Bottom Line: Pepper Palace’s gourmet Red Eye Rooster and Rooster Reaper sauces offer a good alternative to Huy Fong Sriracha and they deliver plenty of heat.
As I have mentioned previously on this site, Huy Fong Sriracha sauce is missing on many store shelves these days due to a pepper shortage and that could continue into early Fall. So I have been on the hunt for substitutes (even though I stocked up) in order to suggest some options to those who need their Sriracha fix. And I found two sauces that just might fit the bill at a place that specializes in hot stuff.
While in New York City a couple of weeks ago, I discovered a Pepper Palace not far from my hotel and had to go in and check out their sauces. For those who are not familiar with the chain, they carry a large selection of their propriety salsas and sauces and you can sample just about everything. (You have to sign a waiver if you want to try The End Flatline Sauce!) I had never visited a Pepper Palace before thinking they were all up in the East, so I was definitely excited to check out their selections. While talking to the gentleman working at the register, turns out that there is a location right here in San Antonio, so I will be visiting that soon and I will report my findings.
While sampling the many sauces, I noticed a couple with the rooster on the label and figured that these were PP’s answer to Sriracha (which is often called rooster sauce because of the bird on the bottle). Sure enough, both of these featured sauces made with fermented chilis, and both had definite similarities to the Huy Fong product.
The Red Eye Rooster sauce is the milder of the two offered by Pepper Palace, and they gauge it as Medium heat. This one has that funkiness that you expect from a Sriracha that comes from fermenting the chilis. It is not quite as sweet as the Huy Fong sauce, and while the garlic is present it is not as pungent. The consistency is more like a ketchup, delivering a very smooth sauce. I would definitely not call this a copy of the Huy Fong sauce, but it is certainly inspired by that condiment (as well as the original sauce from Thailand). Heat-wise, I would put it just above Medium, so it is going to have more kick than the Huy Fong Sriracha.
And if you want to take that heat up a few levels, then pick up a bottle of Rooster Reaper Sauce. That is basically the same sauce with Carolina Reapers thrown in for good measure. It is a bit richer than the Red Eye sauce with the more intense Reaper chili rounding out the taste. They classify this as Hot but I would say it is approaching the Fiery level.
Both of these offer a good substitute for the Huy Fong Sriracha, though they do lack that Asian tang. Of course, Huy Fong does not indicate that they add any Asian spices to their sauce, so maybe it is just that unique taste that I have become accustomed to and that I associate with that cuisine because I pair it so often with the Huy Fong products. Still, the two sauces from Pepper Palace make a decent substitute in the absence of the latter.
Price-wise, though, these are going to set you back a few more dollars. Pepper Palace prices at the gourmet sauce level of $10 a bottle or more. In part what you are paying for is the sampling, and that is okay because you know what you are buying. The Red Eye Rooster Sauce goes for $16.99 for a 10 oz bottle while the Rooster Reaper will set you back $19.99 for a 5 oz bottle. It is pricey, but these are pretty good sauces.
The Red Eye Rooster Sauce may not be the perfect substitute for Huy Fong Sriracha because of its price point, but it will get you by if you use it sparingly. And if you pick up that Rooster Reaper, you may find that you get addicted to the spicier fermented sauce resulting in more frequent trips to Pepper Palace. You can see if there is a location in your area here or you can order directly from their website.
Tale of the Tape:
Red Eye Rooster Sauce
Ingredients: Fermented red chilis, red jalapeno peppers, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, xanthan gum, paprika extract
Serving Size: 1 tsp (5ml)
Calories: 0
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Sodium: 105mg
Rooster Reaper Sauce
Ingredients: Red chili peppers, red jalapeno peppers, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, xanthan gum, reaper pepper, paprika extract
Serving Size: 1 tsp (5ml)
Calories: 0
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Sodium: 105mg