Jackfruit is all the rage right now for good reason. It makes a great meat alternative for vegans and vegetarians with the taste and texture of pulled pork. But what is jackfruit and how the heck do you cut a jackfruit.
Photo of a ripe jackfruit with characteristic yellow skin and the spikes turning black. The axe is just a joke because the fruit looks hard to cut through but really wasn’t.
There’s a funny story behind how this post came about. We were having an oyster roast the night before Thanksgiving for family and friends. When my husband and some others went to the Dekalb Farmers Market to buy the oysters they saw what looked like a fruit from outer space.
The Dekalb Farmers Market is an Atlanta institution with global food, many of which you’ve never heard of or seen before. It’s filled with strange looking fruits and vegetables that look prehistoric and futuristic at the same time. It’s an amazing place to visit. Thus my husband and his brother spotting the huge, weird looking jackfruit.
This is the Dekalb Farmer’s Market in Decatur, GA. An amazing array of global food. Photo from http://atlantasdekalb.blogspot.com
They weren’t familiar with Jackfruit and had some funny conversations. Was it a dinosaur egg? Was it from outer space? Just what was this 9-pound greenish yellowish orb with spikes all over it? They bought the jackfruit just for fun and the rest is history.
We were having 23 people for Thanksgiving the next day. Not knowing until the next morning that one of the guests was vegetarian, the jackfruit seemed like a great solution. We decided to make jackfruit bbq pulled pork as a meat alternative. Seemed simple enough………..
I looked up several you tube videos on how to cut jackfruit and cook vegan bbq “pulled pork”. I knew it would be labor intensive and that I probably wouldn’t be cutting apart a jackfruit again. So I wanted to take video and pictures for the blog.
I wasn’t able to find a post that is this exhaustive in description. It seemed each post or video was lacking in description or what part of the jackfruit to use for what. So here you are, for those inquisitive few.
The white threads are the edible part of jackfruit used for vegan or vegetarian pulled pork, the fruit pods and seeds, shown lower right of the picture, are what you eat raw or add to smoothies.
Taking pictures for my blog was a good call, because 2 hours later we had a very small bowl of jackfruit from a 9 pound fruit. Far too much work for so little yield, so I highly doubt I’ll be cutting fresh jackfruit again. I never imagined so little would be yielded from such a huge fruit. I will be making vegetarian “pulled pork” jackfruit again but will not be doing it from scratch this way. The canned jackfruit in brine or water is easy and tastes the same as the fresh if cooking it. Next time I will definitely be buying canned jackfruit.
We did have fun though cutting up the jackfruit, and if you want a good story or enjoy the journey then by all means buy the big ole dinosaur egg and have at it. I have to admit, it was a unique experience.
Our friend Mia, who was the main person showing us how to cut a jackfruit and was our main “model” said it was the strangest Thanksgiving she’d ever had, cutting apart jackfruit and being filmed doing it. Let’s hope it was the “fun” kind of strange! You’ll understand what I mean as you read on.
What Is A Jackfruit?
Jackfruit is best known as a meat alternative, often being cooked into a vegan or vegetarian bbq “pulled pork”. There is a reason so many people are talking about it. It has a similar texture and taste to real pulled pork.
Rich in nutrients like magnesium, vitamin B6, antioxidants and potassium. Jackfruit benefits and nutrition are many. Because of it’s texture, the fruit is a vegetarian meat alternative like in jackfruit bbq. But it is low in protein so don’t confuse the meaty texture with jackfruit being a protein base.
Photo of mature jackfruit tree. Photo from fast-growing-trees.com.
Jackfruit grows in tropical climates, native to Southern India, and hangs from trees like coconuts do. They are large bright green orbs that can weigh up to 100 pounds! The jackfruit we found was 9 pounds and measured about 12” in diameter and about 24” long. Of that 9 pounds we ended up with about 1 1/2 quarts of usable, jackfruit pods, and the same amount of the stringy white threads for “pulled pork”.
If you are lucky enough to find fresh jackfruit, the typical American grocery stocks 10-25 pound jackfruit, so ours was small in comparison.
The fruit is intimidating looking and it probably turns people off because the first thing you think is “what the heck is this” and then second question is “how do you cook this strange looking thing”? And then “Do I need a hatchet to slice through this fruit?”
The answer is no to the hatchet, but it did make a funny picture. The skin was actually pretty easy to slice through.
This is a ripe jackfruit, you can tell by the yellowish, instead of green, color and the spikes turning brown or black.
You can tell when a jackfruit is ripe by the coloring and smell. It should be getting some yellow color and the spikes are turning black with a fruity smell.
Jackfruit has a very mild flavor, like a cross between a banana and a papaya. Someone referred to it as “Juicy fruit” which I have to admit was a pretty good description. The unripened fruit is less fruity tasting and is best to use for vegetarian “pulled pork”.
How To Cut Jackfruit
It’s fairly easy to cut through jackfruit. But warning, there is a proper way as to how to cut jackfruit. The fruit has a sap, actually latex, that is EXTREMELY sticky. You’ll need to oil your hands and the knife often.
Reapply oil to your hands and the knife to keep the sticky sap (or latex) off
Pour about a cup of oil into a bowl and have a silicone pastry brush handy. Brush oil on the knife blade and your hands. Reapply to the knife after a few cuts and to your hands as necessary. This also makes the knife handle slippery so make slow, careful cuts. We also used a folded paper towel on the handle to keep our hands from slipping.
You can also use disposable latex gloves to keep the jackfruit latex away from your hands.
Because of this sap you will also want to place newspaper over your cutting board and anywhere you’ll be laying pieces of jackfruit. If you don’t keep oiling the knife blade it’s difficult to get the sticky latex off the blade later.
Cut jackfruit in half lengthwise to expose the fruit pods and seeds
Use a long, sharp knife, I used my 8” santoku or chef’s knife. Slice down the middle of the jackfruit lengthwise. If it’s too unwieldy this way then slice in half crosswise and then lengthwise. Cutting the jackfruit lengthwise exposes the seeds and fruit pods.
Cut jackfruit in quarters and more until it’s easy to remove the fruit pods and seeds. You can see the seeds that are cut in half with the brown coating, they look like almonds in this picture. It’s harder to see the fruit pods that are yellowish and smooth that surround the seed.
Slice the halves lengthwise again into thinner pieces to expose more fruit pods. Cut out the long white rib running lengthwise down the middle of the fruit and discard, this is easier with a smaller knife. Remember to oil this knife too!
Cut the tough core out of the jackfruit slices, this will make it easy to push the slices inside out to remove the fruit pods
Now take the wedges and press inside out, like you would a mango, to expose as many fruit pods and seeds as possible.
Push jackfruit slices inside out. Hold slices and push from the skin side up, like you would a mango, to help expose fruit pods and seeds
This is where the jackfruit truly looks like it comes from outer space or a scifi movie. The stringy white threads can be pulled and cut off the skin, leave about a 1/4″ on the skin part. These are used for cooked versions like vegan pulled pork. The shiny fruit pods can be eaten raw or added to smoothies or yogurt. The brown seeds can be roasted, I didn’t add a recipe for this as it’s yet another very labor intensive procedure.
Slice the jackfruit pods in half if necessary to remove the seeds.
To expose the seed, slice the smooth yellow fruit pod in half and pop out the seed. The fruit pod is what you want for the recipes
How To Store Jackfruit
Store the cut jackfruit in containers or ziplock baggies in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. If you buy a large jackfruit then freeze the extra for up to 3 months. Separate the fruit pods from the strings since they are used for different purposes and recipes.
Where To Buy Jackfruit
In America is used to be difficult to find jackfruit. If you are lucky enough to have a good Asian market near you, then you probably can find the fruit. Today many mainstream groceries carry it, especially the natural food stores that cater to vegans and vegetarians looking for meat substitutes.
It’s also easy to buy canned jackfruit in brine or water from Amazon, or some grocery stores. I WILL BE BUYING CANNED JACKFRUIT NEXT TIME AND NOT CUTTING A FRESH ONE UP MYSELF! It was a fun, one-time activity but I won’t be spending 2 hours of time just to get the raw fruit and then finally start on the jackfruit recipe.
How To Eat Jackfruit
Fruit pods in bowl can be eaten raw. They have a slight sweetness to them.
Jackfruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Pop the fruit pods in your mouth (without the seed) for a fiber rich snack. Or add to smoothies or as a topping to yogurt.
The stringy whitish yellowish threads are what you use for vegan pulled pork
It seems the most popular way to use cooked jackfruit is to make vegan or vegetarian bbq “pulled pork”. You’ll want to use the stringy white threads for these types of recipes.
Jackfruit 101
I now know more than I ever wanted to about jackfruit. The down and dirty of it is that jackfruit has its merits and makes a great vegan or vegetarian meat alternative, you’ll find your carnivore friends often can’t tell the difference.
Make sure to buy the jackfruit packed in brine or water, not in the syrup
I’ve given you this long post for those brave souls that want to try their hand at a new adventure. But now that I know better, I’ll be buying canned for my next jackfruit recipe. Make sure to buy the canned jackfruit in brine or water, not syrup.
Let me know any funny stories you have if you try jackfruit.
What is Jackfruit and How To Cut It
Not a recipe but a "How To" on jackfruit
Ingredients
- 1 Jackfruit
Instructions
-
The Down & Dirty of Jackfruit
-Make sure to coat your hands and the knife with cooking oil like canola to keep from getting sticky. The residue is hard to remove later if you don’t keep up with the oil. I like to pour about a half to a cup of oil into a bowl and use a silicone brush. Keep reapplying to hands and knife. The knife handle will get slippery so cut carefully.
-Cover the cutting board and any surface the jackfruit will touch with newspaper to keep the sap or latex off.
-Cut the jackfruit in half lengthwise to expose the fruit pods and seeds. If you need to cut the fruit in half widthwise first and then lengthwise that’s fine. Cut again lengthwise until you have 4-8 slices.
-Cut out the white core running lengthwise along the fruit and dispose. Now bend the slices inside out, like you would a mango. See our post for How To Cut A Mango for more details. By bending the slices backward, the white stringy things reveal the yellow fruit pods and the brown seeds.
Toss the skin but keep the white stringy threads, these are what you use for the "vegan pulled pork". You may have to dig your hands in and rip the fruit pods off of the threads, I had to use a small knife a couple of times to get the pods to release from the slices.
-Slice the pods in half if necessary, to get the brown seeds out. The seeds are edible if you go through a fairly laborious process.........which is why I'm not explaining here, I didn't have the patience! I tossed the seeds.
-The fruit pods can be eaten raw or whirred in a blender for an addition to smoothies. They have a very mild, fruity flavor.
-Or for the vegan "pulled pork" take the easy way out and just buy canned jackfruit from the get go. But don’t buy it in the syrup, rather in brine or water.
-It was fun buying the fresh fruit to experiment, but next time I will definitely go the canned jackfruit route!
Very Cool alternative food to explore. Will have to make it next time I get to the market!
So many things you can do with jackfruit, you’ll love it!
Have seen this in an Asian market and wondered about it. Then I saw a can at Trader Joe’s so next time there I am going to get a can just out of curiosity! Thanks for the info I am not a vegan either. I love beef, chicken, pork and seafood. I have now seen this and am looking forward to trying it one day. Heat and add bbq sauce? Now I need new directions.
Yes, it’s a strange thing but really does taste a lot like meat. Here are some quick directions. Buy a 20 ounce can of jackfruit for two small sandwiches. You want it canned ideally in water, maybe brine but definitely not syrup. If there is a hard core cut it off. Add a Tablespoon or two of oil to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add BBQ sauce, about 1/4-1/2 cup, turn heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes covered, stirring a few times. You can take it out now, or if it looks a little dreary turn up the heat to make it look prettier. You may want to shred the jackfruit a little more for a texture similar to pulled pork. Let me know if you tried it this way. Thanks!
FINALLY!! Someone who took the time to explain what part of the fresh jackfruit to eat. I have been researching for literally TWO WEEKS now. Thank you so much for this!!