Pigs are friends, not food. Eat this BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich.

It has taken me forever to jump on the jackfruit bandwagon. I had it for the first time in LA when my step-mother ordered jackfruit “fish” tacos at Sage Oganic Vegan Bistro. Just a few weeks ago my husband had the jackfruit reuben at FüD. But, truthfully, it took a reader email to encourage me to try jackfruit myself. She asked if I had ever cooked with jackfruit (no) and would I mind trying it in the pressure cooker and let her know how it works?

Martie, this is for you!

Jackfruit is, well, a fruit. It’s flesh is very meaty and, when cooked, it shreds, so it’s become a darling among vegans who remember pulled pork sandwiches but now know that pigs are friends, not food. Vegan versions of “pulled pork” sandwiches with jackfruit abound on the interwebs.

I bought canned jackfruit, packed in water (NOT syrup), from an Asian market.

can of jackfruit

The jackfruit is pre-cut and not in a brine so I did nothing but rinse and drain the jackfruit before adding it to the pressure cooker.

I started to mix and match ingredients from a couple of my barbecue sauce recipes. Since the idea behind this recipe is to emulate “pulled pork” I used whole mustard seeds, instead of ground mustard, because it is commonly used to season cooked meat. The combination of the whole mustard seeds and cayenne pepper make this a very spicy dish.

BBQ Pulled Jack Fruit Sandwich with Avocado
BBQ Pulled Jackfruit

From Vegan Pressure Cooking by JL Fields

Serves 4

Ingredients 

  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) finely diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon (8 g) minced garlic
  • 1 can (17 ounces, or 476 g) jackfruit, packed in water, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons (48 g) tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple, date, or brown rice syrup
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup (120 to 180 ml) water

Instructions

    Pressure Cooker Instructions

    1. In an uncovered pressure cooker heat the oil on medium-high. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the jackfruit, seasonings, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire, and syrup and stir to combine. Add enough of the water to cover the jackfruit and mix well.
    2. Cover and bring to pressure. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. Allow for a natural release.
    3. Remove the lid and stir the jackfruit and sauce well. Use a fork to pull the jackfruit into shreds. This should be very easy to do.
    4. Serve on the toasted bread or buns.BBQ Pulled Jack Fruit in the Pressure Cooker

    Suggested Slow Cooker Instructions (with my thanks to Ambur)

    1. Mix all ingredients, except oil and jackfruit, in a bowl.
    2. Add oil to the slow cooker, the add the jackfruit.
    3. Pour the BBQ sauce over the jack fruit, coating it well.
    4. Cover and slow cook on low for 3 – 4 hours.
    5. NOTE: I have not tested these suggested slow cooker instructions – you may need to keep an eye on it to ensure there is enough liquid.

    BBQ Pulled Jack Fruit in a bowl

    One can of jack fruit makes enough for four hearty sandwiches.

    BBQ Pulled Jack Fruit Open Face Sandwich

    View and print recipe

    As I said, this is very spicy but my husband and I love hot and spicy (you are so naughty!) so we served the BBQ Pulled Jackfruit on avocado  to add a cooling element to the sandwich. If you prefer something less spicy, reduce the amount of cayenne pepper and/or whole mustard seeds.

    So, come on, I know you’ve done it. How have you used jackfruit?

    22 thoughts on “Pigs are friends, not food. Eat this BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich.”

          1. There it is! And I remember that recipe now. It only took me 18 months to try jackfruit – maybe the actual fruit scared me! LOL

    1. I’m so excited that you tried this! It looks amazing! I used jackfruit to make “crab” cakes, but this is the ultimate recipe- the one I’ve been waiting to try! Thanks so much for doing this! Yay!

    2. never tried jackfruit, but i didn’t know that they offered it in a can. that’s a neat idea. thanks for the inspiration.

    3. I love Jackfruit prepared this way. I’ll have to venture beyond the bbq version and try something different. But the pulled jackfruit sandwich is wonderful!!

    4. Ahhhhhh! I love working with jackfruit. It so remarkably mimics that shredded texture I used to get in the Tex Mex food of my youth. And I’m lovin’ the look of that bread, JL. I like mine all grainy (I see some good looking seeds peeking out) and majorly toasty, too! Thanks for sharing.

    5. Thanks for posting this recipe! I made it once and promptly misplaced my copy of your book. Looking forward to taking this camping!

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