I tried Tabitha Brown's BBQ jackfruit sandwiches and this 5-step recipe is a go-to vegan option for Juneteenth

According to culinary historian Adrian Miller, barbecue is a "premiere party food" and was often served during early Juneteenth celebrations. Juneteenth first took place on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed the enslaved African Americans they were free.

157 years later, African Americans across the country celebrate with potlucks, cookouts, family meals, and neighborhood gatherings that foster community.

"Old school barbecue was whole animal cooking," Miller told Insider. "There was no way to preserve it, so you had to have a lot of people eat that food — it commanded community."

But not everyone who celebrates Juneteenth can enjoy the traditional cookout spreads.

I'm not vegan, but I tried Tabitha Brown's Brown's BBQ jackfruit sandwiches ahead of Juneteenth to test an alternative cookout dish. Brown is an actress and author who published her first cookbook, "Feeding the Soul," in October 2021. Brown built a large following on Instagram and TikTok, where she shares recipes and food tips. She shared the jackfruit recipe on her YouTube page in 2020.

With no exaggeration, this BBQ jackfruit sandwich is one of my favorite Insider taste tests so far. Once the jackfruit was cooked and shredded, it tasted very similar to a pulled pork sandwich.

You're going to use nine ingredients in total, including cans of jackfruit. To make, you'll need:

• 2 cans of jackfruit
• 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
• Garlic powder
• salt-free multi-spice
• sea salt
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• A bottle of BBQ sauce (your favorite kind)
• A pack of sandwich buns (your favorite kind)

You're also going to need a skillet or a large pan, and a strainer.

According to Brown, you'll need to drain two cans of jackfruit by squeezing out all of the water in each piece. Another method you can try is pouring the jackfruit into a strainer, which is what I did before squeezing each piece as an extra measure.

For those who've never handled canned jackfruit, each piece has a hard outer layer — called the core — and softer, fleshy bits that protect the seeds. We want to use those fleshy bits for our recipe.

Although Brown didn't note it in her recipe, the core is edible and can be cut off or included with the jackfruit flesh. I chose to chop the hard bits off and mix them with the jackfruit flesh. However, the choice is yours!

This is also a good time to shred the jackfruit flesh with your fingers before adding it to the skillet. Although you can use the spatula to shred the jackfruit, I found the texture and consistency were better when I prepared beforehand.

Pour ½ cup of grapeseed oil into a skillet, then add the shredded jackfruit.

Then, take the seasonings and add them to the skillet while the jackfruit cooks. Brown didn't give specific measurements for the seasonings, saying, "as much as you want because that's your business."

However, I used ½ tbsp of garlic, ½ tsp of the multi-spice seasoning, and ½ tsp of salt.

Also, add ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar, two tbsp of maple syrup, and one lemon squeeze, or about ½ tbsp.

Combine all the ingredients and cook on medium to high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Brown suggested tossing the jackfruit until it begins to brown.

Once it begins to brown, add the BBQ sauce! I didn't know what to expect with jackfruit, so I chose a classic sweet heat sauce and added it to my skillet.

[Since she didn't specify how much BBQ sauce to use in the ingredients, would be cool to share how much you used for readers.]

Brown said to saute the BBQ jackfruit for another five minutes, and then it's ready to serve. You can use regular sandwich bread, burger buns, collard wrap, or other foods to hold the jackfruit.

I've tackled more than 20 taste tests during my time with Insider, and this recipe is truly a stand-out.

Not only was the recipe ridiculously easy — so easy I made a second batch for my boyfriend and me that same day — but it also tasted delicious. Jackfruit is fairly odorless and neutral once it comes out of the can, so it's perfect for picking up an accumulation of flavors. I was curious about the added maple syrup, but it blended into the ingredients and added a subtle sweetness.

One thing I really wanted to know from this experience was if jackfruit deserved all the hype as a meat substitute. The shredded texture mimicked pulled pork beautifully, and you could probably serve it to someone on a plate without them noticing.

Truly, this is an excellent recipe for Juneteenth or any other day of the year!