I like hot sauce, but not Southeast Asian hot. I like heat that makes my mouth slightly burn, where my eyes slightly water and my nose runs; but not the ones that tear your throat apart and make you fear the bathroom. So there, that is my bias.
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USA Views on Hot Sauce
Hot sauces are the condiment every cook should have in their pantry. The ones I am talking about today are not particularly hot, I consider them mild to low medium, and regularly use them in my cooking. Because they are on the lower side of the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) ratings I think they are ideal for people who cannot take food that is too hot.
But hot suaces are more than just chilis and heat. There are tangy with vinegary flavors, some have fruity flavors, some you can fully taste the pepper, like Sriracha’s recent jalapeño tasting sauce.
Right now, I checked, and the following are on my pantry or fridge shelves, sorted by the highest SHU level they can get. (The variation is related to the peppers, as living and growing, they can vary in heat.) I have tried to match the SHU with chili peppers you may know, but take my comparisons lightly, again some of the chilies named can get hot or are much milder. (Actually give me your recommendations and I will add that to this post.)
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (450 SHU) is a must for Hot Chicken Wings.
- Mexican Cholula (1000 SHU, similar to a Poblano)
- Korean Gochujang/Gochugaru (1000-10,000 SHU)
- Huy Fong Thai Sriracha (2200 SHU, similar to an Anaheim)
- American Tabasco (3750 SHU, similar to a Cherry Bomb)
- North African Harissa (1000 – 5500 SHU, similar to a Guajillo)
- Huy Fong Fresh Chili Garlic Sauce (5000 – 7000 SHU, similar to an Allepo)
- Japanese (Okinawan) Kōrēgusu I just cannot find, but it is 20%-40% alcohol
What makes these sauces so intresting is that their chemistry interacts with our brains. Chili peppers contain capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, these are the chemicals in the pepper that makes the pepper spicy hot. When we eat it our brain believes we have touched something very hot, so in an attempt to respond to this feeling, the brain releases endorphins, which give the body a natural high through a pain-numbing, and morphine-like sensation. Thus, eating these types of condiments are indeed addicting to some people.
Instacart-Harris 2021 Survey
These are the facts that come from Instacart, specifically from an Instacart-Harris Poll survey done in 2021.
- Between December 2020 and November 2021, Instacart customers purchased 444,854 gallons of hot sauce.
- 74% of Americans like to put hot sauce on their food
- 45% of those said they do so once a week or more
- 81% of hot sauce eaters primarily add it to foods at dinner
- 24% of them used hot sauce at breakfast
- 68% have two or more brands in their pantry.
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Hot Sauces That Are in my Pantry
USA Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (450 SHU)
I use this hot chili pepper sauce if I want to make Buffalo Chicken Wings, or when, for vegetarians or vegans, I use cauliflower or wheat gluten to make a similar dish. Deep-fried chicken wings has been around a long time in Southern cuisine. No doubt people have also been adding drops of Tabasco or other hot sauce on them to eat for a long time too.
But the actual concept of cooking fried chicken wings and then tossing them in a chili hot sauce was originated in 1964, at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. The story goes that co-owner Teressa Bellissimo cooked leftover wings in hot sauce as a late-night snack for her son and his friends, and it was such a hit she put it on the menu. Serving them with some celery sticks and a blue cheese sauce (1).
- Frank’s Redhot Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Arrange seasoned (salt + pepper) 2-1/2# chicken wings on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 30min, turning over at the halfway point, or until crispy brown.
- Mix 1/3C melted butter and 1/2C Frank’s Red Hot sauce in a non-reactive bowl.
- For added heat, I may add some Cayenne or Tabasco sauce
- Remove wings from the oven, dump the wings into the bowl and coat each piece well.
- Place on a platter with a blue cheese dressing and some celery.
Fried wings may taste better, but baked is probably better for us. Or even, and I should have said this sooner, air fry the wings.
Mexican Cholula (1000 SHU)
This vinegar and chili based hot sauce was first created in Jalisco, Mexico. The hot sauce is named Cholula, after the 2,500-year-old city of Cholula, Puebla; the oldest still-inhabited city in Mexico according to Wikipedia.
The Original is made with red arbol and pequín peppers, blended with Mexican spices and vinegar, resulting in a very flavorful hot sauce. No nurients in measurable quantities appear on the label, but 1t has 110mg salt.
- Water, Peppers (Arbol and Piquin), Salt, Vinegar, Garlic Powder, Spices and Xanthan Gum.
We usually keep this in our pantry as it is used often since the heat is mild and the flavor ups the food we eat with it.
Thai Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (2200 SHC)
I was turned onto Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha sauce later than most people. I liked the heat and garlic flavor, and it tasted good in many recipes. It became one of my go-tos for modifying a tomato-based sauce as it has a thick, tangy-sweet chili pepper flavor with a strong hint of garlic. I loved it so much, any rice and veggie dish could be drowned in it and it was great.
However, they recently changed the recipe, in that it is still using jalapeños, but they are a different pepper from the previous ones, and the sauce is much more a jalapeño tasting sauce than before. Which I do not like as much as the more blended sauce.
Originally, 80+ years ago, in Si Racha, an eastern city on the coast of Thailand, Ms. Thanom Chakkapak created a Thai hot sauce and called it Sriraja Panich (1). It became wildly popular in Thailand and nearby countries.
But “sriracha” is not the brand name, it is just the name for this type of sauce; similar to the word “ketchup”. The proper brand name is Huy Fong Sriracha.
The flavor has been generally considered spicy (that is moderate heat) with a tangy, almost sweet flavor, and pungent garlic notes. Considering the main pepper is the jalapeño, Sriracha is less spicy that the pepper (which rates 2k-8k SHU). It is deep red, and has the consistency of ketchup. I love it on plain rice even, oh, and you really have to squeeze the bottle to get it out.
The new version is clearly jalapeño-forward that even, to me, hides some of the garlic flavor. This is the case even though the recipe has reportedly not changed, but the peppers certainly have.
Side Note on Huy Fong Foods
What is interesting here is the trials (literally) and tribulations related to opening a business that produces hazardous waste (odor and pepper oil) and relies on one supplier. This is just a high level overview of the interesting issues Huy Fong Foods weathered to make their hot sauce.
In 1980 David Tran fled Vietnam and came to the USA with almost nothing but a few baby food jars of his original sriracha recipe, aboard the ship named Huy Fong (1). Shortly thereafter, in 1983, he opened the Huy Fong Foods business to manufacture his version of this Thailand hot sauce. And it sold like wildfire, capturing the market like no hot sauce before, and went global. After many years of increasing production, the troubles started.
Slowly, and growing over time, as more people moved to the neighborhood, complaints of the smell and hazardous pepper oil in the air, caused the city of Irwindale (CA) to file a lawsuit asking for Huy Fong Foods to cease production of its Sriracha sauce (1). In 2018, after many back-and-forth lawsuits, everything was eventually dropped, in exchange for some payment to be made annually to the City (1), plus, Huy Fong Foods made a written commitment to solving the smell issues. Subsequently, the South Coast Air Quality Management District did not find evidence of a harmful air quality violation. But the troubles were just beginning.
TheFoodNetwork reported that the specialty jalapeño chili peppers that Huy Fong Foods had been using in its hot sauce since 1988 were supplied by Underwood Ranches, a single grower in Ventura County (CA). Then in 2017, despite making good profit, Underwood Ranches stopped growing the pepper without notifying anyone. And as Huy Fong paid for peppers in advance they wanted their money back. Which of course resulted in a court battle.
- What made this sauce so good tasting was the hybrid jalapeño chili peppers, and the fact that they were allowed to ripen to their natural red colored state on the vine.
- The chilies are all ground up, seeds and all into the mash, combined with distilled vinegar, garlic, salt, sugar, and preservatives and barreled up (1).
- What makes it so thick is xantham gum.
But then came a string of terrible events. In 2018 Underwood Ranches started to sell their own brand of Sriracha sauce. Then, according to Mashed, Underwood won the the court case. Closely following that, in 2020, there was a 2 year shortage of the jalapeño peppers that CNET reported this was due to a drought in Mexico where the peppers were being farmed. So to say Huy Fong Foods has had a series of unfortunate events is an understatement.
Bottom line however, is that this is a good case study for a business school.
Korean Gochujang/Gochugaru (1,000-10,000 SHU)
Gochugaru is ground Korean chili pepper, while gochujang is a chili paste, but both come from the same chili pepper named taeyangcho. I use both in Korean cooking and despite the same start, they are distinct ingredients.
- Goghugaru: vibrant red chili flakes, with a smoky flavor and hint of fruit. Comes mild to spicy (1,500 SHU up to 10,000 SHU).
- Gochujang: bright red chili paste, thick, fermented, spicy and sweet condiment. MasterClass writes the ingredients are gochugaru, glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder (fermented soybeans in powder form), barley malt powder, and salt. Comes mild (<1000 SHU).
Southern USA Tabasco (3750 SHC)
As a child, I remember a trip my family took through the South, and every restaurant we stopped at had these little red bottles along with the ketchup, salt and pepper, and napkins in metal boxes. I wondered out loud what they were and when my mother went to the restroom, my father shook out a drop onto my finger to taste. When she came back, I was crying, red in the face, and sticking my tongue into the ice water. I do not remember anything else from that time, but that was my introduction to Tabasco.
Tabasco’s history is well known. Started in 1868 on Avery Island (Louisiana USA) by founder Edmond Mcllhenny. The company and lands have been passed down through 5+ generations and is still family owned and operated in the same locations. While the seeds come from Avery Island, these days many of those are sent out so the chili plant is grown in many other areas; then the mash is returned to the island for its final processing, fermentation, and bottling.
The company states that the Southern diet, post Civil War, was very bland and Edmond decided to spice it up. So he used Mexican seeds for a particular chili, planted them and they grew into the chilis that are still used for the sauce. The sauce was bottled in little cologne-like bottles with a topper that allowed the sauce to plop out in little squirts rather than be poured.
North African Harissa (1000 – 5500 SHU)
Historians think chilies first landed in Africa as part of the Spanish occupation of Ottoman Tunisia between 1535 and 1574. However, the name “Harissa” comes from the Arabic verb harasa, meaning ‘to pound’, or ‘break into pieces’.
Many indicate the condiment is from North Africa including the areas of Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Libya. There shoppers would wait in spice souks (or bazaars), and watch the Harissa be pounded out while-u-wait. This chili sauce, at its simplest, is chilies, salt and olive oil. A little more complex version includes: chilies, garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. But in reality it varies and can also include coriander and caraway seeds, and maybe cumin and dried mint, all depending on family or regional preferences.
Huy Fong Fresh Chili Garlic Sauce (5000 – 7000 SHU)
I love this and addd heaping teaspoons to soups, stews, and noodles. It is hot, spicy, and flavorful.
Japanese (Okinawan) Kōrēgusu
I just cannot find a SHU for this ingredient, but I know it is 60-86 proof, and changes the flavor of a noodle dish as soon as it is applied; use judiciously.
The way this sauce is made is the chili peppers are washed, then soaked in awamori alcohol for ~10 days. It is often made at home, as most commercial products add vinegar and citric acid, and may use vinegar or soy sauce instead of the alcohol.. Although the sauce can outlive the red colors of the peppers, if ever the liquid becomes cloudy it should be tossed.
- Awamori is an alcoholic beverage that is indigenous to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from long grain indica rice, and is distilled rather than brewed like sake.
Summary
Hot sauce is also big business, and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that. For instance, Food&Wine, stated that McCormick & Co., owns both Frank’s RedHot and Cholula hot sauce.
Meanwhile, I cook with and use hot sauce as a condiment for many dishes. What it does is add some heat, spices up a dull dish, and can add its own flavors of sweet, smoky, fruity, vinegary, and so on. But not every sauce fits every dish, no matter what Sriracha fiends say. That is why I mention clearly the place of origin, as often these sauces go well with the native foods from that country or area.
Curious if everyone of my readers have at least 2 types of hot sauces, or rely on just one. Let me know.
—Patty
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