BBQ Jackfruit Burgers

Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Serves 4

What would you say if I told you that you can make a pulled “pork” sandwich without any mock meat? I know, I would have said that too but you obviously haven’t cooked with jackfruit. Yep, jackfruit. That big prickly Asian fruit that they put in desserts however instead of the ripened fruit, you use it in its young stage. When cooked, it has a really stringy and meaty texture that has to be tasted to be believed. You can find young green jackfruit at your local Asian grocer but make sure you’re not getting the ripe one in syrup or you’ll be sorely disappointed.

Ingredients

• 2 x 280gram cans of young green jackfruit in water or brine
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small red onion, finely choppped
• 2 teaspoons beef style stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large bread rolls
• 1/3 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1/3 cup soy mayonnaise

Method

1. Drain and rinse the jackfruit before squeezing to remove any excess liquid.
2. Break apart the pieces of jackfruit and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the garlic, red onion, and beef style stock and cook until the onion becomes translucent.
4. Add the brown sugar and jackfruit and cook for about 15 minutes. The fruit will soften and begin to fall apart, you may need to cut some of the tougher bits to make them smaller.
5. In a bowl, combine the sauces, apple cider vinegar, paprika, black pepper and salt.
6. Gradually add the sauce to the pan and stir through. Keep adding sauce until you’re satisfied with the texture. You don’t want it to be too dry but don’t let it become too wet either.
7. Cook for a further 10 minutes before popping on a bun with lettuce and mayonnaise. Serve immediately.