Sweet and Spicy Barbeque Pulled Jackfruit
Barbeque! You name it, if it’s got it, we will eat it. My husband and I are big believers in this bold and zesty sauce. Sweet potato fries want to be dunked in it, chicken wings love to swim in, and pulled pork likes bathe in it. As you may or may not know, my household is far from vegetarian or vegan. However, I work really hard throughout the week to throw in a handful of meatless meals to push some extra fruits and vegetables. While my husband would advocate for some traditional barbeque pulled pork or barbeque ribs, I like to make him compromise in the kitchen a bit more. That is how this idea was born into the kitchen, my Sweet and Spicy Barbeque Pulled Jackfruit.
A few weeks prior to the birth of this recipe, I had the privilege of exploring Trader Joe’s for the very first time. Where I grew up, the closest Trader Joe’s was over an hour away. Now, it’s just a quick 10 minutes down the road from my work. When I walked into this grocery store for the first time, it truly was a foodie’s paradise. I was overwhelmed by the selection of cauliflowered everything, seasoning blends, and bread selection. I can’t forget to mention the Wisconsin born girl in me died and went to heaven when I saw the cheese selection…oh the cheese!
While perusing the aisles, I came across some canned jackfruit, which sparked the idea for this recipe. I had heard of this fruit being used in place of chicken, tuna, and pork and figured I should try my hand at. Earlier in the week, the hubby asked me to make some of my slow cooker pulled pork. These two ideas came together and BOOM — my barbeque, pulled jackfruit sandwiches were born. Now that I had some direction, I kept my eyes open for anything that would complement my idea. There I found the Trader Joe’s Organic Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ sauce – you can find it here https://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/2317. It’s perfectly sweet with a good punch of heat.
I hopped in my car and raced home to put together my (hopefully) tasty grocery store finds. Not only were these sweet and spicy barbeque pulled jackfruit sandwiches a tasty vegetarian replacement for pork, they were also Hubby approved! Furthermore, my meat loving, carnivore of a husband gave me approval and even asked for more.
I hope you give these barbeque pulled jackfruit sandwiches a try and love them just as much as we did! If you’d like to see more of my meat free dishes, click here or here.
Sweet and Spicy Barbeque Pulled Jackfruit
- 2 20oz cans jackfruit (I used TJ’s Green Jackfruit in Brine, not “syrup”)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water, you can use broth of preference
- 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, I used Trader Joe’s Organic Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ
- 1 T tomato paste
- 1 T brown sugar or maple syrup
- 5-6 hamburger buns of choice
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Preheat your oven to 450F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
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Drain and rinse the jackfruit.
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Add the olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Then, add the onion and garlic, sauté until tender, roughly 5 minutes. Add in jackfruit and broth. Cover and continue to cook. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the jackfruit is tender enough to easily shred with a fork. Shred and mash the jackfruit with a fork, until it breaks apart and looks pulled or shredded.
- Add barbeque sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar to jackfruit and stir until evenly coated. Let simmer in sauce for 3-5 minutes.
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To finish the jackfruit spread evenly on a baking sheet and then place in the oven for 10 minutes or until edges start to get crispy. Remove from oven and pour over 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and stir to combine. After the jackfruit is well coated, toss it back in the oven for about 10 minutes, until it looks delicious and golden and even a few strands get a bit burnt. Remove from the oven, if desired top with additional barbeque sauce
- Finally, place barbeque pulled jackfruit on bun of choice and top with coleslaw.
