What a vegan will do for pulled pork

SkySaw

I get a lot of inspiration from the forum, but the sight of all those perfectly prepared boston butts occasionally gives me a yearning for some pulled pork. Looking for ways to do vegan pulled pork, the internet did not let me down. It turns out that jackfruit can do a pretty good imitation of pulled pork. After giving it a try, I will be making this fairly regularly. I found that the jackfruit takes spice and smoke well; I smoked this for about an hour and a half, and I think next time I will smoke it for closer to 3-4 hours to bring even more flavour intensity and texture to the jackfruit.

Jackfruit is the largest fruit that grows on a tree. The most common way to buy it is in chunks in a can. However, to make pulled pork jackfruit you need to buy green (unripe) jackfruit in brine or in water (not in syrop).  Two cans will make enough for roughly 5 sandwiches.

Rinse the jackfruit and cut the pieces in half, removing the seeds.


I put a typical pulled pork rub on the jackfruit with a cup of vegetable stock in a CI dutch oven and smashed the jackfruit with a potato masher. It then went on the egg at 275º for about an hour and a half. I pushed the temp to 325º for the final 20 minutes after realizing that I should have cooked it for closer to 3-4 hours. On a bun with sauce and some slaw, it tasted pretty darn good.


Finished up with chocolate bananas, using 70% dark chocolate. The kids love these.

yellowdogbbq

Looks great! A very unique cook. 

TexanOfTheNorth

Now, don't get me wrong... I have nothing against anyone being vegan or eating the way that they want to eat. And, while that sandwich looks good and may, in fact, be delicious, it's not pulled pork.

So, what's the need to call it pulled pork?

Theophan

@SkySaw: I'm absolutely fascinated!  I've never heard of jackfruit, am quite sure I've never seen it in a store.  Where do you live that you can find such things?  Your "pulled pork" sandwich looked amazing!  What did it taste like?

And the bananas look like they have the skin still on, and the chocolate was on the skin.  Did I get that right?  So do you eat the skins?  and were they ripe bananas, unripe?

My head is swimming!  Very unusual and intriguing foods!

And @TexanOfTheNorth, I get it, you're right, it wasn't pulled pork, and to a non-vegan it probably seems very odd to be trying to recreate a meat dish with non-meat ingredients.  But if you look at vegetarian sections in the grocery stores, you'll find loads and loads of items that are vegetarian attempts at meat dishes, notably including "burgers," "corn dogs," "sausages," "meat balls," "meat loaf," "bacon," "chick patties," and on and on.  The fact is that very many people seem to enjoy eating vegetarian versions of meat dishes.  So the answer to your question, I think, is that for someone who is craving a meat dish but chooses not to eat meat, it's simply a more useful, helpful description to say something like "vegan pulled pork" than something like "smoked smashed unripe jackfruit prepared with barbecue rub and barbecue sauce in a bun with slaw" because the whole purpose of preparing the jackfruit that way was to try to satisfy what had been a craving for pulled pork.  It probably seems odd, but if you look hard enough, we're all a little odd.  

Carolina Q

TexanOfTheNorth said:

So, what's the need to call it pulled pork?

Because pulled jackfruit just sounds too weird.

fishlessman

Theophan said:

@SkySaw: I'm absolutely fascinated!  I've never heard of jackfruit, am quite sure I've never seen it in a store.  Where do you live that you can find such things?  Your "pulled pork" sandwich looked amazing!  What did it taste like?

And the bananas look like they have the skin still on, and the chocolate was on the skin.  Did I get that right?  So do you eat the skins?  and were they ripe bananas, unripe?

My head is swimming!  Very unusual and intriguing foods!

And @TexanOfTheNorth, I get it, you're right, it wasn't pulled pork, and to a non-vegan it probably seems very odd to be trying to recreate a meat dish with non-meat ingredients.  But if you look at vegetarian sections in the grocery stores, you'll find loads and loads of items that are vegetarian attempts at meat dishes, notably including "burgers," "corn dogs," "sausages," "meat balls," "meat loaf," "bacon," "chick patties," and on and on.  The fact is that very many people seem to enjoy eating vegetarian versions of meat dishes.  So the answer to your question, I think, is that for someone who is craving a meat dish but chooses not to eat meat, it's simply a more useful, helpful description to say something like "vegan pulled pork" than something like "smoked smashed unripe jackfruit prepared with barbecue rub and barbecue sauce in a bun with slaw" because the whole purpose of preparing the jackfruit that way was to try to satisfy what had been a craving for pulled pork.  It probably seems odd, but if you look hard enough, we're all a little odd.  

so carnivor apple chips could be made from crispy apple smoked bacon sounds odd but now im a carnivor vegetarian

YEMTrey

Great looking meal.  Keep the cooks coming.  Read an article about using cauliflower to make a chicken wings substitute that was interesting.  I'm curious as to how all these plates taste and the mouthfeel.
Thanks for contributing.  And there's always going to be the:

DoubleEgger

I couldn't be vegan. I'd hate to use air quotes to describe what I eat. 

SkySaw

@TexanOfTheNorth - I completely agree with you, and you have keyed into an interesting perspective on veganism. At home, I called this simply barbecue sandwich.

With two exceptions (this, and a seitan fattie that I love to eat) I avoid imitation style eating. Vegan cheeze is an atrocity and an insult to both cheese and anything that the vegan cheese contacts. However, smoke and spice combine to create an umami flavour that cannot be obtained any other way, and that adds a lot to a vegan palate; so I seek to expand the number and types of foods that I can prepare this way.

I called it pulled pork after the internet sources that inspired this and to capture some interest among those who would not normally eat something like this.

SkySaw

Theophan said:

@SkySaw: I'm absolutely fascinated!  I've never heard of jackfruit, am quite sure I've never seen it in a store.  Where do you live that you can find such things?  Your "pulled pork" sandwich looked amazing!  What did it taste like?

And the bananas look like they have the skin still on, and the chocolate was on the skin.  Did I get that right?  So do you eat the skins?  and were they ripe bananas, unripe?

My head is swimming!  Very unusual and intriguing foods!

Thanks! I live near Toronto, but cans of jackfruit can be found in any large Asian grocery store. Jackfruit itself does not have much flavour, and its texture is probably closer to fish than pork, which is why I plan to cook it a bit longer next time. By the time it's cooked, it tasted like...barbecue. After all the smoke and rub I don't think anyone would guess that it is plant-based.

I took the bananas idea directly from the Barbecue Pit Boys. With the skin on, slice a banana lengthwise part-way through and insert dark chocolate (70% or higher) into the cut. Cook for an hour between 250º and 300º. The banana becomes extremely sweet as it cooks and so you scoop the chocolate and banana out of the skin and eat it kinda like a pudding. 

buzd504

SkySaw said:

I took the bananas idea directly from the Barbecue Pit Boys. With the skin on, slice a banana lengthwise part-way through and insert dark chocolate (70% or higher) into the cut. Cook for an hour between 250º and 300º. The banana becomes extremely sweet as it cooks and so you scoop the chocolate and banana out of the skin and eat it kinda like a pudding. 

Holy crap, that sounds great!

theyolksonyou

This is a cool post. Not something I would do personally, well the bananas are on the list, but very interesting. 

SmokeyPitt

That is very interesting.  I am just curious when you became a vegan. I was looking back through your posts and it looks like in 2011 you were carnivorous in 2011 .  

I'm in a telecon this morning so I have plenty of time to stalk people on the form . 

SkySaw

SmokeyPitt said:

That is very interesting.  I am just curious when you became a vegan. I was looking back through your posts and it looks like in 2011 you were carnivorous in 2011 .  

I'm in a telecon this morning so I have plenty of time to stalk people on the form . 

Good research! August 15th, 2011. I started to read the China Study (Colin Campbell) that morning, and have been vegan (well, plant-based whole foods really) since lunch that day.

SmokeyPitt

That is interesting.  It is great to see you are still using your egg and making meals that work for you.  The plant based pizza you posted looked awesome. My favorite pizza is veggie pizza, although I do use cheese.  

...and those bananas look and sound awesome.  I am definitely giving those a try.  

gdenby

Thanks for the post. My daughter is a vegetarian, and my DIL is also one, and somewhat stricter. I was one for a couple of years, and our family tended to eat less meat than most, tho' that was partially for economic reasons. So I'm always on the lookout for good looking plant based foods.

But I have to agree with the folks who wonder about calling it "pulled pork." Doesn't seem right.

While visiting my son and DIL, she brought home some vegan pizzas. I expected something pretty good. I've had simple pizzas w/o cheese. I've had Turkish pidas w/o any meat. For the most part, they were fine. The only part I didn't like was the "cheese," which I figure was a nutritional yeast concoction. I didn't much care for it, and on top of that, it just cried out "ersatz!" Just call it vegan baked flatbread, I thought to myself.

Carolina Q

SkySaw said:

Vegan cheeze is an atrocity and an insult to both cheese and anything that the vegan cheese contacts.

So I have heard. If you have any alternatives, I would love to hear about them. Real cheese is delicious, but has a great deal of saturated fat and sodium. That's the main reason I eat so little pizza these days. I can manage without the meat, but a pizza with no cheese (or not enough cheese) is just not as good! Is there is a tasty substitute?

Canugghead

Interesting cook Mark. I know Buddhist vegetarians in south east Asia have all sorts of meat look alike dishes, using tofu as the main ingredient.

We love jack fruit, especially fresh. When I read your post title I envisioned this whole thing in the egg:

HeavyG

SkySaw said:

Vegan cheeze is an atrocity and an insult to both cheese and anything that the vegan cheese contacts.

And that is exactly why I'll never be 100% vegan. I refuse to give up my cheeses.

They'll have to pry my halloumi from my cold dead fingers!

Thanks for sharing this jackfruit idea. My sister is a vegan and if I can find jackfruit I'll have to give this a go.

Eggcelsior

YEMTrey said:

Great looking meal.  Keep the cooks coming.  Read an article about using cauliflower to make a chicken wings substitute that was interesting.  I'm curious as to how all these plates taste and the mouthfeel.
Thanks for contributing.  And there's always going to be the:

@YEMTrey my mom is vegan and does this. They taste just like buffalo wings, texture and all.

OP, I'll have to forward this to my mom. Thanks, for posting.

PSHome

SkySaw said:

Good research! August 15th, 2011. I started to read the China Study (Colin Campbell) that morning, and have been vegan (well, plant-based whole foods really) since lunch that day.

The China Study stinks... saw Forks Over Knives and started reading the China Study about a year after getting a LBGE.  We're not vegan, but we're certainly plant strong and meat light.  Want to do my best to avoid some poor health in the family.  I thought the egg was going to be useless, but we still use the egg a lot... a little meat here and there, but a lot of veggie dishes.  Will look into this jackfruit thing.  Banana's look like a winner. 

caliking

Where I'm from in India, most of the jackfruit can be cooked in some form or the other - the flower, the "meaty" part, and the fruit (tastes kinda like banana crossed with mango). Asian supermarkets here almost always have fresh jackfruit. Its a pain to deal with because its super sticky if you're trying to get the fruit out. So maybe canned is the way to go.

I'm with some of the others re: nomenclature of vegan and vegetarian foods. I've never understood the reasoning behind fakon, tofurkey, etc. If one doesn't want to eat meat for whatever reason, then why the yearning for foods that taste and/or look like meat? Its like having sex with your spouse, but fantasizing about your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend.

And with no malice intended, I'm quite certain that folks would know the difference between pulled pork and jackfruit Having said all this, I've bookmarked this thread because I have a friend who is vegetarian and this may be something he would like (I have rules against befriending vegetarians, but this one was grandfathered in). 

TexanOfTheNorth

caliking said:

Where I'm from in India, most of the jackfruit can be cooked in some form or the other - the flower, the "meaty" part, and the fruit (tastes kinda like banana crossed with mango). Asian supermarkets here almost always have fresh jackfruit. Its a pain to deal with because its super sticky if you're trying to get the fruit out. So maybe canned is the way to go.

I'm with some of the others re: nomenclature of vegan and vegetarian foods. I've never understood the reasoning behind fakon, tofurkey, etc. If one doesn't want to eat meat for whatever reason, then why the yearning for foods that taste and/or look like meat? Its like having sex with your spouse, but fantasizing about your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend.

And with no malice intended, I'm quite certain that folks would know the difference between pulled pork and jackfruit Having said all this, I've bookmarked this thread because I have a friend who is vegetarian and this may be something he would like (I have rules against befriending vegetarians, but this one was grandfathered in). 

That's allowed?!? 

Lit

SkySaw said:

@TexanOfTheNorth - I completely agree with you, and you have keyed into an interesting perspective on veganism. At home, I called this simply barbecue sandwich.

With two exceptions (this, and a seitan fattie that I love to eat) I avoid imitation style eating. Vegan cheeze is an atrocity and an insult to both cheese and anything that the vegan cheese contacts. However, smoke and spice combine to create an umami flavour that cannot be obtained any other way, and that adds a lot to a vegan palate; so I seek to expand the number and types of foods that I can prepare this way.

I called it pulled pork after the internet sources that inspired this and to capture some interest among those who would not normally eat something like this.

My wife is vegan also. She has been making a combination of nutritional yeast and I believe sesame seeds I believe that are toasted and grinds them together and it actually really tastes like cheese. I can find out exactly what she does if you are interested or since you are vegan you probably already know.

Lit

Oh and for you ATL people I saw jack fruit at the dekalb farmers market before.

SkySaw

caliking said:

I'm with some of the others re: nomenclature of vegan and vegetarian foods. I've never understood the reasoning behind fakon, tofurkey, etc. If one doesn't want to eat meat for whatever reason, then why the yearning for foods that taste and/or look like meat? Its like having sex with your spouse, but fantasizing about your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend.

And with no malice intended, I'm quite certain that folks would know the difference between pulled pork and jackfruit Having said all this, I've bookmarked this thread because I have a friend who is vegetarian and this may be something he would like (I have rules against befriending vegetarians, but this one was grandfathered in). 

It's not that, at least not from my perspective. Innovative things often have no existing language to communicate adequately what it is; that's where metaphor is useful. Food is also deeply culturally engrained, so we tend to eat foods that are familiar. I was recently at the best plant-based restaurant I have been to - Detroit Vegan Soul (in downtown Detroit). I ordered the marinated tempeh with julienned peppers. They called it pepper steak. Which description offers more information to you about whether or not you want to eat it? It's not that I was craving pepper steak, but those flavours and textures are still part of my upbringing.

Zippylip

SkySaw said:

It's not that, at least not from my perspective. Innovative things often have no existing language to communicate adequately what it is; that's where metaphor is useful.

exactly, this is not rocket science & I'm unsure why so many people get their panties bunched up over this 'encroachment' of terms used to describe food.  Is there some fear of being duped into eating a vegan substitute by a clever chef or restaurant?  I mean seriously is this the sort of thing that people actually worry about?

HeavyG

caliking said:

I'm with some of the others re: nomenclature of vegan and vegetarian foods. I've never understood the reasoning behind fakon, tofurkey, etc. If one doesn't want to eat meat for whatever reason, then why the yearning for foods that taste and/or look like meat?

From birth, most Americans are being raised in a "meat and potatoes" culture. In many families it is/was not unusual to have meat as part of every meal. We love our meat.

For various reasons - health, environmental, ethical, fads, whatever - there is increased interest in diets consisting of alternatives to consumption of a lot of (or any) animal products. I don't find it surprising tho that there may still be a yearning for many things that we perhaps once loved (and still do!) and looking at ways to create an analog for those now "forbidden" foods.

So if somebody has forsaken the actual consumption of animal products yet still has fond memories of bacon and is desirous of trying to replicate bacon sans actual pig why does it offend others if they call it fakon?

HeavyG

PSHome said:

SkySaw said:

Good research! August 15th, 2011. I started to read the China Study (Colin Campbell) that morning, and have been vegan (well, plant-based whole foods really) since lunch that day.

The China Study stinks...

I think anybody looking at "The China Study" as a guide to "the way" should be sure to read the voluminous criticism of that book/study.

caliking

@HeavyGI didn't say I was offended by fakon - I don't understand why folks want to pretend to be eating bacon. If the yearning is that strong, then just eat bacon. If you swear off meat, etc then deal with it and move forward. Call it a vega-strip or something and let the world know it. 

I'm all for people doing what pleases them (within some limits of decency and such), so more power to the folks who  challenge culinary frontiers in whatever way they choose. So why not give new items/dishes new names instead of sticking with something boring like "pepper steak"? Is pepper tempeh that misleading a name? 

@Zippylip - no, I'm not afraid that I will be duped into eating something that I will like. If it tastes good and has a good mouthfeel, I'll eat it. 

caliking

TexanOfTheNorth said:

That's allowed?!? 

until you get caught...