Preheat oven to 450 degrees (or airfryer to 400). Assemble spice mix in a small bowl. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE EGGPLANT: Pierce a small (*see note below) whole, unpeeled eggplant all over with a fork. Place on the baking sheet with with foil or parchment. Roast and turn every 15 minutes, until eggplant is super soft, about 40 minutes. (If using an airfryer, about 25 minutes total). After the eggplant has cooled for 5 minutes, trim the top and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh and place the pulp in a colander over a bowl for 5 minutes to allow the liquid to drain. Lightly press the flesh with a spoon to extract a little more liquid (*see note below). Discard the skins.

TO PREPARE JACKFRUIT: Drain the jackfruit. Soak in cold water, swish around. Drain, soak in fresh water, swish, drain and repeat to remove the brine. Remove the core, which kind of looks like the center of a pineapple. Discard the seeds. At this point you will have about 220 gm of drained jackfruit. Squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel. In the end, you will only have about 170 gm of jackfruit. Toss jackfruit with the spices.

Melt bacon fat in a pan, add the seasoned jackfruit and brown lightly, about 8 minutes. Add the tablespoon of butter and minced onion to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic, garlic, bay leaf, sage and thyme. Add in the vegetable broth. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, until mixture is pretty dry. Remove bay leaf.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the eggplant and puree. Ad in the jackfruit mix and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Pulse about 8 times.

Transfer vegetable mix to a bowl. Add in maple syrup, konjac and breadcrumbs, and mix together. Place mixture on a lightly starched work area. Pat/roll the mixture into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. With a 3 inch round cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out seven patties that should weigh 45 gm each. Let the patties sit in fridge for at least 1/2 hour to firm up.

Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a cast iron or regular skillet. Cook the patties until a nice brown color, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. If you are planning on freezing some of the patties, cook them on a lower temperature so they do not brown as much (since they will get browner when you reheat later).