Serves 8
I hacked this from an existing (wildly popular) vegan ribs recipe because my brother is a newly diagnosed diabetic and I wanted to cut down on the carbs from barbecue sauce or breadcrumbs in a traditional meatloaf. I also wanted to create an experience reminiscent of the shreddy brisket of my Jewish childhood holidays, always served as a pot roast with carrots, potatoes and onions. Admittedly, there are a lot of steps and dirty pans, but like most festive meals this includes all the trimmings (roasted vegetables, pan gravy) and feeds a crowd with leftovers and flair, so the end result seems worth the effort.
Prepare the flax seed egg first because it needs about 15 minutes to thicken. Try to prep this early in the day or the night before so the vital wheat gluten has a chance to relax (or the bread crumbs to hydrate) and the mixture can marinate in all the seasonings. Speaking of which, the seasonings are all optional and subject to what you have in your cupboard. As with anything refrigerated overnight, be sure to take out early in the day to come to room temperature before cooking.
The roast rests on a bed of thinly sliced onions that melt and caramelize, and the plant-based meat releases juices that blend with the olive oil from the veggies to form a beautiful au jus. After you thinly slice some of the roast for serving, pour those juices over the slices to soak up all that flavor. Don’t think this excuses you though, from making a gravy on the side; it will be needed to moisten that great big pile of food you just made! I also made a big pot of collard greens in a pretty strongly flavored pot liquor and used a few cups of that as the base for my gravy, but any liquid will do.
Roast:
2 20-oz. cans jackfruit in brine, drained, rinsed, and shredded
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 flax seed eggs (1 T. flax seed + 2 T. water = 1 egg)
1 package Impossible Beef (12 oz.) or Beyond Meat (16 oz.)
¼ C. vital wheat gluten or ¼ C. bread crumbs
Seasoning:
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1 T. smoked paprika
1 T. fresh rosemary, finely chopped or 1 tsp. dried Herbes de Provence
2 T. tamari sauce (or soy, aminos, etc.)
1 tsp. liquid smoke
2 T. vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 T. vegan steak sauce (optional)
Vegetables:
4-6 T. olive or safflower oil, divided
1 large onion, sliced very thinly and separated into rings
2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch batons, halved or quartered depending on thickness
3-4 shallots, quartered (or small onions)
2-3 small new potatoes per person (if not serving mashed potatoes), or a couple large potatoes cubed
4-6 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with juices, crushed by hand
2 bay leaves
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Optional vegetables: 2-3 medium turnips cut in 1-inch cubes, parsnips cut like carrots
Glaze:
Barbecue sauce; ketchup seasoned with vinegar and brown sugar; tomato paste thinned with maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, and water
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees when you are ready to cook
- Prepare the flax seed egg and set aside. Dice onions and garlic using the chopping blade of a food processor (do not over-process or it will turn to mush). Add jackfruit and continue to process in pulses until jackfruit is roughly shredded and onions are minced. If you don’t have a food processor you can shred the jackfruit by hand and mince the onions and garlic with a sharp knife.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients and seasonings (if not using Worcestershire and steak sauce, add additional tamari sauce). Mix well with a wooden spoon or by hand, just until everything is incorporated. On an oiled plate or baking pan, form into an oblong roast similar in shape to a brisket, cover with plastic wrap or foil, and allow to rest while you prep vegetables, at least one hour or refrigerated overnight.
- Toss roasting vegetables in a large bowl with oil to coat, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- When ready to cook, oil a roasting pan large enough to hold the roast and all the veggies and pile all the sliced onions in the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the roast. Toss the onions with 1 T. oil, salt and pepper to taste.
- Generously coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and sear the roast on both sides over medium-high heat to create a crust, taking care not to burn. Using two spatulas, transfer the roast from the skillet to the prepared roasting pan and surround with the rest of the vegetables and the hand-torn canned tomatoes. Scrape any crusty bits and leftover oil into the pan as well; if desired, deglaze with canned tomato juices—the fond left on the bottom of the skillet equals flavor and will become part of the pan gravy, so do not discard!
- Cover with foil and bake for one hour at 400, then turn oven down to 350, uncover and coat with glaze, and bake for an additional half hour, until vegetables are very tender. Brush with more glaze after 15 minutes if it looks like it’s drying out.
- Remove from oven, loosely cover with tented foil, and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Transfer roast to serving platter using two spatulas, carve into thin slices with a very sharp or serrated knife, and drizzle generously with pan juices. (Use any excess pan juices to make gravy.) Arrange on a large platter surrounded by roasted vegetables and caramelized onions. Serve with gravy and any leftover glaze, in a separate dish, if desired.