A Better Sriracha

What is going on with Sriracha production?

There is a panic that Huy Fong Sriracha will have to have cease production! While the Rooster Sauce makes our mouth water, the townspeople who live around the factory in Southern California went to court saying that the facility’s emissions were making their eyes water, giving them headaches, and burning their throats. While the judge wouldn’t grant them an immediate injunction there will be a hearing on November 22nd.

So, yes, there may be a Siracha shortage, shortly. Fuck. When we heard the news we contacted Travis Mason the chef and owner of the ridiculously amazing Graffiti Sandwich in Portland (the hipstery one). Why Mason? Because he’s got that sweet Huy Fong sriracha tattoo you see above so clearly he’d be distraught, right? Nope. He was as cool as his house-made pickles.

“Years ago you could only find Sriracha at Asian grocery stores and in professional kitchens and now that fast food restaurants and potato chip companies are using it, it doesn’t seem special anymore,” Mason says. “I started searching for a more flavorful Asian chili sauce a few years ago and found Shark brand sriracha at a Thai market. I do have Huy Fong brand out for my customers, but if I’m making a Sriracha honey or Sriracha mayo, I reach for Shark brand.”

Graffiti Sandwich serves a Da Nang Pork sandwich consisting of Pork meatballs, pickled Vietnamese slaw, cilantro, Shark brand sriracha mayo, and hoisin peanut butter. Damn.

After sampling, we are switching over immediately to the Shark and those who love Huy Fong may want to do the same, and we know there are millions of you. As Mason points out, “I’m about 75% covered in tattoos and the sriracha tattoo is the one that gets the most comments.”