How convincing is this BBQ Pulled Jackfruit. Jackfruit is a fantastic meat substitute and is the key ingredient for this imitation BBQ Pulled Pork. Get the recipe below.
Vegan meat substitutes
I am a self confessed junk food vegan, and I will happily eat mock-meat burgers, sausages, fried chicken and more! I ate meat for over 20 years of my life and so I still enjoy the occasional vegan "meat" dish.
Pulled pork is one of those dishes that I enjoy just as much now that I'm vegan than I did when I ate meat. Using jackfruit is the perfect way to create convincing looking BBQ Pulled Pork without any pigs being harmed in the process.
But perhaps they best thing about this recipe is that it doesn't require any processed foods. Although I enjoy eating mock-meat I do worry about how much processed food I put into my body. Luckily this recipe just requires one natural ingredients to replace the meat - jackfruit.
What is jackfruit?
Jackfruit is a large fruit that grows on trees in Asia. It's become incredibly popular over the last few years as a meat substitute for use in vegetarian and vegan cooking.
The fruit itself is odd looking. It's round with a bumpy skin that is green and orange. It can grow up to 1 meter long though usually it's harvested at around 30cm.
Inside it has a yellow flesh with big seeds. When it's ripe this flesh is waxy but when it's unripe it's much more stringy, which is why it "shreds" perfectly like pulled pork!
What does jackfruit taste like?
The most readily available variety is tinned, young tender jackfruit. It has a very mild flavour that may occasionally taste sweet. It doesn't taste very meaty but because it doesn't have a strong taste it's very easy to turn it into anything you want.
If you buy fresh, ripe jackfruit it will be even sweeter. Some people suggest that it has the flavour of banana and pineapple mixed together! Whilst you can use fresh jackfruit for this recipe the tinned variety works perfectly and is a most cost-effective, simple way to make the dish.
How to turn jackfruit into pulled "pork"
Once you've got your tin of jackfruit you will need to drain it well. We don't need to keep any of the water that the jackfruit comes in.
Next, you can pull the jackfruit chunks apart by hand to get the look of shredded pulled pork.
Any firmer pieces that don't shred up can be cut into matchsticks along with any seeds.
Once you've prepped the jackfruit all you need to do is cook your onions, spices, add a little BBQ sauce and cook it all together until you have sweet, spicy, sticky BBQ pulled jackfruit! It's that simple.
The recipe
BBQ Pulled Jackfruit
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 white onion thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 400 g tinned jackfruit 225g drained weight
- 100 ml water
- 4 tablespoon BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and sweat the onions with a big pinch of salt until they are beginning to soften (this should take around 10 minutes).
- Add the spices to the onions and cook for a further 2-3 mins on a medium heat so that they release their aromas.
- Next add in the shredded jackfruit along with the water.
- Simmer gently for 15 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the BBQ sauce and stir, cook for another 5 minutes or until sticky.
Nutrition
How to serve BBQ Pulled Jackfruit
I can happily eat BBQ Pulled Jackfruit all by itself. Stuff it in a bun for a delicious Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich. You could even add a vegan "beef" patty and some salad for burger night.
It's also great in Tex-Mex dishes like tacos or enchiladas.
More vegan "meat" recipes
If you want to try more vegan mock-meat recipes then why not try one of these:
Check out the recipe archive
There are plenty more recipes where these came from. Check out the vegan recipe archive for more plant based dinners, desserts and more.
If you're new to a vegan diet, then why not check out my "Go Vegan!" page for lots of resources to make the transition more easy.
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