Jackfruit “pulled pork” is slowly cooked in barbecue sauce, water, oil, and seasonings to make super yummy sandwiches that will leave everyone wanting more. These sandwiches have all the flavors equivalent to pulled pork but with the health benefits of vegan recipes.
If you want to give meat a break, try my Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup. This soup has a creamy consistency and all the health benefits of sweet potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, and a few other pantry staples.
What is jackfruit, and what does it taste like?
Jackfruit is a tropical fruit grown in subtropical/tropical areas such as Asia and India. When ripe, it will give a nice sweet flavor and resembles more of a fruit, and the unripe (young green variety) is used more for cooking. The jackfruit taste depends on whether you are eating it ripe or unripe; it is a highly versatile fruit. If you were to eat it raw and ripe, it would resemble other tropical fruits like pineapple or mango.
However, the unripe variety is where you can be extra creative as it soaks up the flavors of the dish nicely from sauces (kind of like what tofu does) but has more of a firm texture that resembles pulled pork when shredded.
Recipe Ingredients
- Canned young jackfruit: You’ll find young jackfruit in the can, which will have a more neutral flavor, making it perfect for soaking up the flavors in this jackfruit pulled pork recipe. Canned Jackfruit is a great meat substitute if you have never tried it before.
- Barbecue sauce: The primary flavor in this vegan “pulled pork” recipe.
- Onion: Add flavor and heartiness to the sandwiches.
- Water and Oil: Oil is used to sautee the onions, and water is used during the slow cooker process.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder and black pepper are the perfect seasonings for shredded jackfruit.
- Buns: A bread idea for serving slow cooker jackfruit.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add seasoned jackfruit to a skillet of onions that have been sauteed for 4-5 minutes with olive oil. Continue to cook until the jackfruit becomes lightly browned.
Step Two – Transfer the browned jackfruit and translucent onions to the crock pot. Add the BBQ sauce and water.
Step Three – Cook on LOW for 4.5 -5 hrs until shreds easily with a fork.
Step Four – After cooking, shred jackfruit with two forks. Serve and enjoy!
Serving ideas
- As-is: Serving a nice helping of pulled jackfruit by itself on a bun is undoubtedly a good option, especially if you want to embrace the flavors by themselves.
- Toppings: An excellent heaping of cole slaw mix on top, along with a slice of avocado, dill pickles, and jalapenos, can create a fresh sandwich in no time.
- Sides: You can also enjoy coleslaw on the side along with chips, fresh-cut vegetables like different colored bell peppers, or sliced cucumber.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! The juice inside may be a little sticky, so coat your knife with coconut oil before cutting. Also, you’ll want to pull out the yellow or orange flesh parts and discard the seeds and any stringy white pieces. Using a whole fresh jackfruit can be daunting, so if you are a beginner cook, you may want to stick with canned jackfruit.
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Can freeze bbq jackfruit for up to 3 months.
You can use frozen jackfruit, however, make sure to thaw it first for crockpot jackfruit.
You can play around with the different BBQ sauce varieties that are out there. I enjoy a BBQ with a slight kick and one that is on the thicker side.
Jackfruit in brine is perfectly fine; ensure you rinse and drain it because this will allow it to soak up the barbecue flavors better.
If you want more flavor punch, add chili powder, liquid smoke (just a teaspoon, it’s very strong!), lime juice, brown sugar, or even apple cider vinegar. You can flavor jackfruit just as you would pulled pork.
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Slow Cooker Jackfruit “Pulled Pork”
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 40 oz. young green jackfruit drained (packed in water or brine) – this is two 20 oz. cans.
- 1.5 cups BBQ sauce more for serving as needed (use your favorite barbecue sauce brand or flavor).
- ¼ cup water
- 1 yellow sweet onion (medium-sized) sliced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. pepper
For Serving:
- buns brioche, pretzel, potato or onion
- coleslaw regular or vegan
Instructions:
- If using Jackfruit packed in Brine, ensure you rinse thoroughly and pat dry. When cooking Jackfruit to be shredded on the stovetop, I recommend cutting out the core as it can be quite tough. However, when using a slow cooker it breaks the toughness of the center core down a little more. You can still cut off the core to ensure the jackfruit shreds easily though. The goal is to have a texture like shredded chicken or pulled pork.
- Heat up a large sauce pan over medium high with one tablespoon of oil. Add the sliced onions and cook until the onion becomes translucent which takes about 4-5 minutes depending on your stovetop.
- Season the jackfruit with garlic powder and pepper and add to the pan for about 10 minutes to immerse the flavors and until lightly browned. Turn about 5 minutes on each side. May need to turn down the stovetop to medium if it starts to get too hot.
- Transfer to slow cooker and add BBQ sauce and water. Cook on low for 4.5 -5 hrs until shreds easily with a fork.
- Once the dish is done shred the jackfruit with two forks. Serve over bun of choice with a good heaping of coleslaw mix on top. You can also enjoy the coleslaw on the side
Recipe Notes:
- You can use frozen jackfruit, however, make sure to thaw it first.
- Jackfruit in Brine is perfectly fine, just ensure you rinse and drain it.
- Want to use a whole jackfruit instead? The juice inside may be a little sticky, so coat your knife with coconut oil prior to cutting. Also, you’ll want to pull out the yellow or orange flesh parts and discard the seeds and any white stringy pieces. Continue with the cooking directions as mentioned above.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Can freeze bbq jackfruit for up to 3 months.
- Nutritional values do not include the buns or coleslaw.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
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