BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich

So anyways, what exactly is Jackfruit? Well, its a fruit that is normally found in Asia, Latin America, Africa and India. It is loaded in minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants, isoflavones and phytonutrients. It is said to help fight cancer and even help with indigestion. But sadly, contains little to no protein, so the protein must be made up in the rest of the meal, such as in the bread and side dishes. You can buy the fruit fresh but I heard its a real pain to peel, so your best bet is to buy it either canned or frozen. I found mine at a local Asian market, if you do not have one near you, I've found several websites that also sells it as well.

I've been wanting to try Jackfruit in place of faux meat for a long time. One of the first vegan restaurants I've ever tried, Pureluck, offers jackfruit in place of tofu in many of their dishes. But every time I'd go there, I'd always order the tofu, in fear that the jackfruit wouldn't be as good. Finally last week I worked up enough courage to try their pulled jackfruit BBQ burrito. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad at all and the flavor the jackfruit was so mild that you barely tasted it.

If you have ever tried Trader Joe's "Chicken-less BBQ Pulled Chicken," I would say this tasted just like that but homemade and soy free. I sadly do not own a slow cooker or Dutch oven, so I had to cook mine over the stove, covered on low heat. It took about an hour and a half until the jackfruit was ready. So if anyone is like me, cooking it over the stove works as well.

I got the recipe from ChowVegan.

( P.S. If anyone has a Twitter account, can you please follow my friend @krumcakes08. He runs a really funny radio/webcam show and if he doesn't get enough followers he will have to wear booty shorts to the next taping. Although that would be so funny, I feel bad for him. So please follow him if you are on Twitter. Thank you! )

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Serves 4

Ingredients

* 2 ( 15 ounce ) cans young jackfruit in brine
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tb extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 cups + extra BBQ sauce, bottled or homemade ( I like to use Veganomicon's Backyard BBQ, Recipe Below )
* 4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions
1. Drain and rinse the jackfruit several times, trying to remove the brine as much as possible. The smell is really strong, so the more you rinse, the less it will taste like jackfruit. After rinsing, squeeze out as much water as you can.

2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the garlic.


3. Add the jackfruit and season with salt. Cook for a 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


4. Transfer the jackfruit to a slow cooker with the 1 cup of BBQ sauce and mix well. If you do not have a slow cooker, a dutch oven will work just as well under low heat. Allow to cook for 1 hour, occasionally stirring and adding more sauce if needed. To check if its ready, pierce the jackfruit with a fork or spoon and see if it breaks apart easily.


5. When cooked fully, remove the jackfruit from the cooker and shred with a fork. Or allow to cool and shred with your hands.


To Serve - Toast your hamburger buns and add one heaping spoonful or more of jackfruit with BBQ sauce.


Backyard BBQ Sauce
Makes about 4 cups
Time : 40 minutes

Ingredients
* 1 Tb vegetable oil
* 1 medium size yellow onion, chopped as finely as your can
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tsp red pepper flakes ( use less or don't include if you don't like spicy )
* 1 ( 28 ounce ) can crushed tomatoes
* 1/3 cup molasses
* 1/3 cup white vinegar
* 2 Tb sugar
* 1 Tb yellow mustard ( Dijon is fine too )
* 1 tsp liquid smoke

Directions
1. Preheat a saucepan over medium heat. Place the onions in the pan and saute in oil until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

2. Add all the other ingredients except the mustard and liquid smoke, and cook for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if the sauce begins to splatter everywhere.

3. Add the mustard and liquid smoke, and taste for sweetness/sourness. Adjust the flavors if you think it's necessary, and cook for 5 minutes more. If you like a smooth BBQ sauce then puree it, but that's not entirely necessary.