BBQ Pulled Jackfruit is the closest that vegans and vegetarians can get to barbecue pulled pork, even meat lovers will enjoy it. Delicious and ready in minutes!
My mostly-vegetarian teenage son has been trying to get me to make BBQ Pulled Jackfruit for some time now. After putting it off for as long as possible, because first of all what the hello is jackfruit and upon explanation, Bleh! why would some weird, huge fruit related to figs be able to actually taste like pulled MEAT?! But recently (sorry for digression) I finally bought a couple cans at Trader Joe’s (you can also get it at most Asian markets) and made his day when I told him I was going to give it a shot (still with skepticisim). Aaaand… let’s just say- upon tasting the pulled jackfruit, my husband would’ve thought he was eating a regular, tender, juicy, pulled PORK sandwich if he hadn’t known that Ryan would not be eating it if it contained meat. And this skeptic actually LOVED it and now would urge you to give it a try even if you are not vegan or vegetarian. Here are my fantastic reasons; it will totally fill your craving for a nice barbecued pulled meat sandwich; it’s a cinch! to make, saving you tons of slow cooking and shredding time that’s required to get a big hunk of meat fall-apart tender; and the calorie comparison is crazy-significant. Jackfruit only has 45 calories in a one cup serving (without the sauce and seasonings). Pork shoulder has nearly 400 calories for the same amount.
Here’s what the jackfruit looks like right out of the can. Some of the pieces don’t exactly shred. Leave them in because they’re still super tender and won’t deter from the pulled texture. There might be a couple of pieces that look like seeds (probably are the seeds). Again, just leave them. Really, you’re gonna be pleasantly surprised.
I shred the jackfruit with my hands, as I do for any pulled or shredded meat. Here it is after shredding and with the seasonings, for even more flavor, before pouring in the barbecue sauce. If using store-bought, use a good one. If you’d like to make your own, I have a fabulous recipe for barbecue sauce. If the link for that recipe is too involved for you but you still want to make homemade, this Neely’s BBQ Sauce Recipe is the easiest and one of the best I’ve ever made.
Seriously, doesn’t this look like the real deal? And it tastes delicious as well. With how easy BBQ Pulled Jackfruit is to make, you can offer an option to your non-meat-eater friends at the next cook out or Super Bowl party- or serve it for anyone looking to trim their waistline but still satisfy that messy, smoky, barbecue craving. This recipe makes a good quantity and the leftovers tasted just as great reheated several times over during the week (my son ate one every day after school until it was gone). I’m going to try it for shredded taco filling next. Stay tuned for that.
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BBQ Pulled Jackfruit
Ingredients
- 2 cans Young green jackfruit, in water or brine, 15-oz. cans
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon paprika
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon chili powder
- ½ Teaspoon cumin
- 1-2 Tablespoons mild cooking oil, avocado or canola works great
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cup barbecue sauce, homemade or store bought, plus extra if more is desired
Instructions
For the Jackfruit:
- Rinse, drain, and thoroughly dry the canned jackfruit. Using kitchen shears, cut up the pieces of jackfruit a bit. It will break up in the pan, but this step helps. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of chili powder, and ½ teaspoon of cumin powder. Add the jackfruit and toss to combine.
- In a large skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons of mild oil and heat to medium. Once oil is hot, add the small, diced onion and cook until just beginning to caramelize. Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the seasoned jackfruit and cook for 5 miutes, until it begins to get some color. Begin to break it up with the back of a spoon. It won't break up completely here but just kind of soften apart.
- Remove the jackfruit from the heat and let cool until you can touch it with your hands. Using your hands or two forks, start to pull apart the jackfruit to shred it. Some of the smaller pieces won't shred, that is totally fine. They're still tender and will be great.
- Start with 1 cup of barbecue sauce and mix with the shredded, seasoned jackfruit. Add more if you want the mixture more "saucy". Cook, stirring, just until heated through.
- Serve topped with more barbecue sauce, coleslaw, pickles, and red onions, either on a bun, over rice, or in a tortilla.
Notes
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Anyone out there who knows how to use this recipe starting with fresh vs canned jackfruit? Someone offered us some from his tree and I said no. But of course now I’ve found your recipe and want to try it.
Hi Bonnie! Yes, I know how to prepare the fresh jackfruit vs. canned for my recipe. After you’ve cut the jackfruit into chunks you’ll need to boil it for about 45 minutes. Then rinse the jackfruit and drain it. Rinse and drain one more time and then you can continue with the recipe as stated from the point of having drained the canned jackfruit. I hope this helps and appreciate that you want to try the recipe! We love it at my house and even the meat eaters really like it too. Thanks again and have a great day! Let me know if you need any other help. 🙂
My carnivore of a husband even enjoyed it! Its that delicious! Ate on a bun with cheddar and pickles. Delish! Will definitely make again.
Easy and awesome recipe! this came out better than the jackfruit I had at a fancy vegan restaurant.
Quite delicious, and surprising! I couldn’t even tell the difference between this and pork. I like the instructions to rinse the jackfruit first. It takes away that brine flavor. I highly recommend trying this recipe. Thank you Sally, its a keeper for me 🙂
Easy and awesome recipe! The jackfruit came out flavorful and tender. A big hit in our family!
Quite delicious! Ive never had it on a sandwich before and I like the instructions to rinse the jackfruit first. It takes away that brine flavor.
Beautiful Photo! Definitely going to make this one, Thanks Sally!
Oh I will have so many uses for this #veganrecipe 👏😊
Thanks!
😉
I cannot wait to try this! Much easier than cooking pork all day long AND it looks just like pork! My kids will love it! Great alternative. Thanks for the recipe ❤️
Sorry just saw the part where you said it reheats well!
What do you serve with this besides coleslaw? Trying to think of easy or make ahead sides.
Hi Cassandra! Yes, definitely this can be made in 20 minutes but seriously I would make it a day in advance. My son reheated leftovers two days in a row after the day I first made the recipe. I would say the day after making it is the best. For easy sides- Have you seen my Cauliflower Buffalo Bites recipe? They are incredible and vegetarian friends will really love them but I wouldn’t make these ahead of time. They’re super easy and quick and even though they may seem like an appetizer, we have them for a side dish all the time. I also have a recipe for Salad Stuffed Shells on the blog that are fun and easy to make ahead of time. I hope you like the BBQ Pulled Jackfruit (in fact, I know you will). Let me know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Hi! I am so excited to see this recipe. My husband had read about jackfruit and wanted to try it but we’ve never known what to do with it!
We are having vegetarian friends over this weekend so I was thinking of trying this. Would you really say this is only 20 minutes? We will be quite rushed for time and I’m trying to decide if I’ll have enough time to cook. Does this reheat well? Any thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Looks so delicious!! Love it. 🙂