Pulled “Pork” with Jackfruit

I am not kidding when I tell you that I think you can fool your friends with this “pulled” pork made from a fruit! Jackfruit, that is. I had never heard of jackfruit until a few years ago. In the grocery store they can be found fresh in the produce aisle. It looks like this and can be as large as a watermelon. It can also be found in cans — usually at a specialty or health food store. However many regular grocery stores are also carrying jackfruit in cans these days.

I have only bought fresh jackfruit once. Luckily it was already cut into slices so I did not have to cut it in half, which I think would be quite tricky. CLICK HERE to see me dig through the jackfruit I bought. The fresh fruit is quite tasty and can be eaten raw, of course. This recipe is similar to that one, but I modified it to be made with a can of jackfruit which saved a lot of cooking time.

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

One 20 oz. can of jackfruit in brine (make sure not to get the kind in syrup)

2 tsp. brown sugar (organic if possible)

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/2 cup barbeque sauce of your choice (preferable vegan)

PROCEDURE

1. Drain jackfruit
2. Take pieces apart to remove the seeds. Break up pieces with your hands or fork. I used everything in the can except the seeds. Some of the fruit might appear tough, but it will soften as it cooks.
3. Add all of the rest of the ingredients and mix to coat the jackfruit.
4. Put on a stove, covered, on very low heat for about 1 hour. Check occasionally to see if you need to add some more sauce.
5. After about an hour, take a fork and pull apart any large pieces
6. Serve on the bread of your choice

Jackfruit is certainly an interesting food and the fact that it can be used to make a meat substitute is pretty cool. I have also made “chicken” and dumplings with it and it was phenomenal. CLICK HERE for that recipe. Again, I think I could easily fool people into thinking it is chicken. So, if you are interested in going plant based, jackfruit is one thing you can use to ease yourself into eating less meat. It will feel and taste like meat with all the benefits of eating a fruit. It’s a win win for people transitioning to a plant based diet.