Instant Pot Jackfruit Carnitas

After the taste bud nirvana of making the BBQ jackfruit i was up for trying more jackfruit recipes. So, since I love mexican food, i figured that carnitas would be a great idea to try.

I honestly was not disappointed. These tasted so good! The secret though is in finishing them in the oven to get that little bit of crispness in them as pressure cooking alone doesn’t give that.

Instant Pot Jackfruit Carnitas

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
NPR 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 2 20oz Cans green jackfruit packed in water or brine
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek

Instructions
 

  • Rinse and drain the jackfruit, then use your fingers to pull the pieces apart so that it looks like shredded pork.
  • Add the shredded jackfruit, along with the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then switch the valve to “venting” to quick release.
  • Give everything another stir and remove and discard the bay leaf. At this point you can serve the jackfruit carnitas or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
  • Recipe Suggestions
  • Some people discard the harder core and seeds of the jackfruit. I do not. I find that if you do your best to tear everything up, it all cooks up nicely and you won’t even notice those parts. Why waste?
  • If you want to crisp up the edges to be even more like carnitas, you can spread the jackfruit on a parchment lined baking sheet and put it under the broiler for 10 minutes, stirring it at the halfway mark. The edges of the jackfruit will start to brown and crisp up.

Notes

Original recipe: https://www.lafujimama.com/instant-pot-jackfruit-carnitas/
Keyword Instant Pot, Vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Instant Pot BBQ Jackfruit

Oh man! I was kinda hesitant to try this one at first. Jackfruit just wasn’t a fruit either of grew up around when we lived on the mainland. Since living in Hawaii, it’s definitely been “around” more. That still doesn’t quite directly translate to having experience handling or cooking it. That will be changing though! Bring on the jackfruit!

Jackfruit itself can be a huge pain-in-the-ass to process from it’s fresh fruit state. However, finding it canned and brined has been a game changer that makes cooking with it fast and easy. We’ve been finding it at our local natural foods grocery store, Asian markets, and everyone’s favorite Trader’s Joes.

We’ve also been noticing it pop up more and more either as whole fruit or in dishes or products at farmers markets and farm type events. Which has been a great way to try it prepared different ways. I have been amazed and converted to a true fan by how well jackfruit does as a meat alternative. If someone was to hand me a sandwich using this recipe at a BBQ, I probably won’t notice that it was really meat until I was told. I would most likely fail a blind taste test, and honestly might even lean more towards the jackfruit in a blind taste test.

If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or just want to try something new on a meatless monday – Give this recipe a shot!

Instant Pot BBQ Jackfruit

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
NPR 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients
  

6 hamburger buns (gluten free if needed)

  • 2 20oz. can Jackfruit (in brine or water)
  • 18 oz. Barbecue sauce
  • 6 Hamburger buns
  • coleslaw

Instructions
 

Prepare your jackfruit: Drain and rinse the canned jackfruit.

If desired, chop off the "core" portions and discard, we usually leave them though.

    Add the jackfruit to the Instant Pot along with 1 cup of water. Put on the lid, seal, and set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, or if you are in a hurry you can manually release the pressure (carefully).

      Drain the jackfruit, and then add it back to the Instant Pot. Mash with a potato masher until it resembles pulled meat (see photo above).

        Make the barbecue sauce following these instructions (unless you are using store bought sauce).

          Add the barbecue sauce to the pulled jackfruit, and turn on the saute feature. Cook for 2-5 minutes until warmed through. Serve on buns with shredded cabbage.

            Notes

            Original recipe: https://www.noracooks.com/instant-pot-pulled-bbq-jackfruit/
            Keyword BBQ, Instant Pot, Vegetarian
            Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!