Pulled Jackfruit and Beans

Selected by Sam* (Senior guide)

INGREDIENTS

Canola oil for cooking (optional)

1 can of young jackfruit

2 cups (500ml) cooked red kidney beans, or a 19oz (540ml) can, rinsed and drained

2 cups (500ml) cooked white kidney beans, or a 19oz (540ml) can, rinsed and drained

½ cup (125ml) ketchup (or tomato sauce/tomato chili sauce)

¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup

¼ cup (60ml) red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp (30ml) brown sugar

1 Tbsp (15ml) soy sauce

1 Tbsp (15ml) grainy or yellow mustard

2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed

A few shots of Tobasco (optional)

A splash of Liquid Smoke (optional)

¼ cup (60ml) barbecue sauce, or to taste (optional)

Time

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours (depending on cooking method)

Serves

6


Storage

Will keep in refrigerator for 3- 4 days

METHOD

“Pull” your jackfruit. Jackfruit in the can will resemble canned ‘tidbit’ pineapple pieces. The narrow end of the fruit segment, or the core, will be more fibrous and solid, while the larger end of the fruit segment will be striated and easily pulled or separated with a fork or your fingers (this can also be done after an hour of cooking, just use two forks to break striations apart). Do not discard the more solid end of the segment, simply slice it up thinly and throw in with the other striated pieces.


Cook. Add the jackfruit and all other ingredients (except the barbecue sauce) to your slow cooker and cover. Cook for 2 to 4 hours. I use a tagine, but alternately you could cook in the oven at 300°F for about an hour. I’ve even done it on the stove top before. I just cook the jackfruit a little to soften it up before adding all the other ingredients. The stove top is the fastest of the three methods (20-30 minutes on low-medium heat), but the slow cooker/tagine gets the best results for me.


Stir in the BBQ sauce.


Serve. Can be served as is, over pearl barley, sloppy joe-style on soft buns or as a topping on a baked potato.

This delicious recipe is already 100% plant-based!
Dried beans can be purchased loose and in bulk from a bulk store or bulk section of your supermarket and you can use your own jars and bags. Check out some of the stores in the Sea to Sky, Vancouver area and more here.
If having the jackfruit as a sandwich filling, it goes great in one of these pretzel buns. By baking your own you can avoid the plastic bags bread usually comes in. Alternately, you can purchase bread fresh from local bakeries and they're often sold to you in a paper bag or you can take your own re-usable bread bag and ask for it to be put in that instead!
Support your local farmers by looking to your local Farmers' Market and stockists of locally farmed vegetables.
If you're avoiding soy, Naked Natural Foods in Vancouver makes a range of soy free (!) sauces including this Naked and Saucy Soy Substitute

*Adapted from Spilling The Beans - Pulled Pork and Beans

Photos by Vinod Kumar and Keir Atkinson