How To Host A Vegan BBQ

Plant-based cooking your meat-lovin’ friends will savor.

Food is social. I get it. 

But that doesn’t mean your diet has to dictate who your friends are. 

You can still eat vegan and live a happy, vibrant social life. 

Well I’m about to show you how it’s done.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "I've thought about eating vegan, but it seems so hard." One of the common reasons is they think their social life changes drastically. Like if you're not on the flavor-of-the-week diet right now, no one will want to hang out with you. 

At this year's New England Vegfest, Miyoko (founder, Miyoko’s Kitchen) talked about hosting your own plant-based dinner party for your meat loving friends. What a great way to show your friends that vegan food is fun and delicious. 

When some friends recently told me that they want to eat more plant-based food to cut back on animal meat in their diet, but want to wait until after summer because of BBQs, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to invite them over for a cookout and show them how it's done. Beforehand, I asked what some of their favorite summertime grilled foods were and they told me anything with pork. Right away, I knew I wanted to do something with jackfruit since it shreds like pulled pork.

Jackfruit is a massive spiky tropical fruit. If you’ve ever seen one in person it can look a little intimidating. I originally made the mistake and bought a 20lb jackfruit once that took 4 hours to break it down. Then realized I needed one that wasn’t ripe to get that meaty texture and mild taste, but that’s a story for another day.

So for all your savory recipes just make sure you use young or green jackfruit. You can buy it either in a Asian market or Trader Joe’s sells it. Just be sure you get the one in brine or water, not syrup. Jackfruit is really mild tasting and will take on the flavors you choose, making it the perfect choice for summer BBQs.

Jackfruit is an excellent taco filling and I got the idea to make tacos vampiros - vampire style tacos where the tortilla is grilled so the edges become crispy and fold up mimicking bat wings. Being summer, Hawaiian kalua style was another perfect idea for the jackfruit. Hawaiian kalua pork is traditionally smoked in a sand pit with sea salt, banana leaves and koa wood. So I marinated the jackfruit in pineapple juice, sea salt, liquid smoke, and spices. This made the taco filling meaty and flavorful. I topped them with some homemade salsa, guac, pickled onions, and slaw. Served with a side of Mexican style grilled corn with a chili-lime butter (Miyokos actually) and sprinkled with Chloe’s almond parm on top. Not only did my guests love the food, they went back for seconds. One friend said he was prepared to pick-up some hamburgers, but gave the tacos a shot. He ate four of them and a whole ear of corn. 

Here’s how to host a vegan BBQ of your own. 

Jackfruit Taco Filling

1 16oz can of green jackfruit in brine (used Trader Joe's here)
1 tbsp liquid smoke
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 red onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup pineapple juice not-from-concentrate (used Trader Joe's here)
Pinch of sea salt

1. Drain jackfruit and add to a bowl. 
2. Shred the jackfruit with a fork enough so it resembles pulled pork. 
3. Add the liquid smoke, spices, salt, onions, and garlic to the bowl. 
4. Pour pineapple juice over it enough to just cover the jackfruit - a cup should do it, but feel free to add more if needed. 
5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. 

Salsa

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes (or 1 16oz can)
1 jalapeno diced and seeded
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 red onion diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 fresh lime juiced
Pinch of sea salt

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until desired chunkiness is achieved. 
2. I prefer a medium thickness and pulsed about 5 times.
3. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the ingredients a little smaller and mix together in bowl. 
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve or get out the tortilla chips and start snacking.

Cole Slaw

1/4 head of green cabbage shredded
1/4 head of red cabbage shredded
1 carrot shredded
1/4 cup green onions diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/2 cup Just Mayo (or your fave vegan mayo)
1/2  fresh lime juiced
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chili-Lime Butter

1 stick of vegan butter (used Miyoko’s here)
1 fresh lime juiced
1 tbsp chili powder

1. Make sure the butter is soft first, so you might want to leave out of the fridge while you prep other dishes. 
2. Once soft, mix together in a bowl with the lime juice and chili powder until consistent. 
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1 jalapeno diced and seeded
1/2 red onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 fresh lime juiced
Pinch of sea salt

1. Add avo to a bowl and mash up with a fork, spoon, muddle, or even a potato masher.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until consistent.
3. This is best made just before guests arrive.
4. But be careful, once a chip gets dipped in here you can't stop. So be sure to save some for the tacos. 

Other things you’ll need:

4 ears of corn shucked
8 soft corn tortillas

Time to cook:

1. Fire up your grill - I prefer the smokiness of charcoal and always use all natural lump hardwood for an authentic style of open-flame cooking. 
2. Once the grill is ready, place corn right on the grate. 
3. Turn every few minutes and when you see a good mix of deep yellow and black char, that indicates that side is done. 
4. Once the corn gets going (about 15 mins), place a non-stick skillet directly on the other side of the grill - just make sure the pan is safe for the grill. I used a ceramic one that worked well. 
5. Add a tbsp of EVOO and get the pan hot. 
6. Drain most of the pineapple juice liquid from the jackfruit leaving a little for extra flavor and place the mixture in the pan. 
7. While the jackfruit is cooking your corn should be just about done (usually takes about 30mins total). 
8. Remove the corn to a serving plate and spread the butter evenly around the ear. 
9. Sprinkle with Chloe’s almond parm and it will be ready to serve. 
10. The jackfruit should be done after about 15 mins so you can move that to the warming rack or side. 
11. Place the tortillas directly on the grill and fill each with a heaping of the jackfruit. 
12. Once the edges of the tortilla becomes crispy it’s done. 
13. Remove from grill and top each taco with the salsa, guac, and slaw. 
14. Serve with the corn.
15. Watch everyone’s faces light up as they take their first bite. 

This recipe makes about 8 tacos depending on how much you fill each taco. Adjust as needed depending on the amount of tacos you plan to make for guests. And the jackfruit filling is also tasty on a roll as a sandwich or topped on salads and nachos. You could even warm it in a slow cooker and bring to a potluck.

Happy BBQ’n.