Sriracha is officially America's favorite hot sauce.

Five years ago, you probably had never heard of the stuff, but now you'll see Sriracha on most casual dining tables, not to mention in the news: The sauce even has its own documentary, and cult-like following.

But now the beloved condiment is in jeopardy: The Southern California city where Sriracha is produced has declared the factory a public nuisance, and gave it 90 days to make changes or it could be shut down for good.

In case of a nationwide Sriracha shortage, here's a recipe for a version of the sauce you can make it home.

Fair warning: The homemade variety is tasty, but it is not exactly a quick process, plus you'll end up spending more money making it yourself than if you just bought it at the store. The peppers alone ran me about $5, and that doesn't include the sugar, salt, paprika, vinegar and honey.

On top of the cost, making sriracha is extremely labor intensive. You need to puree the peppers, allow them and the remaining ingredients to sit and ferment for at least two days, puree again, and worst of all, you need to press the mixture through a mesh sieve in order to get the silky smooth product that you're looking for. My arm was absolutely killing me by the time I finished pressing my small batch, which amounted to about two cups — that's not even a full 17-ounce container.

Here's how I did it: Full recipe below. Slice the tops off of your jalapeños, then puree them in a food processor until smooth. Add in your brown sugar, salt, garlic and paprika. Puree until smooth. Place the puree in a jar or sealable container, loosely cover the top, then set aside and allow to sit for at least two days. When you see a few bubbles forming in the bottom of your jar, you're ready to go. You can let it sit for up to five days, but if you're impatient, two is enough. Add in your distilled vinegar, puree again, then press through a mesh sieve until you've squeezed all of the liquid out of the puree.

Place the liquid in a sauce pot, bring to a boil, then reduce until slightly thickened, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Place in a clean jar, seal and enjoy! This will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.

Homemade Sriracha

Total Prep Time: 20 minutes + 2 days

Total Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds jalapeño or serrano peppers (98% of them should be red - this is all about color)

- 3/4 cup brown sugar

- 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

- 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

- 2/3 cup distilled vinegar

- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar

Instructions:

1. Cut the tops off of your peppers, slice them in half, and place them in your food processor. Process until completely smooth, at least 5 minutes. Add in your brown sugar, garlic, salt and paprika. Process until smooth, at least another 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a large jar or container, loosely cover, and store in a cool, dark place for at least 2 days. After 2 days, you will see bubbling happening in the bottom of the jar. This means that the fermentation process as begun. You can start to puree it now, or you can let it get really bubbly and allow it to sit for five days. The longer it sits, the tastier and spicier it will be.

2. When you're ready to puree, place your pepper mixture back into a food processor, add in the vinegar, and puree again for 5 minutes. Press the mixture through a mesh sieve, until you've gotten every last drop of liquid out, and discard the solids. Place the liquid in a medium sized sauce pot, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add in the honey, bring to a simmer, and simmer until thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed, and pour into a clean jar or container. This will keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week.