This is always a hit when I bring it to summer barbecues!

It’s a fantastic sharing dish for parties and picnics, and the vegans or vegetarians and gluten free folk will thank you profusely. It’s also good enough to fool even the most self-proclaimed carnivores into taking a big heaping portion. So far, no one has been able to tell it wasn’t pulled pork or chicken, and kids have annihilated it and come back for seconds. That barbecue sauce kicks it up to the next level, for sure.

Yes, this dish has two components. No, you should not skimp on the barbecue sauce if you can afford the little extra time the night before. The homemade barbecue sauce really takes the awards home.
It’s so smoky, thick, and flavorful!

Sweet and Smoky Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

You will want to make this barbecue sauce at least one or two days ahead of when you plan to use it. Giving the flavours as much time as you can to meld is important!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup ketchup*

• 1/2 cup bourbon**

• 3 generous tablespoons dark brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons dark molasses

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce***

• 1 tablespoon Tamari or Liquid Aminos

• 1 to 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, or use Yellow Mustard if you prefer more mild flavour, but make sure there are no seeds in your mustard

• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
  Combine ketchup, whisky, brown sugar, molasses over low heat in a medium saucepan and whisk until brown sugar is mostly dissolved and no clumps remain. Add in the rest of the ingredients to boil in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced to 2 cups, making sure to stir often. Be cautious! As the sauce thickens it may bubble up at you.
  
  This sauce can be stored in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!)
  
  Toss with chicken wings or use in Barbecue Pulled Jackfruit!
  This also works well with slow-cooked chicken thighs in the crockpot!

Notes:
*I prefer to use ketchup without corn syrup for more tomato flavour and acidity because the molasses and brown sugar add enough sweetness!

**A little more bourbon never hurts though, so you can be generous LOL!
***Check your ingredients list on your worcestershire bottle! If you want this to be vegan, you’ll have to buy a Vegan Worcestershire sauce. Traditionally this condiment contains anchovy paste, so you’ll need to acquire one without it if that’s a concern.

Barbecue Pulled Jackfruit

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cans of 20oz young green jackfruit in water (not syrup, EW!)*

• Homemade BBQ Dry Rub (recipe to follow!)

• 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced into strips

• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips

• 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips (optional!)

• 2 clove garlic, minced (go ahead and add more, wtf is this 2 cloves nonsense!? LOL! We all do it!)

• ¾ to 1 cup of Sweet & Smoky Bourbon Barbecue Sauce, plus more for serving

Homemade BBQ Dry Rub: 3TBSP Brown Sugar, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp regular paprika, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp chili flakes, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp salt-free cajun seasoning, 1 tsp fine ground sea salt

You’ll need a large mixing bowl and a small one for this recipe.

Dump the jackfruit into a strainer to drain them of liquid and rinse them lightly with water, then pop them into the large mixing bowl for a minute.

Line the strainer with a clean, dry dish towel and dump the bowl of cleaned jackfruit back in on top of it. You’re going to use the towel to press and drain the jackfruit of its liquid!  Squeeze them in the towel and press so that liquid strains out, as much as you can get.

Once you’ve drained off most of the liquid from the slices, you’ll need to trim the “core” at the point end of the wedges. Cut off these tougher end pieces and remove any stray seeds and discard.

Once you’ve trimmed your jackfruit wedges, toss them with the barbecue rub seasoning and let that sit for at least an hour.**

In a large saute pan with a lid or lidded dutch oven, heat a few tbsp of neutral oil like canola, corn or other vegetable oil.

Saute the onion on med-low heat until it starts to caramelize and then add the peppers.  Once the peppers have begun to soften, toss in your minced garlic and the dry rubbed jackfruit.

Cook the jackfruit until it begins to turn a golden colour a bit and caramelize. You might need to cook the jackfruit in batches to ensure all sides turn golden and fried a bit.

Once your jackfruit is golden or just slightly browned, pour in your ¾ cup to 1 cup of Sweet and Smoky Bourbon Barbecue sauce and toss to ensure all the pieces are coated well.  You can add a little bit of water to thin this out, start 1/4c at a time.  Cover the pan and let the jackfruit simmer over low heat for about 25-40 minute, stirring occasionally but replace the lid when you’re done. (Long, slow cook time will ensure the jackfruit absorbs the max flavour possible. So patience is the key here!)
Once your 20-40 min cook time is up, remove the lid and carefully pull apart the jackfruit with two forks.  You can shred this roughly for bigger pieces, or shred to a fine thin texture to your preference.

Serve with tortilla chips or on top of lightly toasted rolls!  This also makes great tacos in a soft flour tortilla or slightly warmed soft corn tortilla!  Get creative!

Try serving with a side some homemade quick pickled veggies, pickled onions, or quick-pickled cabbage slaw!

Bonus Round: Kick up the heat to your liking by adding some diced jalapeno, or swapping the red bell peppers for poblanos.  Or roast your bell pepper over the open flame on your grill or gas range before slicing and adding to the saute!

*  Mature yellow jackfruit does not hold up well in this recipe, in my personal experience. I’ve found that it gets way, way too mushy and soft. You might have luck if you baked the yellow jackfruit in the oven for a bit first, but it’s also a bit sweeter so bear that in mind!

**  I often prepare this dry rubbed jackfruit and the barbecue sauce the day before I need to cook it, and let the jackfruit sit with the rub overnight.  That’s yielded the best flavour but it also works just fine if you give it the 1 hour sitting time.

Recipes adapted by Ellen Avigliano
These recipes are inspired by original recipes posted on both Minimalist Baker and Epicurious