BBQ Pulled Jackfruit

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon smoked paprika (the sweet kind, not the hot/scharf type)
2 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco (optional)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons BBQ sauce
200 grams (approx 15 oz / 400ml) can chopped tomato
2 x 400 grams (approx 540 ml) cans young jackfruit in salted water, drained, rinsed and shredded, with cores finely chopped
200ml of water (or stock, as per your preference)

Directions

You will need a large frying pan with a lid, a large pot with a lid that you can fry the onions in, or a combo of both!
First, heat the oil on medium heat and cook the onion until very soft, about 10 – 12 minutes. Add in the cinnamon, cumin seeds, and paprika. Stir well, and fry for another 3 minutes or so. If your frying pan has a lid, carry on. If not, transfer the cooked onions to a large pot with a lid.
Add in the tabasco sauce, vinegar, and BBQ sauce, and mix well. Then add in the canned tomato (and their juices), drained (and shredded) jackfruit, and 200ml of water (or stock). Allow to simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes or so, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes or so. Then, take the lid off and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Check the jackfruit to ensure it’s tender, adjust seasoning as needed, adding another 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce if needed.

My Notes

I didn’t have cumin seeds so used ground cumin. I skipped the tabasco sauce entirely. I also added 2 teaspoons garlic powder, about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, a dash of soy sauce, and a bit more BBQ sauce during the final 10min uncovered of cooking. We preferred this recipe to the one below which doesn’t call for tomato. I think next time I will use beef or pork stock (though this makes it no longer vegetarian!) instead of just plain water, to see if it gives it more depth of flavour. 🤔
This freezes well, and reheats easily: microwave, hob, or as we have had it recently, in the oven at 200C / 400F for 20 minutes, uncovered.