This Vegan Pulled Barbecue Jackfruit is an exclusive recipe from chef and author Lloyd Rose’s brand-new cookbook Crazy Good Vegan. Lloyd is one of Best of Vegan’s Montreal-based contributors and he’s the creator of the blog and Instagram account Plant Crazii.
Vegan Pulled Barbecue Jackfruit
Aside from showing you my favorite way to make pulled jackfruit come so close to the “real thing,” I’m letting you in on a secret ingredient many cooks use to create the sticky barbecue sauce you see on ribs—Coca-Cola®! Or, any similar dark sweet cola. I wish you nothing but absolute satisfaction as you bite through the bun and into this smoky, sweet, savory and absolutely succulent jackfruit.
What You’ll Need
- Shredded cabbage
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Plant-based mayonnaise
- White vinegar
- Young green jackfruit (from a can of young green jackfruit in brine)
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Ground cumin
- Salt
- Chinese five spice powder
- Canola oil or other neutral-flavored oil
- Barbecue sauce (I use a smoky barbecue sauce)
- Coca-Cola or any similar cola
- 2 vegan sandwich buns
How to Make This Pulled Barbecue Jackfruit
Step one: make the coleslaw
In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, sugar, salt, pepper, plant-based mayonnaise and vinegar, tossing until everything is evenly mixed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, allowing the flavors to meld, until you’re ready to serve.
Step two: prepare and spice the jackfruit
Remove the jackfruit pieces from the can, rinse them well and drain them thoroughly. In a large bowl, combine the jackfruit, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, five spice powder and vinegar.
Step three: cook the jackfruit
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the jackfruit pieces until both sides of the jackfruit have turned golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.
Step four: add the barbecue sauce
Add the barbecue sauce and cola to the skillet, and press down on the jackfruit pieces with a fork or spatula. This will “open” the pieces to allow the sauce to get into the jackfruit. Cook until the sauce has completely reduced, about 3 minutes more, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Step five: heat the buns
Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat for toasting the buns. Slice the sandwich buns in half and toast the open facesides in the hot pan, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step six: bring it all together
Once the sandwich buns are toasted, assemble the sandwiches by placing a generous portion of coleslaw on the bottom buns. Top with the jackfruit and the top buns and dig in!
Pulled Barbecue Jackfruit
Ingredients
Coleslaw
- 1¾ cups 120 g shredded cabbage
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground blackpepper
- 2 tbsp 30 ml plant-based mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp 45 ml white vinegar
Jackfruit
- 1 cup 150 g young green jackfruit (from a can of young green jackfruit in brine)
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
- ½ tbsp 8 ml white vinegar
- 2 tbsp 30 ml canola oil or other neutral-flavored oil
- ⅓ cup 80 ml barbecue sauce (I use a smoky barbecue sauce)
- ¼ cup 60 ml Coca-Cola or any similar cola
- 2 sandwich buns
Instructions
- Make the coleslaw: In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, sugar, salt, pepper, plant-based mayonnaise and vinegar, tossing until everything is evenly mixed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, allowing the flavors to meld, until you're ready to serve.
- Remove the jackfruit pieces from the can, rinse them well and drain them thoroughly. In a large bowl, combine the jackfruit, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, five spice powder and vinegar.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Fry the jackfruit pieces until both sides of the jackfruit have turned golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.
- Add the barbecue sauce and cola to the skillet, and press down on the jackfruit pieces with a fork or spatula. This will “open” the pieces to allow the sauce to get into the jackfruit. Cook until the sauce has completely reduced, about 3 minutes more, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat for toasting the buns. Slice the sandwich buns in half and toast the open facesides in the hot pan, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Once the sandwich buns are toasted, assemble the sandwiches by placing a generous portion of coleslaw on the bottom buns. Top with the jackfruit and the top buns and dig in!
Notes
About the Book
In this brilliant collection, Lloyd Rose of the blog Plant Crazii shares his skill for simple & delicious vegan home cooking with 60 recipes that are beginner- friendly, frugal and quick to make.
Lloyd Rose is a wizard at using commonly found pantry ingredients and transforming them into flavor-packed plant-based meals. Where many plant- based chefs are calling for expensive and hard-to-find ingredients to mimic flavors and textures of animal products, Lloyd keeps it simple. He combines a handful of key ingredients with smart cooking techniques to make food that just plain tastes good, doesn’t break the bank and happens to be vegan. Inspired by his mom’s Jamaican heritage, Lloyd’s dishes are bold and rooted in tradition.
Plant-based home cooks who don’t have the time and budget for complex recipes will go crazy for Lloyd’s refreshing reminder that the best things in the kitchen are usually the simplest.
About the Author
Lloyd Rose is the founder of Plant Crazii, an online resource and Instagram account where he shares recipes and tips for vegan living. He is a regular contributor to Best of Vegan. He lives in Montreal, Canada.
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