Why this is the best vegetarian bbq sandwich ever!
TEXTURE! The first time I attempted cooking jackfruit, it was disgusting. I had searched the internet multiple times trying to figure out how to cook it. I guess I never found the right info because the texture was really soft and it totally grossed me out. Now this brilliant recipe I threw together….. in the words of my 7 yr old, “Mmmmm this is good….like the best sandwich ever!” “Did you know that’s not meat?” “It’s not?! Can you make me one?” Ya… it’s that good!!
What is jackfruit?
I’d never heard of this before searching for vegetarian meal ideas. It’s a fruit that originated in India and grows in tropical conditions. When ripe it’s very fruity, but when it isn’t ripe it has a more neutral flavor! When using jackfruit as a meat substitute you want to look for YOUNG jackfruit! I’ve also read to make sure you find the jackfruit in water or brine and NOT syrup. You could also get one fresh, but it seems like a pain and I’m not trying to live in the kitchen for the entire day. Anyways, the pictures I had seen looked just like regular bbq so I could NOT wait to try it! I searched amazon and found some that was organic, $14, and it was 4 whole lbs! It had mixed reviews, but most of them were good. The good reviews convinced me, I had to try it!
Achieving the right texture
To achieve the amazing crunchy texture, I made sure to do the following: I rinsed the jackfruit and then squeezed out as much moisture as I could. I covered the bottom of my pan with around 1 cm of olive oil and brought it to medium heat. Once the oil was hot, I added the jackfruit and covered it in seasonings. Then mixed to coat it in the seasonings and increase the heat to medium high. I watched and stirred frequently to avoid burning it. Before it gets crispy it will get softer, when this happens you want to smash/shred it so there is more surface area to crisp. Once it was the right texture, I removed from heat and added my quick homemade bbq sauce!
Vegetarian Pulled “Pork” BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Young Jackfruit in brine or water
- Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 Tsp Paprika
- 1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Coleslaw
- 1 Hawaiian Bun
Instructions
- Cover bottom of small pan with olive oil (around 1 cm deep) and bring to medium heat.
- Rinse jackfruit and use cloth to squeeze as much moisture out as you can.
- Add jackfruit to hot oil and add seasonings.
- Mix to coat jackfruit in seasonings and raise heat to medium high.
- As jackfruit softens, use utensil to smash/shred the jackfruit. The more shredded it is, the more crispy texture you will get.
- Once it's to your desired texture, remove from heat and add BBQ sauce.
- Add your pulled "pork" BBQ jackfruit to a toasted Hawaiian bun with coleslaw and enjoy! (If left unattended, someone else will eat it!! Just FYI)
Give it a try!!
I’m so so excited to share this recipe! I hope you try it out and love it as much as I do. It’s so nice to have a recipe that gives me a bbq fix, but is still vegetarian. This also takes wayyyy less time than actual pork BBQ! Drop a comment with how it turns out for you!
I haven’t found a pre-made bbq jackfruit that I really love. I can’t wait to try this!
The amazon reviews made me a little hesitant, but I was totally happy with it! I froze half of mine to save for Superbowl Sunday!
I have heard of jackfruit being used as a meat substitute before was scared to try it. It isnt the best smelling fruit! However, this is delicious 🙂 I think the trick is grabbing that young jackfruit.
Yes, for sure! Even the young jackfruit smelled a little interesante in the brine, but it turned out delicious! It was even great without any sauce!
This sandwich looks so yummy! I love pulled pork but love that this is vegetarian!
Kileen
cute & little
Pulled pork used to be one of my absolute favorites. I was super excited to create this successfully!
I’ve been wanting to experiment with Jackfruit for a long time now! I’ve been vegetarian for close to four years but somehow have never actually actually used jackfruit to cook, so thank you for this recipe, excited to try it out 🙂
Oh, no way! I had never heard of it before cutting out meat. It’s really a fantastic substitute. I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all!
This looks better than a lot of meaty bbq sandwiches. I can’t wait to try the jackfruit!
Ahhh thanks! You gotta let me know when you do!!
I’ve had a can of jackfruit sitting in my pantry. Thanks to you, I’ve found the perfect recipe to use it with. It sounds delish. Thanks for sharing this!
Oh, yay! Would love to hear how it turns out!
Yummy! I’ve actually made this before! I love all the seasonings you’ve added!
I’m very new to it, but it was delicious! I’d love to try it with different sauces too!
This sounds so delicious! I have not tried Jackfruit yet, but this looks like a great recipe to try!!
Thank you! I crave it most days now haha. It’s a great meat substitute!
I’ve been wanting to try this! I’ve heard others say that they loved it as well. I’m checking out the one that you bought now!
I was hesitant to buy it from amazon, but I wanted it as quickly as possible and it wasn’t anywhere in my area haha. It turned out great, I was very pleased with it!