Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha Hot Sauce Review

Like tangy? Like sweet? Like your sauces on the milder end of the heat spectrum? Weak Knees “Super Spicy” Gochujang Sriracha Hot Sauce by Bushwick Kitchen checks all those boxes, though “super spicy” isn’t one. It’s a fun sauce, somewhere between mild and medium in overall heat, for anyone who loves a little Sriracha, but wants a little added sweetness to it. How does it stand up to the hot sauce pack? Let’s dive deeper into its overall flavor, heat balance, and usability to get a true sense of the sauce.

Note: Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha Hot Sauce comes in two heat levels: regular and super-spicy. We tested the “super-spicy”. Assume the regular will be even milder.

Flavor:

The ingredients are simple in Weak Knees Super Spicy Gochujang Sriracha Hot Sauce: gochujang paste (tapioca syrup, water, brown rice, red pepper powder, salt, soybean, garlic, onion) water, sugar, garlic, and vinegar.

This has more of a tangy than hot taste, with the tapioca syrup definitely hitting your taste buds early. It’s the red pepper powder that hits you next and also adds to the texture. This is a thick and gritty sauce, but it doesn’t interfere with its eatability. It blends well with many foods because of the sweet, mild heat.

One note: There are no fresh peppers in here which I think would be a game-changer. Instead, this uses a red pepper chili powder which adds to the thickness and grit, without adding a lot of kick. It’s also one heat source, even though gochujang and Sriracha are both on the label. The nod to Sriracha here really comes from the garlic and sugar. For more on the differences between gochujang and Sriracha, see our showdown comparing the two.

Heat Balance:

Overall, for something labeled “super spicy”, it’s not what I expected. There’s a lot of heat pedigree on the label: “super spicy”, “Sriracha”, and “gochujang” all prevalent. But the end result lacks in the heat department.

This acts as a milder Sriracha with a sweetness added in from the gochujang. It may be super-spicy compared to the original flavor, but in terms of hot sauces in general, it’s nowhere near even medium-heat. I’d just expect something labeled super-spicy to deliver, well…super-spicy. I’d even take a level of heat just a little beyond other daily-driver type sauces like Sriracha or Tabasco. Or, at least, label it “extra spicy” which connotes to me that it’s more than the regular version, but it’s open for interpretation on where it sits on the Scoville scale. “Super spicy” this isn’t.

Now if you ignore the “super spicy” expectation fail, there’s still a lot to like here. It’s actually a pretty family-friendly sauce that most can enjoy. The mild to medium kick at the back end won’t turn most off. Anyone who can handle Sriracha can handle this as it’s about equal heat.

Usability:

Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha Hot Sauce can be used easily as a Sriracha replacement for those that like a little extra sweetness. It goes well on foods that work with a little tang added. In particular, it’s perfect on eggs, chicken, and salads.

The flavor of this also changes a bit when it’s cooked. I cooked it into my scrambled eggs and that released some of the garlic flavor, which made me enjoy this sauce much more. This is a thick sauce so wherever you put it, it’s gonna stay, but when you cook it, the sauce lightens up and becomes more spreadable.

It comes in a classic squeeze bottle, which allows you the option to drop or drizzle. That’s perfect for this sauce with its Sriracha-like consistency. It’s easy to control the flow and use as little (or as much) as you want.

Collectibility:

This is a classic, durable Sriracha-like squeeze bottle with simple, chic labeling. It’s classy looking and you do double-take as it sort of looks like a Sriracha bottle without the famous rooster label. You want to know what it is. But, truly this is a daily-driver sauce and the packaging excels at functionality and less as a statement piece.

The Score:

This gochujang sriracha is a little weak in the heat department, but just as versatile as the popular Sriracha. It’s a decent daily driver hot sauce – solid, but doesn’t excel outside its usability. (Amazon)