Wild Thyme- BBQ Jackfruit

A delicious meatless option perfect for the spring and summer!

C1 3 my friend april from april may health and we've got, this is perfect for a meatless monday actually.

You are focusing a lot on plant based living, which is really popular right now.

If you start to google just lifestyles and food, i think plant-based is really coming up at the top right now.

Lots of interest in it and this in particular i have had before and i love it.

We're talking jackfruit- april dutile: jackfruit.

Chef allison da...: yummy.

April dutile: yummy jackfruit.

Chef allison da...: yummy jackfruit.

That's the name of the recipe.

Very good.

April dutile: and if you've ever seen in the grocery store, they're ginormous.

There's a trick to peeling them- chef allison da...: you actually don't see them that often in the grocery store.

April dutile: yeah, but you're seeing them more often or you go to the japanese grocery stores, the asian markets- chef allison da...: the asian markets you definitely will see them, but you can find them at most grocery stores canned, right?

April dutile: most.

I have better luck at the asian markets.

Here's what you're looking for in this recipe.

You can get canned, but it's the ripe fruit in syrup.

We're looking for young, green jackfruit.

That's very important- chef allison da...: i will say trader joe's does have the young, green jackfruit in the can.

April dutile: i have to check it out.

That's great.

Chef allison da...: and it's not in the syrup, it's just straight jackfruit.

I know trader joe's does carry it, but- april dutile: yep.

Okay, good to know.

Chef allison da...: so, it comes like this and you drain it or?

April dutile: i drain it.

It's in a brine.

I drain it and then i'm going to put this in a stove top smoker because i want to give it that really good deep barbecue flavor.

It's got to have the texture of a pulled pork almost, but this is barbecue sandwiches is what we're making.

Chef allison da...: okay.

So, this is actually something we carry here in the store.

This is the stove top smoker.

You can smoke all kinds of things, but it's got a little tray that goes down in the bottom and you've got just some flavored wood chips.

Maybe hickory wood chips or something?

April dutile: i've got apple.

Chef allison da...: apple?

April dutile: in this one.

Yeah.

I like the apple smoke.

Chef allison da...: apple smoke.

I like it.

All right and so, you just lined the bottom tray with a little- april dutile: i did just because i had little drippings and stuff, but you don't have to do that.

Chef allison da...: you've got just a wire rack and then that goes on top and then we're going to just put our lid on it.

It's got some handles here.

You can put it on the grill if you don't have a gas oven and from what i remember, it's actually smooth top safe as well.

April dutile: it is.

I use it on my smooth top at home quite often.

So, you get it on a high temperature to get it smoking.

I like to leave it cracked so i can see when that smoke starts and then i turn the temperature down and seal it and i let this smoke for about 20 minutes.

Okay?

That's just infusing that wonderful deep smoky flavor that you're used to getting with barbecue.

Now, could you skip this step and still make this recipe?

Absolutely, but i like the smokiness that adds, what it adds to it.

So, when it's done smoking i like to put it into a food processor.

Just a couple of hits.

Chef allison da...: just to shred it apart?

April dutile: just to shred it up.

You'll see this finished product here.

It's a little bit shredded.

That looks like pulled pork here, okay?

Now, if you don't have a food processor, you can let it just slow cook and with your spoon keep chopping it down and it'll get that texture.

Chef allison da...: that's great.

I can smell the smoke.

You can actually see already the little red chips.

It's starting to smoke.

April dutile: so, seal it up- chef allison da...: so, seal it and i'll turn it down and you just let it go for about 20 minutes- april dutile: 20 minutes.

Set your timer.

Chef allison da...: so, once we pull it over or shred it, you're putting it in here?

April dutile: in here and i'm going to put about half a cup to three quarters cup of water and then my favorite barbecue sauce, whatever you like.

I like to look for ones that don't have any added oil.

I prefer ones that don't have the fructose corn syrup.

I like more natural sugars and that and then i just dump that in and put this on slow cook.

There's a slow cook setting on the instant pot, but if you have a slow cooker of another brand or whatever, put it in a slow cooker.

Put the lid on and you let it cook, slow cook for about four hours.

Chef allison da...: okay.

So, you could skip this step if you were prepping for meal prep and just throw it in there with the barbecue.

Now once it's got the barbecue sauce and water, you're done and then this is ready to go?

April dutile: right.

Other than if you didn't pre do the food processing, you're going to open it up and chop it with a spoon and stir it and that sort of thing so that you get the texture and the shredded texture you're looking for.

Chef allison da...: all right.

Meatless monday barbecue.

April dutile: meatless monday.

Good stuff.

Chef allison da...: you guys know where to find this recipe.

You can go to middaykentucky.com.

Thanks so much for watching.

We're with april dutile from april may health.

We'll be right back after this short break.