Pulled Jackfruit

Back in the day when we used to eat meat, we used to love pulled pork. It was very heavy and fatty, and after eating it, we never felt well. So, last year, we were at an art festival and there was a vendor selling pulled vegan pork! I said-what?! Not being one for fake processed vegan foods, I wanted to see what they were making.  They let me taste it, and I was hooked! Once I came home to research what jackfruit is, I found it to be lacking in terms of nutrition. It’s a fruit, so, it doesn’t have any protein or bulk. As a main meal, I knew this wouldn’t cut it for my hubby.  So-why not add in some white beans?! They’ll boost the nutritional content, add additional fiber, magnesium, and potassium, while keeping the texture great!.  Enter…..my newly created pulled jackfruit! In addition, I cut back on the sugar in this recipe, and used half tomato sauce and half BBQ sauce. BBQ sauce has a lot of added sugar usually.  I wanted the taste and sauciness of the BBQ, without as much sugar. To compensate, I added tomato sauce. Feel free to use all BBQ sauce. It’s up to you!

This is a great dish to bring for meat eaters and is easy to bring along to a party because it’s crockpot style! Also, a great meal to make in the morning for a fun weeknight meal! Enjoy, it’s even better the next day, and great cold too! For me, I ate it on top of a grilled portabella mushroom that I drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. For the rest of the family, they got whole wheat buns (lucky ducks!).

What is jackfruit? Jackfruit is a very sticky Asian fruit. It’s a great source of fiber, in 1/2 cup there’s 7 g, which makes it wonderful to combat diabetes and heart disease.  It’s also VERY low in calories and virtually no sugars.  It’s a good source of plant-based calcium as well!  To prepare it fresh is tricky. The best way to purchase it for this dish, is young canned green jackfruit, either in a brine (make sure to rinse) or in water.  DON’T buy it in syrup!!!!  Jackfruit can be a little tricky at first. I bought mine at an Indian market, but Asian markets and Amazon carry it as well. For organic, you’ll have to look on line most likely. A link to organic jackfruit can be found here. Jackfruit it cut with the core and not packaged de-seeded. The portions you want are the stringy, pulled pork texture, pieces.  For how to do this, watch my Youtube Video on How To Prepare Jackfruit.

Ingredients:

• 3-20 oz. cans of jackfruit (60 oz or 1695 grams total), rinsed, and de-seeded (see video), NOT in SYRUP, either brine (be sure to rinse) or water
• 2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained (or 4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups of diced red onion
• 3/4 cup of tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup BBQ sauce (make sure it’s vegan and gluten free if needed-I used Wegmans organic BBQ sauce)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1/2 cup water

BBQ spice blend:

• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder-I use a very spicy chili powder-fresh ground red chilis, if yours isn’t, add more to taste

Instructions:

1. Rinse and drain jackfruit.  Separate seeds (hard, bulb like portions) and core (dense portion, similar to a pineapple part of the fruit) from main fruit portions. See video above on how to do this
2. Mix BBQ spice blend ingredients and add all ingredients into a crockpot.Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
3. Alternatively, sauté onions in a hot dutch over/pot, with 2 tbsp water. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Serve with on a hamburger bun or grilled portabella mushroom, and oil-free coleslaw, a large fresh salad, and in-season corn on the cob for an awesome summer-time meal. If you’re enjoying this in colder weather, serve with a baked sweet potato and a large massaged kale salad. 

Nutritional Benefits:

• Vegan and gluten free-decreases inflammation in the body
• Cholesterol & virtually fat-free-great for diabetic and heart disease patients
• Great source of plant-based protein from the addition of beans, important for building and repairing muscle/tissue
• Beans are a great source of magnesium and potassium for heart health, 463 mg potassium
• VERY High in fiber 18.4 g!-important of digestive health, as well as blood sugar regulation, and satiety
• Low in calories, only 185 per serving
• Great source of  iron, 53%, important for oxygenation of blood
• Great source of plant-based calcium: 17% calcium, important for bone and dental health/strength
• Antioxidants: 9% Vitamin C, 6% Vitamin A

Pulled Jackfruit

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Have you heard about jackfruit? Learn how to prepare it so that you can make my delicious pulled jackfruit! Taste and texture very similar to pulled pork, but NOTHING like it calorically!

Author: www.gardenfreshfoodie.com

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: American

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3-20 oz cans of jackfruit (60 oz or 1695 grams total) rinsed, and de-seeded (see video)-NOT in SYRUP, either brine of water
• 2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained (or 4 cups)
• 1½ cups of diced red onion
• ¾ cup of tomato sauce
• ¾ cup BBQ sauce (make sure it's vegan and gluten free if needed-I used Wegmans organic BBQ sauce)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp molasses
• ½ cup water

BBQ spice blend:

• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder-I use a very spicy chili powder-fresh ground red chilis, if yours isn't, add more to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain jackfruit. Separate seeds (hard, bulb like portions) and core (dense portion, similar to a pineapple part of the fruit) from main fruit portions. See video above on how to do this
2. Mix BBQ spice blend ingredients and add all ingredients into a crockpot.Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
3. Alternatively, sauté onions in a hot dutch over/pot, with 2 tbsp water. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Serve with on a hamburger bun or grilled portabella mushroom, and oil-free coleslaw, a large fresh salad, and in-season corn on the cob for an awesome summer-time meal. If you're enjoying this in colder weather, serve with a baked sweet potato and a large massaged kale salad

Notes

Based on 8 servings-could serve 6-8 people. 463 mg potassium, 53% iron, 17% calcium, 9% Vitamin C, 6% Vitamin A

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅛ Calories: 185 Fat: .3 g Carbohydrates: 39.6 g Sugar: 7 g Fiber: 18.4 g Protein: 8.3 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

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