Your Sauce Ain't Shit

With a photo of the Gutierrez family’s matriarch on the jar, Santitos salsa plays up its local origins by stating that it’s the “Official Salsa of the Missions of San Antonio.” Indeed, the salsa is manufactured here in Texas and distributed throughout the region by Martin Preferred Foods of Houston.

The medium-hot variety is a flavorful blend of spices and peppers, without too much tomatoey base. As a result, the consistency is thinner and runnier than most popular salsas, but the lingering spiciness it leaves after just a few bites is worthwhile.

Verdict: The Shit

I was lured into buying this brand because I’m from New Mexico and the packaging suggests that this salsa is, too. In reality, Spike’s All Natural Santa Fe Packing Co. is owned by LiDestri Foods, a private-label sauce manufacturer based in New York. (Those Pace commercials from the 90s weren’t far off.)

The salsa itself is a thick blend of tomato paste and the usual spices, with chunks of tomato, strips of onion, and small bits of jalapeno peppers. The flavor is fairly bland and dominated by tomato, with almost no kick from the jalapenos despite being advertised as medium-spicy.

Verdict: Ain’t Shit