Drain the jackfruit and gently break it apart into shreds in a bowl using your hands. You can chop off the tougher tips and remove the seeds if you want to, but I don’t bother. Once they cook down with everything else you don’t even notice them. Toss the shredded jackfruit with your dry seasonings and let it sit while you prepare everything else.
Heat a wide pan on medium high heat. While you wait for it to heat up, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion to your pan, stirring frequently until it turns translucent, splashing in a little veggie broth as needed to prevent sticking, then add the garlic and cook another minute or two until fragrant. Add jackfruit, mix to coat. Stir and cook until some of the moisture cooks out and the jackfruit begins to get a little dry. It’s ok if some sticks to the bottom of the pan.
Add bbq sauce (and hot sauce if using) and stir to coat, adding just a touch of vegetable broth to loosen up the sauce. Stir and reduce heat to a low medium, cover and let it simmer, and braise for 15-20 minutes, checking frequently and adding a little more veggie broth if it starts getting too dry – but not too much!
Make your slaw by adding everything to a bowl and mixing well until the cabbage is coated.
Check the jackfruit, stirring through and removing the lid. The sauce should have reduced, but shouldn’t be sticking to the sides.
To assemble, spoon a generous pile of BBQ jackfruit onto each bun and top with slaw and pickles and a few drops of hot sauce if desired.