Pulled Without the Pork: Playful Jackfruit Barbecue Sandwiches

Why Playful Matters in Vegan Cooking

While classic vegan cooking leans on comfort and tradition, playful veganism is cheeky, inventive, and occasionally a bit of a culinary prank. It borrows from the language of meat (burgers, wings, pulled pork) but flips the script entirely with plants. Few dishes capture this energy as perfectly as jackfruit barbecue sandwiches.

Jackfruit, a tropical fruit native to South and Southeast Asia, has a fibrous texture that shreds almost identically to slow-cooked pork shoulder. Once simmered with smoky spices and tangy barbecue sauce, it becomes nearly indistinguishable in mouthfeel from the real thing. Vegans rejoice, meat-eaters raise eyebrows, and everyone ends up licking sauce off their fingers.

Recipe: Jackfruit Barbecue Sandwiches

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 2 cans young green jackfruit in brine (560 g / 20 oz total, drained)

• 1 tbsp olive oil (15 ml / 0.5 fl oz)

• 1 onion, finely sliced (150 g / 5 oz)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced (15 g / ½ oz)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika (2 g / 0.07 oz)

• 1 tsp ground cumin (2 g / 0.07 oz)

• ½ tsp chilli powder (1 g / 0.04 oz)

• 1 cup barbecue sauce (250 ml / 8 fl oz)

• ½ cup vegetable stock (120 ml / 4 fl oz)

• 1 tbsp soy sauce (15 ml / 0.5 fl oz)

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• 4 vegan brioche buns

• Coleslaw (vegan mayo-based), to serve

Method

1. Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Cut out the hard cores, then shred the flesh into strands with your hands or two forks.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Sauté onion until golden (about 5 minutes). Add garlic, paprika, cumin, and chilli powder; stir for 1 minute.

3. Add shredded jackfruit, barbecue sauce, stock, and soy sauce. Stir well. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the jackfruit is tender and sauce thickened.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Toast brioche buns lightly. Pile high with jackfruit, top with crunchy vegan coleslaw, and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

(per serving, approximate)

• Calories: 370 kcal

• Protein: 8 g

• Fat: 8 g

• Saturated Fat: 1 g

• Carbohydrates: 65 g

• Fibre: 6 g

• Sodium: 980 mg

(Source: USDA FoodData Central, 2024)

The Playful Edge of Vegan Food

The magic of jackfruit lies in its ability to masquerade as something it’s not. Where carnivores find comfort in primal satisfaction, playful vegans find delight in culinary theatre - the surprise of recognising pulled pork in sight and texture, only to discover it’s a fruit. This dish embodies the creative mischief of veganism: bold, experimental, and just a little cheeky.

Pair it with a cold craft beer, serve it at a barbecue, and watch the uninitiated puzzle over how a fruit managed to pull off a pork impersonation.

Artistic interpretation - details may differ from the actual.