Throwback Thursday: Jackfruit Vegan Corned Beef

Edited March 2017 to include Instant Pot option below.

When I was a kid, we were really poor, so corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots was an affordable meal.  Especially right after St. Patrick's Day, we could get it at super discount price and eat it for weeks.  Now, I still like to just make cabbage, carrots, and potatoes for dinner year round, but when it's close to St. Patrick's Day, I crave that unique spice flavor of corned beef, so I decided to recreate it with pickling spices and jackfruit.  This did not disappoint and I'm already looking forward to making it again!

2 cans green jackfruit, drained
1 cup water
1 tsp Better Than Bouillion
1 tsp smoked salt
Liquid from one can pickled beets
1 bottlePickling Spice in cheesecloth, tea bag, or similar (I used a nut milk bag)

Put on low in slow cooker for 3 hours.  all together.  Once it's all soft and and infused with flavor, use a potato masher to break up the big pieces of jackfruit and you have something that looks like the consistency of shredded meat.  Use a slotted spoon get all the jackfruit out and spread out on a foil or parchment lined cookie sheet and toss with oil of your choice, or leave it oil free.  Broil it for 10 minutes then stir and broil another 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn.  Once it's browned, it's ready, so don't over burn it.  Serve with boiled cabbage, potatoes, and carrots and yummy mustard.

I added more smoked salt for the broiling, but that made it super salty- which I like but you might not.

Even though I just ate a plate of this, I'm already dreaming of a sandwich made with leftovers.  I wish I had some good pumpernickel bread, maybe I'll head out later.

If you want something in a big chunk form, I've made this seitan recipe before and it was a hit: Vegan Corned Beef Seitan

For another version of Corned Jackfruit, check out howFried Dandelions makes hers!

Instant Pot Method UPDATE:
I used the same recipe, although this time I used jarred pickled beets instead of canned (probably inconsequential).
In Instant Pot, combine ingredients and set for MANUAL 6 minutes.  I did a quick release and it was ready to broil.  Way faster, and the flavor was completely in the jackfruit!