Tasty Jackfruit Carnitas Recipe

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 20oz cans of young green jackfruit in brine or water
• 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil or any neutral oil

  (canola, vegetable also work)
• 1 medium white onion, small dice

  (1 ½ cup diced)
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  (optional for spice)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 pinches ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup low sodium tamari

  (low sodium soy sauce if not gluten-free)
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Instructions

• 1 Drain the jackfruit well. Then shred the jackfruit. There are few different ways
  to do this.
  
  You can do this by cutting the hard core off the triangles and shredding the
  softer bits with a fork into what looks like pulled pork. Then chop the cores
  into finer pieces to match the shredded.
  
  You can also throw all the jackfruit into a large bowl and squeeze the jackfruit
  with your hands, which will shred the softer bits and leave the core. If you
  choose the squeezing method you have to pick out the hard cores that are left
  over and chop them into pieces just as you would with the first option. This is
  how I do it.
  
  When you complete this step drain the jackfruit again to remove any extra
  liquid.
• 2 Combine all the spices in a small dish so they are ready to go before you start
  cooking. This includes the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne,
  oregano, cinnamon, and salt.
• 3 Heat the oil at medium high heat in a large saute pan. Then add the onions and
  garlic to cook for about 1 to 2 minutes until the onions are translucent.
• 4 Next add the spice mix of cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano,
  cinnamon, and salt. Stir to coat the onions well and continue cooking for about
  1 minute.
• 5 Now add the jackfruit, maple syrup, water, low sodium tamari, and liquid smoke.
  Stir to combine and cook at medium heat uncovered for about 10-15 minutes. Check
  every few minutes and turn the jackfruit as needed. You want for the liquid to
  reduce and the jackfruit to turn into what looks like shredded pork.
• 6 When the jackfruit liquid has reduced to virtually nothing, turn the heat up to
  high and cook for 2-3 minutes turning often to evenly crisp up.
  
  For extra crispy carnitas, you can also spread the jackfruit out onto a sheet
  pan and place under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up. I find that I can
  achieve the same results on the stove top. It's just a matter of preference.
• 7 Serve as a filling for tacos, burritos, bowls, and more! My recipe for
  Salvadoran Pupusas [https://www.danceswithknives.com/vegan-salvadoran-pupusas/]
  is fantastic using jackfruit carnitas as a filling!

Nutrition Info