BBQ Jackfruit Sliders with Crazy Sweet Potato BBQ Sauce — Fo Reals Life

January 30, 2014 January 30, 2014/ Morgan

I did something totally crazy yall… I made a BBQ sauce with sweet potatoes! I KNOW I KNOW!! I’m obsessed. But they are SO GOOD and I wanted to make a low sugar BBQ sauce for some excellent sliders. It worked GREAT! It’s a totally interesting tomato based BBQ sauce with a hint of spice and not too sweet at all. I really don’t like sickeningly sweet sauces at all anyway. I had ketchup the other night on a fry and it was WAY TOO SWEET FOR ME! I had to mix a ton of mustard into it to make it taste alright. Hahah! But hey if you love your favorite brand of BBQ sauce use that instead on these because BBQ jackfruit is where it’s at! 

Oh and about the jackfruit – it’s a vegan’s dream food, I tell ya! Super low calorie, easy to use and shreds up like cooked meats! It’s so weird but I LOVE it. You can find it in Asian markets by canned fruit (make sure you buy young jackfruit in brine) or you can buy it online HERE. 

Isn’t it crazy looking?! So meaty but .. not! But delicious!!! 

  • 2 cans young jackfruit, in brine (like these!) 
  • 3 cups vegetable or vegan “chicken” broth (this is the best I’ve EVER had! – No crazy MSG, GMOs or oil!) 
  • Crazy Sweet Potato BBQ Sauce (recipe below) or your favorite BBQ Sauce
  • Buns, Rolls, English Muffins, Steamed Collard Greens or whatever you want to wrap around your BBQ Jackfruit (I got these at Trader Joe’s)

Prepare the jackfruit – Drain the jackfruit and rinse well. Cut the tough inner cores off the pieces and discard. 

Bring the broth to a boil and add in the jackfruit. Turn it down to a simmer and cook until most of the broth has been evaporated – about 15 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Add 1 & 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce (or more if you like it saucy!) to the jackfruit and mix well. Shred up any jackfruit with a fork that isn’t yet shredded. 

Spread the jackfruit out on a parchment or silpat baking mat lined baking sheet. Put it into the oven and let it cook until it starts to crisp up around the edges – about 25-30 minutes. 

Take out and slap it on a bun! Dig in and Enjoy!!! 

 

Crazy Sweet Potato BBQ Sauce

  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated with a microplane grater
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 or 2 whole chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce), remove seeds if desired
  • 1/2 cup smashed cooked sweet potato
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 3 Tablespoons molasses, optional 
  • a couple of drops of stevia, if desired

Cook onions in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add water if necessary to prevent sticking. 

Add the onions and all of the other ingredients to your blender (or use an immersion blender right in the pan!) and blend until very smooth. 

Transfer back to the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until nice and thick.

It should keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.