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Original poster

Jackfruit. Is it another disappointing fad? Or is it really like pulled pork?

30 replies

pigeononthegate · 26/08/2019 22:49

I'm curious to try jackfruit, as I have been enthusiastically assured by vegan friends that it is uncannily like pulled pork. DS2 is a total carnivore and turns his nose up at meat-free meals dh and I eat a lot of spicy lentil soup, chickpea curry etc but DS2 feels that this is not food), so I am hoping jackfruit with BBQ sauce might tempt him.

Is it really any good? Or is it another vegan substitute that tastes like ass and has a weird texture?

OP posts:
Letthemysterybe · 26/08/2019 22:50

I’m veggie so I don’t know about pulled pork, but I have found jackfruit to be very disappointing and mushy.

WereYouHareWhenIWasFox · 26/08/2019 22:52

I quite like it. It does depend on the sauce though, make a homemade one. It is not like a meat substitute in the traditional way and doesn’t have that weird chemical aftertaste, so is much better, it also has a better texture than fake meat products.

Wilmalovescake · 26/08/2019 22:55

It’s nothing like pulled pork to me. I’d rather just have beans or chickpeas.

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MashedSpud · 26/08/2019 22:57

I don’t like jackfruit as the taste and texture is weird but the seeds, cleaned and roasted are delicious.

Andromeida59 · 26/08/2019 22:59

Tried it and it's just not worth it. I spent hours cooking the Leon Jack fruit chilli and it was just not worth the effort. I'd avoid.

Titsywoo · 26/08/2019 23:01

No it's really nothing like pulled pork. Maybe veggies who haven't eaten meat in many many years might think it does but it really doesn't.

modgepodge · 26/08/2019 23:03

My school served it (food is good, not standard school dinner fare!) and the general opinion from staff and kids was that it wasn’t very nice! I was glad I’d had the actual pulled pork on offer that day 😂

SkiingIsHeaven · 26/08/2019 23:06

We have had it. We used tinned jackfruit, added various spices and BBQ sauce. We shredded it and had it with tacos one day and in baps the next day. Very nice. You need a good recipe.

I am a meat eater and DH is a vegetarian. Both loved it.

Paraballa · 26/08/2019 23:07

When shredded it has the same texture as pulled meat and so if you put the right sauce on it then it will be a good substitute.
My omni husband enjoyed it.

RosesAndRaindrops · 26/08/2019 23:10

I'm not vegan but husband is, I eat a lot of vegan food as a result.
Jackfruit is really nice as pulled pork.
You can tell the difference, it has its own taste but it's nice in its right.
Don't be expecting it to taste exactly like pulled pork though, texture is similar though.

LatteLove · 26/08/2019 23:11

It is ok if done like pulled pork because it’s really the sauce you taste but I wouldn’t have it again. Also I saw on Food Unwrapped that it’s a carb rather than protein so not really a substitute nutritionally

DontCallMeShitley · 26/08/2019 23:16

I quite like it, however it is usually disguised with various flavours which are too overpowering for me when I have bought it.

I try anything that is not actually meat, and it doesn't need to taste like meat as long as it is edible, and jackfruit works for me.

TowerRingInferno · 26/08/2019 23:23

It’s horrible, but I also hate pulled pork. they’re nothing like each other though. I found the texture weird and it was horribly salty.

WinterHare · 26/08/2019 23:38

It is absolutely rank and it's a very cheap product that large companies in the food industry use to make a profit in pushing the vegan agenda.

(No offence intended to vegans btw).

Nodramahere · 27/08/2019 00:56

It’s absolutely awful stuff!! Just my opinion of course Smile

RosaWaiting · 27/08/2019 01:00

My mum told me it smells horrendous, which puts me off.

Her father used to eat actual jackfruit though, not stuff from a tin.

Cohle · 27/08/2019 01:08

The texture is vaguely similar to pulled pork, although quite a lot more mushy, but the taste is a bit grim. It tastes like you would expect fruit covered in BBQ sauce to taste really.

RosesAndRaindrops · 27/08/2019 01:09

Tinned jackfruit doesn't smell of anything Confused never had it fresh so don't know what that smells like to be fair

Champagne791 · 27/08/2019 01:24

When it’s done correctly. It tastes fantastic, a vegan restaurant in Birmingham makes jackfruit chicken not pork and it’s incredible, never been brave enough to do it at home.

RosaWaiting · 27/08/2019 01:40

Ah, that’s what I thought, I might try it then.

managedmis · 27/08/2019 02:02

Where is it actually grown though? I can't help but think of the airmiles

Kinsters · 27/08/2019 02:15

Fresh jackfruit is horrible - tastes like overly ripe banana in my opinion and the texture is just bleh. Never tried it cooked.

BarbaraofSeville · 27/08/2019 06:29

If cooked well with nice sauce, it's nice, but you'd never mistake it for actual pork unless you've never actually eaten it.

I'm not vegan, but tried it as part of a mixed tacos plate at a local pub. I think it Confused them somewhat that I ordered jackfruit, steak and pulled pork.

TapasForTwo · 27/08/2019 06:58

“When shredded it has the same texture as pulled meat”

No it doesn’t. It really doesn’t. I have eaten jackfruit a number of times. It is OK, but it is nothing like pulled pork. It is too soft and not chewy enough.

TravellingSpoon · 27/08/2019 08:01

I've never eaten pork so can't compare, but I think Jackfruit is mushy and not a nice consistency to it. I assume pulled pork would have some bite, but jackfruit just kind of dissolves.