BBQ Pulled Jackfruit 2 – without tomato

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 x 20 oz (approx 565 grams / 550 ml) cans young green jackfruit in brine or water, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
2 teaspoons paprika powder (the sweet & smoky kind, not the hot/spicy kind!)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 pinch red pepper flakes (or to taste)
3/4 cup BBQ sauce (use your favourite brand!)
1/4 cup vegetable broth
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Directions

Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Remove the core, if you want, however the core is edible so you may prefer to just separate them, and chop them into small bits!
Combine the jackfruit and the spices in a bowl, mixing well so the pieces are well-coated.
In a medium pan, heat the oil on medium heat and sauté the onion for 4 – 5 minutes or until it’s translucent. Add in the garlic and fry for another minute or so. Add in the jackfruit and spices, and fry for 5 minutes or so. Then pour in the BBQ sauce, liquid smoke (if using), and the vegetable broth. Stir and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or so. Use a fork to shred the jackfruit so it looks like pulled pork.

My Notes

I didn’t use liquid smoke, or red pepper flakes. I used maple syrup instead of brown sugar, just because I had it in the house. I used Kraft original BBQ sauce. I used the jackfruit core, chopped finely, but removed the hard seeds. In retrospect, I might shred the jackfruit before mixing it with the spices because it may be easier than doing it afterwards and getting sauce all over because I’m messy!
I might use a different BBQ sauce next time, or make my own (from my pulled pork recipe!).

This recipe doesn’t call for a can of chopped tomato. It was good, but tasted a bit “flat”, likely because I skipped the liquid smoke and I’m not 100% happy with the BBQ sauce used — I just grabbed the cheapest at the shop since we don’t usually keep it in the house! I’d make this again, but with my homemade BBQ sauce, or a store-bought version that’s a bit fancier!