MICHAEL: We're making our Philly Jackfruit, which is a vegan take on the Philly cheesesteak.

Of course, we're going to use jackfruit today.

SETH: Well, I've seen jackfruit on a lot of menus, but I never actually stopped to think about what they look like.

My goodness.

MICHAEL: So this is the jackfruit in its original form.

This is a tropical fruit found in India, Philippines.

One of the largest tree-growing fruits.

SETH: So even though you're a vegan restaurant, we get to do a little butchering here today with this.

MICHAEL: We're going to butcher some fruit.

SETH: Well, let's give it a rip and see.

MICHAEL: Okay, jackfruit basically comes in two forms.

So, this is the sweeter version of the fruit, so this is the ripe version.

This is usually used for desserts, ice creams, things like that.

We're using like the canned version, which is usually for like a plant-based meat.

SETH: Mm-hmm.

And it has that texture inside that's going to be sort of similar to meat?

MICHAEL: I would say it's kind of like a pulled pork.

SETH: Hmm.

You can do it.

You can do it, Michael.

MICHAEL: This thing is no joke.

SETH: Wow.

I've seen a chef butcher a whole tuna and I think that looked easier than cutting open a jackfruit.

MICHAEL: Yeah.

Try this again.

SETH: You can do it.

MICHAEL: Okay.

The big reveal.

The big reveal.

SETH: Wow.

MICHAEL: So there it is.

And essentially we've got these pods here of fruit that are sort of tucked in here.

We have this huge jackfruit, but we're probably going to get about a bowl of fruit out of here.

SETH: And these little orange pieces here, that's the flesh?

MICHAEL: Yeah.

And sort of take these apart here and then we've got the fruit.

SETH: I can see how stringy it is, how it pulls apart.

MICHAEL: Yeah, it's really sticky.

It's more the texture.

SETH: I'm going to try some raw jackfruit.

MICHAEL: I'm going to try some with you.

SETH: That is sweet.

And it's definitely got a nice dense texture and flavor to it.

Ooh, I could snack on this all day.

MICHAEL: It's so good.

So as you can imagine, this isn't the most practical way for us to make the jackfruit.

So we actually get the jackfruit in food service packaging.

Again, we're using the jackfruit that is the less ripe.

So what we do when we get the jackfruit, sauté up some onions, grind it, season it up, we braise it for two to three hours, we smoke it.

So when it's done with the braising, this is what it looks like.

SETH: And it looks like I'm looking into a pan full of stewed meat right here.

MICHAEL: Totally different experience.

SETH: That nice braising liquid, nice and moist, but the texture just pulls apart just the way... MICHAEL: Yeah, it's going to be like a pulled pork.

SETH: Fascinating.

No wonder the jackfruit is such a popular fruit to use for vegan dishes.

MICHAEL: I mean, it's interesting to go from this to this.

SETH: All right, so we've got the substitute steak, but the Cheesesteak, obviously we need cheese.

And I'm always a little skeptical about vegan cheese, so how do you guys do it here?

MICHAEL: So we've got our seasonings here.

And of course we're going to start with some cashews.

SETH: Hmm.

I do like cashews.

MICHAEL: These are raw cashews.

They're going to be a little softer so that they can go into the blender.

So we've got the nutritional yeast.

We're going to add a little salt.

We're going to add a little paprika, garlic powder, turmeric.

SETH: Turmeric is important, right?

Because you want this to look like Cheez Whiz when you're done if it's a Philly Cheesesteak.

MICHAEL: It's got to have the beautiful color, right?

We've got onion powder, lemon juice, some oil.

SETH: You are not skimping on the seasonings.

MICHAEL: And now we've got some chili powder.

SETH: Ooh.

MICHAEL: And then this is our secret seasoning here, which I can't share with you.

All right, we're just going to start blending this up here.

So wait, there's one more step.

We're actually going to cold smoke the cheese.

SETH: Ooh.

MICHAEL: And when we finish, this is what it looks like.

SETH: Beautiful.

And between all the seasonings and the smoking, we're really taking a vegan cheese and vegan meat to the next level here.

MICHAEL: This is next level.

So next I'm going to go over to the flat top, we're going to take some peppers and onions, some jackfruit.

I'm going to toast off some bread, hit it with some garlic aioli, add the fixings, and then we're going to finish it off with the cheese sauce.

And then we've got our Philly Jackfruit.

SETH: All right, Mike, Leah, I am excited to try this Philly Jackfruit sandwich.

MICHAEL: Pro tip: we like to take it, pat it down a little with the fork so you can get the good bite here.

And I will cut a piece for Leah and I here.

SETH: All right, well, here we go.

LEAH: All right.

MICHAEL: Cheers.

LEAH: Cheers.

MICHAEL: Never gets old.

LEAH: No.

SETH: That's a knockout.

LEAH: Good.

SETH: You know, didn't fully know what to expect, but you really can taste the flavors of the braising liquid, pick up some of that wine that was used.

And the cheese has that nice sort of nutty flavor.

I think all that seasoning and spices really brings it out.

And a little garlic as well?

MICHAEL: A little garlic aioli on the bottom.

SETH: Oh yeah, yeah.

MICHAEL: It just gives it some dimension, some depth.