King Oyster Mushroom Pulled Pork
By shredding king oyster mushrooms, seasoning with spices, and baking, you can create a vegan mushroom pulled pork that rivals the real stuff! Perfect on sandwiches, tacos, nachos…or whenever you need pulled pork.
Back in March I had a week break between finishing my master’s thesis and beginning my internship with Unilever. And in that week I cooked up a storm. A hurricane. A typhoon of all the recipes to be shared on the blog in the foreseeable future so I could focus on creating popsicles for the soon-to-be (next spring!) cookbook. But then I made this mushroom pulled pork and my plan nearly went out the window. Because I love the stuff so much that I wanted to share it ASAP!
But I couldn’t share it. Because mushroom week was so far away and my Type A personality was not about to break from our featured ingredient tradition. So I sat. And waited. And then suddenly summer came and as if it were Christmas…MUSHROOM WEEK is HERE! And so, friends, I can finally share one of my most favorite new recipes with you.
We make this recipe no less than once a week, sometimes with a different blend of spices or sauce, but always with the same core: king oysters shredded with a fork + baked til the edges are crispy. The pulled pork loving tulip-man happily gulfs them down on sandwiches, salads, nachos, and tacos. Ready to try out your new favorite vegetarian meat substitute?
Mushroom Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 4 king oyster mushrooms*
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 mL, divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce 60 g
Instructions
Shred Mushrooms: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Using two forks, shred the stems and caps roughly into pieces. Set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake: Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of the oil, paprika, salt, cayenne, and garlic. Toss around to evenly coat the mushrooms, then bake for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are a bit crispy and brown on the edges.
Sauté: Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil in a large saute pan over medium high. Transfer cooked mushrooms to pan and add BBQ sauce. Stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and fragrant. Serve warm on sandwiches, nachos, salads, tacos...or whenever you eat pulled pork!
Notes
*You can use regular oyster mushrooms if you can’t find king oysters, though you will need many more (about 3 heaping cups). Button or champignon mushrooms don't work well in this recipe.
Thanks so much for dropping by and for making easy vegetarian recipes like this Mushroom Pulled Pork possible! Be sure to snap a photo and tag #liveeatlearn if you try it!
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Could you use large portabella?
Portobello isn’t going to shred into that classic “pulled pork” quite the same. I’ve found it makes for chunkier pieces, but tasty nonetheless! 😀
OMG, I want this now. Looks so mouthwatering.
Hahah, I wish I could send you some! But it’s quick to make, of course 😉
What do you suggest serving alongside to give the meal an extra dose of protein? Because while I definitely will try this, I’m worried it won’t leave me full for long because there is not much protein in it.
Hi Sarah, great question! I love the filling power of chickpeas. You could try slightly mashing chickpeas and putting them on a sandwich/buns along with the pulled mushroom for a pulled pork sandwich (or tacos!) I also have a recipe for vegan nachos using this pulled mushroom here: https://www.liveeatlearn.com/vegan-nachos-with-bbq-pulled-pork-and-queso/. The cashew/nutrition yeast queso adds a healthy dose of protein (you could also turn this recipe into tacos!) (can you tell I’m craving tacos?)
Can you reheat this after its been cooked?
Yep! I’d recommend to reheat in a saute pan just until warm. Microwave may make for a chewier texture.
Thanks for this recipe, it sounds yummy. One question: where do you find king oyster mushrooms? I’ve only ever seen button or portabella mushrooms at any store I have shopped at.
Such a great question, Lala! It depends on what region you’re in if you’ll be able to find them in “normal” shops. If you can’t find them at your local grocery, try an asian super market. They almost always have them (or they’ll have regular oyster mushrooms, which will also work for this recipe).
Thanks, I thought of Asian markets after I hit send. Oops.
Can this receive be frozen?
Hi Jojo! I’ve tried this before and the texture isn’t quite as good as when fresh.