by Bottom Line: The Underwood Ranches Sriracha, Chili Garlic Sauce, and Sambal deliver a nice brightness and some good heat, and they offer a decent substitute for the Huy Fong sauces.
Huy Fong made Sriracha a household name, and their iconic “Rooster Sauce” became ubiquitous throughout the country over the last decade or so. But you may have noticed that bottles of that and their other sauces have been scarce on store shelves the last few years. They claim that it is due to a shortage of the red jalapeños they use, but it is also related to their switching suppliers because they were claiming a breach of contract.
I don’t know all the details of the situation and whether the supplier was really in violation of the agreement, or if Huy Fong was trying to pressure them into changing the terms (you can read more on that here). But Underwood Ranches is the supplier in question, and they have started producing their own version of Sriracha, Chili Garlic Sauce, and Sambal while Huy Fong is struggling to maintain their production. Currently, their sauces are only available online from what I can tell, and I decided to order them to see how they stack up against the originals. Here are my findings:
Sriracha: Underwood Ranches’ answer to Sriracha hits you right away with a very bright and tangy taste. There is also a fair amount of acidity, but the sauce brings a bit of sweetness to balance that out. The taste of the fermented chilies is apparent, with a little bit of funkiness and a peppery kick. The garlic is not as prominent, but it is there in the background. This reminds me more of the older version of the Huy Fong sauce (though with less sweetness) when they were still using chilis from Underwood Ranches as opposed to the new batches which seem to lack richness. As for the heat, this has more kick than the milder Huy Fong stuff, coming in close to Medium on my scale. I certainly consider this a good Sriracha substitute, and it is worth seeking out.
Chili Garlic Sauce: This sauce has even more tang than the Underwood Ranches Sriracha, delivering quite a fair amount of pucker. It is not as heavy on the garlic as the Huy Fong stuff, but the taste of the bud lingers in the background. There is not much sweetness in this one, as sugar is not one of the ingredients, and it could overpower a dish if not used judiciously. As a plus, it does not have the metallic, tinny taste I have noticed in the recent batches of Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce. I would still reach for the original stuff if I had a choice between the two, but the Underwood Ranches version is an acceptable substitute. As for the heat, it is right around Medium on my scale, which is a little hotter than Huy Fong, but not too much.
Sambal: This sauce is very similar to the Underwood Ranches Chili Garlic Sauce, though without the garlic and with maybe a little more sourness (the ingredients are basically the same but without the bud). It could definitely use some sweetness to balance the tang, and it could quickly overpower if you pour on too much. This was my least favorite of the three sauces, but I will still find myself going through the entire bottle. This is also the hottest of the three, coming in just above Medium on my scale.
As mentioned above, these are not widely available in stores at this point, and I purchased the three sauces online from Sonoran Spice Company. They sell the set of three for $19.95 plus shipping, and they regularly run deals like 15% off your entire order. Separately, they sell for $6.95 a bottle, which is a little high for the Sriracha compared to Huy Fong, but decent for the other two considering the bottle is a larger size than what Huy Fong offers. You can also buy the sauces directly from Underwood Ranches, but they are more pricey there.
I can see myself ordering the Sriracha again, and possibly all three if the Huy Fong products remain sparse on the shelves. Some people may not like these as much since they have less of the expected sweetness and more tang, but I still consider them decent substitutes. And I could see the Underwood Ranches Sriracha becoming a go-to sauce.
Nutrition Info:
Sriracha
Ingredients: Red jalapeno pepper, sugar, water, salt, acetic acid, natural flavor, xanathan gum, sodium metabisulfite, and / or sodium bisulfite (sulfiting agent / preservative), potassium sorbate (preservative)
Serving Size: 1 Tsp
Calories: 5
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 1g
Sodium: 70mg
Chili Garlic Sauce
Ingredients: Red jalapeno pepper, salt, garlic, water, acetic acid, potassium sorbate (preservative) , xanathan gum, sodium metabisulfite, and / or sodium bisulfite (sulfiting agent / preservative)
Serving Size: 1 Tsp
Calories: 0
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Sodium: 95mg
Sambal
Ingredients: Red jalapeno pepper, salt, water, acetic acid, potassium sorbate (preservative) , xanathan gum, sodium metabisulfite, and / or sodium bisulfite (sulfiting agent / preservative)
Serving Size: 1 Tsp
Calories: 0
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Sodium: 90mg
