Ok, this recipe sounds like a joke, because it’s basically “Take jackfruit. Add barbecue sauce. Now you have jackfruit barbecue.” But bear with me, because it’s absurdly good.

Ingredients:

4 cans of jackfruit (packed in water or brine — NOT sweet syrup)

1 16oz jar of your favorite BBQ sauce

Optional: Whatever else you want to make it a plate. Rolls/bread, potato salad, collards, slaw, etc. Or get buns and serve it as a sandwich.

Tips:

Servings: This makes a big haul of BBQ. It would be a suitable main course for 4-6 people, or will provide great leftovers for two people. Leftovers are delicious hot or cold. It will also hold up well in the freezer in pre-portioned servings.

Jackfruit: Many groceries and almost all Asian markets carry canned jackfruit. Make sure you get the savory version, which is packed in either water or brine, instead of the sweet version, which is packed in sugar syrup. Jackfruit is a big, weird looking fruit, but it’s easy to deal with in canned form. It makes an appearance in animal-free BBQ recipes because the texture is surprisingly similar to pulled pork.

Barbecue sauce: We’re big fans of Hoff’s barbecue sauce, but use whatever you love!

Recipe Instructions:

Take a moment to appreciate the fact that you are not starting with fresh jackfruit, which is the size of a watermelon, spiny on the outside, and pretty darn intimidating.

Drain the four cans of jackfruit and dump all the fruit into a medium/large pot.

When the jackfruit comes out of the can, it has kind of an artichoke heart structure. Your goal is to break that up into more of a pulled pork texture.

Some people suggest doing this with two forks, but I think hands are the best tools for the job. You’ll want to break apart the ‘stringy sections,’ and also mush up the ‘hard middle bits,’ so that you aren’t left with awkward chunks. (Once you get your hands in the pot, you’ll be able to feel exactly what this technical terminology refers to.)

When you have the jackfruit sufficiently broken up, put the pot over medium heat on the stove and add the BBQ sauce. Stir until the jackfruit is evenly coated. If you’re using a really thick sauce, you can add a little water to make this easier.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the jackfruit to warm up, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

Once you’re happy with the consistency and temperature, dish up the BBQ onto a plate or build sandwiches. Time to enjoy the magic of jackfruit!