Pulled Jackfruit BBQ Sandwiches

Today I’m sharing a recipe that caught my eye in the June edition of Vegan Life magazine. The recipe is for Pulled Jackfruit BBQ sandwiches. Don’t they look delicious?

I don’t know who started the pulled jackfruit craze, but it sure has taken the plant-based world by storm. I first tried it at a vegan fair last year, where it was served as part of a Tex Mex dish with nachos. I absolutely loved it and it’s been on my ‘to try at home’ list ever since.

So when I spotted this recipe in the Vegan Life mag, which had just a handful of ingredients and simple instructions, I was excited to give it a try.

Canned jackfruit isn’t yet available in mainstream UK supermarkets, but you will find it in Asian stores and some health food shops. Organic canned jackfruit is also available online from The Vegan Kind (remember you can receive 5% off your TVK orders using the discount code Goodstuff).

We’re lucky enough to have a Chinese supermarket right in the centre of Bath (Hai Na Oriental Supermarket in the Corridor), and that’s where I found these cans of jackfruit. They sell jackfruit in syrup too, so be sure to read the labels and check the one you buy is in water or brine.

You could make your own BBQ sauce but, for ease and speed, the recipe recommends using store-bought. I opted for this one from Bart (purchased in Waitrose). I read the ingredients to check it didn’t contain honey, and I also made sure it wasn’t super hot. Lucien is now a teenager and has surpassed me in the amount of heat he can handle so, from now on, I’m officially the spice wimp of the family.

I’ve made this recipe twice already. As a main meal, we enjoyed it with a sides of sweet potato wedges and salad. As a lighter bite, we simply served it with big pile of colourful salad leaves and a dollop of hummus. I imagine it would also go well in a burrito-style wrap, served with rice and avocado. I must try this!

[print_this] Recipe lightly adapted from Pulled BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich from VEGANIZE IT! by Robin Robertson, published in Vegan Life magazine Issue 27

Serves: 4
Hands on time: 10 minutes    Ready in: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 x 560g can jackfruit in water or brine (280g drained weight)
1 TBSP tamari or low salt soy sauce
¼ tsp smoked paprika
300ml / 1⅓ cups BBQ sauce (store-bought)
4 sandwich rolls, split and toasted (I use seeded, wholemeal rolls)

Method

1.  Gently heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) and cook the onion until it starts to soften (4-5 minutes).

2.  Meanwhile, tip the jackfruit into a colander and give it a rinse. Shred or thinly slice the jackfruit pieces (I finely slice the solid inner core sections and pull apart the rest with my fingers). Add the jackfruit to the frying pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened. Give it a stir now and then.

3.  Stir in the soy sauce and smoked paprika.

4.  Pour in the BBQ sauce and stir through to combine. Gently bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste test and adjust the seasoning, if needed.

5.  Pile the jackfruit inside the toasted sandwich rolls and serve.

6.  Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for three days. I enjoy them for next day’s lunch, served in a wrap with salad. I imagine they’d go really well with rice and avocado too (in a burrito-style wrap).

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Have you tried pulled jackfruit yet? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you’ve got any recipe recommendations, please do link them up in the comments section below. Now I’m on the jackfruit bandwagon, I can’t wait to try more recipes!

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11 thoughts on “Pulled Jackfruit BBQ Sandwiches

  1. Thanks for the recipe Sharon. I have never heard of jackfruit, never mind tried it, but it is now firmly on my to-do list.

    1. Jackfruit is a strange fruit. I’ve never seen a fresh one in real life but they look huge! It doesn’t have much flavour of its own, so I guess that’s why it works so well with richly-flavoured sauces. So far, I’ve only tried this BBQ recipe at home, so I’m looking forward to trying out more 🙂

    1. Well it’s good to know I’m not the only one late to the Jackfruit party 😉 It’s a pretty strange fruit. Weird, shreddy texture and bland flavour, which makes it perfect for marinading in BBQ sauce. You must seek it out and give it a try!

  2. I’ve also been experimenting the last 18 months of so with jackfruit! I find it just takes on the flavour of whatever you cook it with – similar to tofu! So versatile. Also not available in mainstream supermarkets here yet too…… so grateful for the awesome range that Asian grocery stores have 🙂

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