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Slow Cooker Pulled Not-Pork Jackfruit BBQ, Carolina Style

January 29, 2013 By Johnna 21 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure for more information.

Carolina Style Jackfruit BBQ from In Johnna's Kitchen

I make my original KC-style BBQ Pulled Not-Pork Jackfruit often, it’s a favorite dish not only in my home but in the homes of several other friends. It’s tradition around here in KC that our sauce is tomato-based, usually ketchup and molasses.

But every once in awhile I meet someone who prefers Carolina BBQ, a more vinegar-y sauce.  Or someone challenges me to make this dish without a bottled BBQ sauce. It happens, no kidding!

Carolina Style BBQ Pulled Pork

Even though the bottled sauce I use, Organicville BBQ Sauce,  is pretty healthy by the standards of what I see on the grocery story shelves, some folks would just rather do it all themselves.  Because they have extra hours in the day, hours that I somehow misplace.  Not one to turn down a challenge, here’s what I came up with.  And I kinda like it.  Don’t tell the KC BBQ police I’ve admitted to liking a more vinegar-based sauce, ok?  I live here after all and it’s hard enough in these parts explaining that I don’t actually eat pork.

Carolina BBQ jackfruit sandwich

Oh, one more tidbit.  The bread on the sandwich shown here is Gluten-Free Bread 2.0 from Elana’s Pantry.  It’s gluten-free, gum-free, yeast-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and delicious!  Not only that, it’s super quick to make.  I doubled the recipe and baked it in a full-size loaf pan.  I only had brown flax seeds, so the color may be different than if I had the golden flax meal the recipe called for.  I also used weird alien eggs with double yolks one of our young hens is laying and it still worked well.  I would say this is a pretty forgiving recipe for folks who are challenged by gluten-free break baking.  That would be me!

I’d love it if you would take a moment to share with me in the comments if you eat slaw on your BBQ sandwiches or not.  Let the debate begin…

click here for recipe

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With: barbeque, bbq, bread, crockpot, gluten-free, jackfruit, refined sugar-free, slow cooker, vegan, vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Shirley @ All Gluten-Free Desserts says

    January 31, 2013 at 3:16 PM

    Great post (love your sense of humor!) and photos, Johnna! I do not eat slaw on my barbecue sandwiches, but hubby ONLY wants to eat his barbecue sandwiches that way. Usually I don’t like the NC vinegary style, but sometimes it does hit the spot. I can’t wait to make the jackfruit barbecue for my own support group next month. (I made it for the vegetarian group in October.) I think I’m going with the original version though … for their first time. ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Shirley

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      January 31, 2013 at 3:49 PM

      Thanks, Shirley! I prefer the original version, too, but this was a nice change of pace. The leftovers were great in quesadillas. And thanks for chiming in on the great slaw debate. I think we will all just have to agree to disagree with Mr. GFE. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  2. Michele says

    March 30, 2014 at 4:57 PM

    What size slow cooker?

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      March 31, 2014 at 10:49 AM

      Hi Michele! Thanks for your comment. I most often use a 3 qt. slow cooker but any size will work. I made it in a standard slow cooker (5 qt.) at a retreat and it worked fine.

      Reply
  3. Sophie says

    April 12, 2014 at 6:29 PM

    I tried this recipe and I believe it has way too much apple cider vinegar. Its all I can taste, i couldn’t stomach it. Next time i think I will cut back to 2tbl spoons instead, And add some chili powder.

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      April 12, 2014 at 7:48 PM

      Thanks for your comment, Sophie. It is heavy on vinegar since it is Carolina style BBQ. If you like a spicier tomato-based style BBQ, you might like my original jackfruit bbq recipe which is here: https://injohnnaskitchen.com/2011/05/jackfruit-bbq-faux-pulled-pork/ Thank you again for your comment. I appreciate the feedback!

      Reply
  4. Gigi says

    February 16, 2015 at 10:40 PM

    I can hardly wait to try your recipe! Thank you! I’m a “Carolina Girl.” I stopped eating pork 14 years ago & I’ve been a vegan for a year. I’ve been looking for the vinegar pulled pork vegan version recipe instead of the tomato based one. Oh yes, I will of course go all the way with this Carolina version and have slaw with it.

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      February 18, 2015 at 1:02 PM

      I can’t wait to hear what you think, Gigi!

      Reply
  5. Linda says

    June 11, 2016 at 9:37 AM

    This was the first dish I ever made from jackfruit. We are slowly changing to a plant-based diet and are enjoying trying new things. The first day, straight out of the crock pot, the “pulled pork” was very good. But after several days in the refrigerator, sitting in the juices, it was awesome. I don’t think the biggest die-hard meat eater would be able to tell the difference between the jackfruit and pulled pork. Awesome.

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      June 13, 2016 at 1:43 PM

      Well, you just made my day! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and agree with you on eating it days later. We often make the KC BBQ version and refrigerate what is leftover after having sandwiches. Then it becomes a pizza topping. (Is BBQ pizza unique to Kansas City? I hope not. It’s amazing.) Best wishes on your transition to plant-based. I hope I’ve made it a bit easier. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  6. Chet says

    February 7, 2017 at 7:11 PM

    Hi Johnna. I just learned about Jackfruit and haven’t been able to find it locally so I’ve ordered some. I can’t wait to try your process. I moved to NC in ’89 and loved the Eastern Carolina style BBQ and even developed a recipe for the sauce, which I’d be happy to share. I’ve been mostly vegetarian since about ’97 so I haven’t enjoyed it lately. It’s still hard to believe that good vegetarian BBQ is possible, but a Google search suggests it is. I’m excited!

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      February 10, 2017 at 10:38 AM

      I’m excited for you to try jackfruit. I would love to see your recipe, but more importantly, I’d love to hear how it turned out when used in cooking jackfruit. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
      • Chet says

        February 16, 2017 at 6:56 PM

        Hi Johnna. Cooking jackfruit for 4 hrs resulted in very mushy texture. Tonight was my 3rd try and the texture was pretty good. Not quite pork texture, but pleasant. I loosely followed this technique: https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/pulled-jackfruit-tacos
        Here’s my recipe for the sauce:

        Chet’s Eastern Carolina Barbecue Sauce

        1 Cup cider vinegar
        1/2 Cup water
        1/4 Cup minced onion
        1 large clove garlic, minced
        1/2 tsp salt
        1/8 tsp ground black pepper
        1 1/5 (1.5) tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
        1 tsp sugar
        3 Tbl canola oil
        1/4 tsp dried thyme (not ground)
        4 tsp cool water
        2 tsp dry mustard

        Combine all ingredients except last 2 in a stainless steel saucepan.
        Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
        Remove from heat.
        In a separate bowl, mix last 2 ingedients (mustard and water) together until smooth.
        Stir mixture into saucepan.
        Let cool. Bottle.

        Makes about a pint. Easily doubled. This sauce is also great as a table condiment.

        Rights are hereby granted for anyone to use this recipe for any purpose.
        Good food should be shared ๐Ÿ™‚
        Attribution appeciated: Chet Orton, [email protected]

        Reply
        • Johnna says

          February 21, 2017 at 8:34 PM

          Thanks for all of the details on your process, Chet.

          Could I confirm what type of jackfruit you used? I asked because I cook jackfruit often in the slow cooker for 4 or more hours and it isn’t mushy. Wanting to confirm if this is a sauce difference or a variety difference.

          Excited to give your sauce mixture a try soon!

          Reply
          • Chet says

            February 22, 2017 at 5:05 AM

            Hi Johnna! I’m not sure what brand it was. I should have made a note of that. I found a local market that carries 4 different brands. I’m going to evaluate each and keep notes! What brand do you use?

  7. Tammy says

    August 19, 2017 at 9:58 AM

    I used make Carolina BBQ all the time in the oven, crockpot, whatever. Since becoming a vegetarian, it is something that I’ve missed. Slaw definitely and hot steamed hamburger buns. The only thing is that red pepper flakes are always pretty prevalent in this type of sauce.

    Reply
  8. Walt says

    August 19, 2018 at 2:32 PM

    Is there a way to make this (or your KC BBQ version) using jackfruit canned in brine? I have a case of it that I bought from Trader Joe’s and would love to use it in a slow cooker recipe. (I have a non-slow cooker recipe that is tasty but a little time consuming and work intensive).

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      August 19, 2018 at 3:14 PM

      Hi there! Thanks for your question. I have used the jackfruit in brine (including the Trader Joeโ€™s brand) and simply rinsed it very well before cooking. No difference in texture, it simply adds more salt flavor. That is lessened with a very good rinse. Happy cooking!

      Reply
  9. Katie Tyler says

    May 6, 2019 at 4:12 PM

    Has anyone tried making this in an Instant Pot with a pressure cooker setting?

    Reply
    • Johnna says

      July 20, 2019 at 9:56 AM

      Yes! On another of my jackfruit BBQ recipes (I have a few…), we’ve discussed this. What I’ve been doing is 5 minutes high pressure with manual pressure release. Works well!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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    April 5, 2020 at 2:26 PM

    […] jackfruit.  I’ve shared BBQ “pulled pork” style jackfruit in both KC and Carolina styles, tamale bites, Korean BBQ tacos, tacos with wild rice, Reuben Sandwiches, Reuben dip, a […]

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sidebarWelcome! I'm Johnna and this is my kitchen... You'll find gluten-free food, fun and travel here, from original recipes to travel and dining recommendations along with tips on simply having fun. Pull up a chair, join me at my kitchen table! Read More

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