Easy BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork Recipe creates a Kansas-City style pulled pork that’s shockingly vegan! This Jackfruit BBQ recipe is easy to make with this slow cooker recipe. Pulled jackfruit is cooked in a slightly sweet BBQ sauce, then pan fried to create a caramelized flavor. See tips on where to buy canned jackfruit. Vegan BBQ sandwiches are delicious and best when served with savory sweet coleslaw.
What does Jackfruit Meat Taste Like?
Jackfruit has a texture that’s stringy, especially after it’s cooked. There is a tangy, sweet flavor to jackfruit, but it’s just neutral enough that by cooking it with added spices and flavorings (like BBQ sauce), most of the natural jackfruit flavor becomes more subtle.
Watch this video of folks at a KC Royal’s game home opener trying BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork!
Jackfruit Pulled Pork Recipes
If you’re into flaky, savory meat piled high on a bun, you’ve come to the right place. But let me clarify, the meat I’m talking about doesn’t come from an animal. This meat comes from a fruit, a jackfruit in particular.
If you haven’t worked with vegan pulled pork jackfruit before, check out some of these jack fruit recipes:
- my post on Bulgogi Jackfruit that shares some tips on how to buy it. But today?
- Pile the jackfruit high on these better than street truck Vegan Soft Tacos!
We love all the easy jackfruit recipes! Of course, today we’re talking about Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Jackfruit. All I can say is…bring it on!
How to Make BBQ Jackfruit Pulled Pork
If you’re overwhelmed with the idea of how to cook jackfruit, rest assured, it’s easy. Especially since we’ll be using canned jackfruit. Vegan jackfruit recipes are easy thanks to the wider availability of canned jackfruit. I can buy jackfruit in a can at Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, and Chinese grocers in our area.
You’ll see the ingredients list below, or you can look at the photo directly below this paragraph. There aren’t a lot of them, so look closely.
For canned jackfruit recipes, simply drain the green jackfruit, put everything in a crockpot, set the temperature, and run like the wind.
I prefer to “blacken” the finished jack fruit BBQ by heating some oil up in a skillet and placing batches of the cooked jackfruit in the pan and cooking it until it’s caramelized in spots.
This creates a very flavorful finished jackfruit barbecue dish. But it’s entirely optional. The slow cooker BBQ pulled jackfruit is fine straight from the crockpot as well.
Serve the BBQ jackfruit recipe on a bun for the best jackfruit burger ever! This recipe is a real show-stopper and if you’re trying to impress your ominovrious friends, I recommend a double batch. Also, serving some cole slaw on the side is a nice touch as well.
The Health Benefits of Slow Cooker BBQ Jackfruit
I know we’re all looking for easy and delicious recipes. This one combines the best of easy (a slow cooker) with a simple list of ingredients, that results in a delicious, savory vegan sandwich that can be served for a special dinner or even as leftovers for lunch the next day.
But it’s also healthy too. If you haven’t tried jackfruit before you may be wondering if it provides any nutritional benefits. Learn more about jackfruit and how it’s loaded with Vitamin C, protein, calcium, potassium, iron, and more!
In addition, I added a pear and cranberries to this recipe for natural sweetness and additional phytonutrients.
And besides, BBQ jack fruit recipes are also:
- Easy
- Healthy
- Satisfying
- Fun for vegans and non-vegans alike
- Oh-so-tasty
- BBQ!!!
You had me at barbecue jackfruit sandwich. Can I get an amen?
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do. If you make it, snap a photo and share it with us using #namelymarly on Instagram or Twitter. We love seeing your photos!
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Jackfruit
Ingredients
- 2 20 oz cans Young Green Jackfruit in brine drained
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh cranberries optional
- 1 firm green pear chopped
- 1 – 3 tablespoons olive oil optional
Instructions
- Place the drained jackfruit in a slow cooker and turn to high heat.
- In a bowl combine the ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, nutmeg, and water. Stir to combine.
- Add the fresh cranberries and chopped pear to the jackfruit, pour the sauce over the top and stir to distribute evenly.
- Place the lid on and cook for about 10-15 minutes on high. Once it starts to simmer, turn the heat to low and cook for four hours.
- Optional: Place 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place batches of the finished BBQ Pulled Jackfruit and cook until browned on the edges. Turn and cook on both sides. Place in a serving dish and repeat until you’ve browned all of the jackfruit.
Notes
Enjoy!
O I love bbq jackfruit! I’ve never made it in the slow cooker, but why not!!
I know! It makes it SO much easier. It’s great either way. 🙂
Can this be frozen?
Hi Tamra. I have never frozen it, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying. I do’t see any reason why it couldn’t be.
using a crockpot and then having to brown in a skillet? whats the point?
for flavour you uncultured swine
Any good tips on how to use fresh jackfruit instead of canned?
Hi Nathan. It’s a great question. I mostly work with canned jackfruit because it’s easier and more affordable for my readers. However, I have worked some with fresh jackfruit. Here’s a good article on how to do it: https://www.thespruce.com/preparing-and-cooking-jackfruit-3217061
Can you use boxed jackfruit?
The only boxed jackfruit I’ve used is already flavored. Is the kind you’re looking at plain? If so, it should work in this recipe.
Do I have to use pear? Can I sub apple or no fruit it?
Hi Terrell, I have never tried an apple with this recipe, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t try it! The skin of an apple can be a little thicker when it’s cooked, which is one reason I prefer pears. However, if you don’t have any pears handy, I would add some sliced apple (with the skin removed…but eat the skin because that’s where so many of the nutrients are)!