If you’re anything like me, your entire TikTok page has been filled with videos of people trying the infamous Big Tex Chamoy Pickle Kits. Chamoy is a typical condiment found in Mexico, made from apricot, plum and mango, topped with chilies, salt and lime juice. A chamoy pickle kit consists of a packaged pickle with Tajín, chamoy sauce, Takis, watermelon sour dust, sour straws and a Fruit Roll-Up. 

This may sound like an extremely odd combination — why would I purchase it in the first place? I’m an adventurous eater with an unusual food palette, so I believed this snack would be right up my alley. Not to mention that people have been loving it all over TikTok, so I thought, what the heck, and purchased it. 

With an online discount, the pickle package cost $4.99, but it usually runs about $26.95. Additionally, I was delighted by the quick shipping. 

I was stunned once I opened my package. The actual pickle looks daunting: it comes in a bag filled with vibrant red liquid. Opening this pickle bag was like witnessing a murder in real time, and the red liquid immediately began to spill everywhere. This is an activity you might want to do over a plate or a lot of napkins. 

After cleaning the crime scene, I scooped out the insides of the pickle and stuffed it with all sorts of magical fillings. I put the sour straws first, shoved the Takis inside and topped it off with my sauces. Then, I wrapped the pickle with the Fruit Roll-Up. Finally, I sprinkled chamoy sauce, watermelon dust and Tajín on top. 

I physically could not swallow my first bite. It was an odd mix of sweet, sour and spicy at the same time. Not to mention, the mixture of textures was disgusting. The pickle was weirdly soft and, compared with the drastic crunch of the Takis, felt extremely odd in my mouth. Despite this terrible first experience, I dared to try another bite. 

To my surprise, the second bite was delicious. The weird combination of flavors actually became appetizing. The sweetness from the watermelon dust and chamoy sauce paired nicely with the spiciness from the Taki. However, the pickle was the part that baffled me; the sour taste didn’t work well with the rest of the ingredients. I would’ve enjoyed the snack a lot more without the pickle, which is ironic because the spotlight in the chamoy pickle kit is meant to be the pickle itself. 

I took a few more bites and eventually ditched the rest of the snack. After my delicious meal, my mouth had a bizarre numb feeling and taste in it — not necessarily in a bad way, though. 

Overall, I’m happy I tried the chamoy pickle kit, but I don’t think I will eat it again anytime soon. Did I fall into the TikTok shop trap and waste five dollars on this pickle? Yes. Was it worth it? I could argue no, but my tentative answer is yes. For $4.99, it included a lot of fillings and sauces. It also doesn’t falsely advertise: it is precisely the snack I thought I bought.

If you are brave enough to take on this challenge, my only advice is to use gloves –— with the red liquid from the pickle and the Tajín, this is definitely not a clean meal.