this one. It's a bit salty though.

  • aveB4life

    i always thought sriracha was thai.

    sidenote: that girl is def hot

  • NannyState

    I'd like to spread some of my Lee Kum Kee all over her Huy Fong.

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