I had never heard of jackfruit until just a few weeks ago, and then, all of a sudden, all kinds of jackfruit recipes came out of the woodwork. Intrigued, I decided to pick up a couple of cans during a recent trip to Jungle Jim’s.

When I got home, I wasn’t sure how to use it; that is, until I came across this BBQ Jackfruit recipe from Luminous Vegans. I like the idea of making your own barbecue sauce, but being a weekday, I opted for a little help and used Annie’s Original BBQ Sauce, which worked out just fine. And, I have to say, these sandwiches were delicious. Though I think we were a little weirded out at first, the flavor soon won out and we were hooked. The texture of the jackfruit isn’t like real meat; it’s really its own thing. It’s hard to put into words, so you’ll just have to try it for yourself.

For a side, I made homemade coleslaw. I used my food processor to shred a couple of carrots, and then I used my knife to shred half of a head of savoy cabbage. For the dressing, I used 2/3 cup of Vegenaise, and to that I added a 1/4 cup white vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon of salt and lots of cracked black pepper.

This is a great weeknight meal that is fast and easy on the budget. If you haven’t already tried it, it’s worth the trip to the nearest international food market to pick up a few cans.