This Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich tastes like pulled pork nestled in a bun with flavorful coleslaw! Your friends and family won’t believe it’s vegan.
did you eat jackfruit This BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich comes straight from veteran cookbook author Mark Bittman from his new cookbook Dinner for Everyone. And boy oh boy is it amazing! Jackfruit pulled pork is starting to be big here in the United States. And we think you could even fool your friends into believing it’s pork. To be honest, we were a little wary of jackfruit at first. fruit that looks like meat? But after trying it, we’re 99.9% sure you’ll be jumping on the jackfruit barbecue bandwagon too! Read on to learn more about Dinner for All and this delicious Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich.
Related: The Best Vegan Dinner Recipes | 28 day plant-based meal plan
About the book: Dinner for All
This Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich is from the book Dinner for Everyone by Mark Bittman. Bittman is a recognized nutritionist and author who challenged Alex and I to think about how what we eat affects our bodies and the planet. His latest book has a brilliant concept: he prepares a recipe in 3 different ways: quick and easy, vegan and for special occasions. The result is 300 imaginative and delicious recipes! The book isn’t strictly vegetarian or vegan, but as I said, it has plenty of vegetarian options.
Reading Bittman’s book Food Matters 10 years ago put us on the path to eating lots of vegetables today. So of course we wanted to try this vegan sandwich recipe from Dinner for Everyone! And this Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich is a must.
Hear to Mark Bittman on our podcast: Because Food Matters with Mark Bittman
What is jackfruit?
What is jackfruit? Jackfruit is a tropical fruit native to India and widespread in Southeast Asia. It’s now popping up around the world as a plant-based alternative to meat because the unripe fruit absorbs flavor and has a stringy “meat-like” texture when cooked. (The other best meat-like texture: our “famous” veggie meatloaf.) We know it sounds weird, but you really have to see it to believe it! Jackfruit is also high in nutrients, including fiber and antioxidants.
Where to buy jackfruit? You can find jackfruit online or at your local supermarket; It is sold fresh, frozen and canned. Important: Use green jackfruit for this recipe (from the can is better)! do not buy ripe jackfruit, because it is very different! We mistakenly bought frozen ripe jackfruit and it is a yellow fruit packaged like the whole fruit, not “pulled”. Noticing the mistake, we ordered canned jackfruit and made sure it was green. Green jackfruit has the ragged texture (see photo above) and is just what you need for a jackfruit barbecue. Ordering cans online can result in dented cans, so check your store first!
Order It: Canned Green Jackfruit | Amazon
For more: What is jackfruit?
Ingredients for a Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich
For this vegan barbecue sandwich recipe, you’ll need a lot of typical barbecue sauce ingredients plus a few additional ingredients. To prepare this recipe you will need:
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Ketchup
- Scotch or bourbon
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- soy pasture
- Spices
- Green jackfruit in water or brine
- olive oil
- pastries
- coleslaw (for garnish)
How to make Jackfruit BBQ Pulled Pork
So how do you make a jackfruit barbecue? This is where Bittman shines: he has created a perfectly balanced barbecue sauce with sweet, spicy, salty and a little alcohol! It’s a sauce cooked with lots of ketchup, onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar and some whiskey. Hello taste! You’ll sauté your green jackfruit a bit before adding the BBQ sauce, then let it simmer for a good while until the jackfruit takes on the moist, tangy flavor. After trying it, you will be amazed that it almost has that Exactly Taste and texture of pulled pork. Fantastic vegan home cooking, really.
Here we served Jackfruit BBQ on a bun with our lightly pickled coleslaw. You can also use our Best Creamy Coleslaw or any other popular coleslaw recipe (and serve with pickles). This is one of the most satisfying meatless meals we’ve had in a while. ! Our toddler Larson couldn’t stop eating it! It’s especially good for impressing meat eaters with a vegetarian recipe. Try it and let us know what you think about jackfruit!
Can I skip the alcohol?
If you prefer to cook without the alcohol, we think you can probably skip it on this plant-based barbecue recipe without sacrificing flavor. If you skip the scotch and love your BBQ jackfruit sandwich, please leave us a review letting us know how it tastes!
How to store BBQ jackfruit
Leftover BBQ Pulled Jackfruit can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. We recommend reheating the jackfruit in a pan over low heat to keep it from drying out.
Get the book
Order It! The Dinner for All Cookbook by Mark Bittman
Looking for herbal recipes?
Aside from this BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich recipe, here are some of our favorite vegan/plant-based recipes:
This recipe is…
This jackfruit barbecue recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free (with a gluten-free bun), vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
The description
This Jackfruit BBQ Sandwich tastes like pulled pork nestled in a bun with flavorful coleslaw! Your friends and family won’t believe it’s vegan.
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 2 cups organic ketchup
- ½ cup Scotch, bourbon, or other whiskey (or non-alcoholic water)
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy pasture
- 2 teaspoons chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt
- Ground fresh pepper
- 2 15-ounce cans green jackfruit in water or brine (here’s something similar to what we used)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 Recipe Easy Pickled Coleslaw or Best Creamy Coleslaw
- 6 Rolls or ciabatta bread
- Finely chop the onion. Chop the garlic.
- In a medium saucepan, combine ketchup, whiskey, vinegar, soy sauce, onion, garlic, chilli powder, and paprika over medium-high heat. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. (Use immediately or allow to cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a week.)
- Rinse and drain the jackfruit in a colander, squeezing out as much water as possible. Run your hands through the pieces, pulling them apart and tearing them apart with your fingers.
- Pour olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the jackfruit and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture is slightly bubbling. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the jackfruit has absorbed some of the flavor, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Easy Pickled Coleslaw or the Best Creamy Coleslaw.
- When ready to eat, slice the buns or buns. Divide the jackfruit between the rolls, top with the coleslaw and the top of the roll, and serve.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Jackfruit BBQ, What is Jackfruit, Pulled Pork with Jackfruit, Canned Jackfruit, Pulled Jackfruit
