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BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich Recipe from The Sexy Vegan
8October 24th, 2011recipesyou guys are in luck! today we have a guest post from the sexy vegan, with an outtake recipe from his upcoming cookbook that deals with one of our favoritest foods ever: JACKFRUIT! if you live in LA, you’re probably mourning the loss of pure luck’s insane bbq jackfruit sandwich, so i highly suggest you give this one a shot. you can get canned jackfruit at indian or asian markets, as well as a grocery warehouse on the east side and figgy prod in highland park. enjoy!
During my extensive search of the elusive jackfruit for a recipe for my upcoming cookbook The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude (thought I’d get the shameless plugging out of the way early), I found myself – as I often do – at my favorite Indian market/eatery, Samosa House in Culver City. When I walked in, I spotted an Indian woman talking to another woman, and they were gesturing to an object that I was pretty sure was a jackfruit. It seemed the Indian woman was schooling the other woman on everything about the fruit. I was very much interested in what she was saying, but I didn’t want to interrupt, so I figured I’d do my shopping first, and when they were done, would ask the Indian woman all about it. After about 5 minutes or so, the other woman walked away, and I approached the Indian woman. She explained to me that it was indeed a jackfruit, and proceeded to tell me all about it. Where it grows. How to break one down. How the ripe ones bear a sweet fruit, while you can cook the “meat” of an un-ripened, or “green” one to achieve the texture of pulled pork (which is why I was interested in it). She spent 7 or 8 minutes politely educating me, and answering all my questions. When we were about done, and I was ready to go to her manager and tell him how helpful she had been, I finally asked her how often they get them in. She said, “I don’t know. I don’t work here, I’m just buying vegetables.” Oops…I think I was profiling at the Indian market. My bad. She was super nice and helpful though. I’m sure she’s great at whatever job she does.
I did not, however purchase that one, as it was already ripened and sweet. And while I was able to finally find a source for the jackfruit, I ultimately decided that the it was too difficult to come by, and therefore not ready to be in the book. But if you can find some, here’s a little something I’ve come up with. Enjoy!…
BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich
2 15 oz cans young or green jackfruit in water or brine, drained, rinsed, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
a couple grinds pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil plus 2 teaspoons for the pot
1/2 yellow onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
couple drops liquid smoke
6 ounces beer
1 cup barbecue sauce, heated
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, toastedHeat a dutch oven or large pot to medium. In a medium sized mixing bowl toss together the jackfruit, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, cayenne, brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add the remaining oil to the pot and add the jackfruit, onion and garlic. Let the jackfruit brown on one side 5 to 7 minutes then toss and let the other side brown an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, worcestershire, vinegar, liquid smoke, and beer. Cover and simmer on medium for 90 minutes or until liquid is gone and the jackfruit is soft. Then break up the jackfruit with a wooden spoon.
Preheat your oven to 400 F. Spread the jackfruit out on a foiled and oiled sheet pan and bake it for 20 min. Next add 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, toss to coat, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. or until some of the edges of the jackfruit get a little dried out and browned. Place the jackfruit in a mixing bowl and toss it with the remaining BBQ sauce. Now make sandwiches. You’re welcome.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
Tags: jackfruit, sexy vegan
8 responses to “BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich Recipe from The Sexy Vegan” 
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This is nice. THANK YOU!
PS: They have whole jackfruits by the BOAT-loads at 99 ranch market-i was at the one in Van Nuys and got one there.They are challenging to make / prepare however – especially since i had no idea what i was doing; i def need some more schooling there.
If anyone has ever tried it you’ll know what i mean by this: i found myself and my entire kitchen and implements covered in a substance like super glue – and i just seems to multiply and stick all over everything! Including sticking my fingers to each other and can’t get them open no matter what. The stuff doesn’t come off either…Still can’t get it all cleaned off stuff and had to throw some things away because of it, Lol… -
I definitely find it easier to work with the young green jackfruit pieces sold in cans that this recipe calls for. You can find them at Samosa House.
Rinse the pieces several times to help remove the sour taste, then sauté them in a generous amount of water or boil for 5-10 minutes, then use two forks to pull the pieces apart while mixing in whatever sauce works for you.
I have been following this recipe for BBQ sauce, but avoiding the slow cooking, and it still tastes delicious:
http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?p=1363205
I’m looking forward to trying the baking method.
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MrsVeganPizza October 24th, 2011 at 12:48
Awesome sounding recipe! Jackfruit is really something else. Hadn’t heard of this sexy vegan before, but I watched some of his videos and they are funny!
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I have never heard of Jackfruit and if I did not know better I would be convinced that the picture is pulled pork.
I am going to have to try and find this stuff.
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I loved eating fresh jackfruit right off the street all over Southeast Asia. They didn’t have any awesome jackfruit bbq sandwiches though!!
Can’t wait for this book!
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Try any Asian grocery store to find canned, yound (green) jackfruit. Or if it’s a small store in a small town, just ask and they might special order it for you!
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veganjake October 25th, 2011 at 12:53
99 ranch markets carries canned jackfruit (in brine)less than $2 i think. I always keep a couple of cans around for ‘carnitas’ tacos or pozole(i miss pure luck). One can will make 6-8 tacos.
Jackie October 24th, 2011 at 11:13