General Tso’s meatloaf
- Preparation 30 min
- Cooking 1 h 10 min
- Servings 6
- Freezing Absolutely
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🥩 Quebec comfort meets Asian flavors
This General Tso’s meatloaf is the perfect collision between comfort food from here and the sweet-salty sauce that conquered all of Quebec. A mixture of ground pork and beef, flavored with ginger, shiitakes and fresh cilantro, all glazed with a homemade General Tso’s sauce that caramelizes into a golden crust during cooking. It’s the kind of dish that pleases everyone on a weeknight as much as a Sunday with the family. And the reheated leftovers the next day are almost better than the original version.
🔥 A homemade sauce that absolutely changes everything
Forget bottled sauces: the homemade version takes just a few minutes to prepare and the difference is monumental. The brown sugar caramelizes, the oyster sauce brings umami, the vinegar cuts the sweetness and Sriracha adds just enough heat to wake everything up without burning anyone. This glazed meatloaf is perfect for playoff series nights, dinners with friends or when you simply want a comforting meal with a touch that’s out of the ordinary.
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🫙 The sauce in three portions is key
The recipe asks to divide the sauce into three: one portion in the meat mixture, one for glazing and one to serve at the table. This strategy ensures flavors at every level. Inside, as caramelized crust and as finishing touch. Don’t be tempted to put everything at once, it’s the layering that creates the magic of the final result.
🥩 Don’t overwork the meat
Mixing ingredients by hand is ideal, but you must stop as soon as everything is homogeneous. Overworking ground meat activates gluten and compacts fibers, which gives a dense and rubbery meatloaf instead of tender and juicy. A few passes by hand are enough. If you still see small color variations, that’s fine.
🌡️ The thermometer, your best ally
The internal temperature of 155°F (68°C) is the optimal point for a meatloaf cooked to perfection without being dry. Invest in an instant-read thermometer if you don’t already have one. It’s the only reliable way to check doneness without cutting into it and losing all the juices. The temperature will continue to rise a few degrees during resting.
⏱️ The 15-minute rest is not optional
Slicing a meatloaf that comes directly from the oven is a recipe for disaster. The meat will literally fall apart into crumbs. Resting allows juices to redistribute and the structure to firm up. Cover it lightly with aluminum foil during resting to keep heat without softening the caramelized crust.
🍳 Glaze often for the perfect crust
The 3 to 4 glazings during cooking aren’t just for flavor. Each layer of sauce caramelizes and creates a shiny lacquered crust worthy of a restaurant. Start glazing after the first 20 minutes of cooking, then repeat every 15 minutes or so. Use a silicone brush for uniform application without catching the surface.
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General Tso's sauce
- ½ cup (125 ml) water
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) white vinegar
- ¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) white wine
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) Sriracha
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) fresh ginger, grated
- 4 tsp (20 ml) cornstarch, diluted in ¼ cup (60 ml) cold water
Meatloaf
- Vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, cut in very small dice
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh ginger, grated
- 125 g (4.5 oz) shiitakes, finely chopped
- 1 lb (450 g) ground pork
- 1 lb (450 g) medium-lean ground beef
- ¾ cup (45 g) panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ½ cup (125 ml) fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp (7 ml) salt
- ½ cup (125 ml) General Tao sauce, cooled
- 1 tbsp (10 g) sesame seeds
- ⅓ cup (30 g) green onions, diced, plus more for garnish
- Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
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Preparation
- In a bowl, combine water, white vinegar, brown sugar, white wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Sriracha and grated ginger. Mix well until sugar dissolves.
- Pour mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add cornstarch diluted in cold water and mix well. Cook a few minutes stirring until sauce thickens. We want a beautiful coating and glossy sauce. Remove from heat and let cool 20 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of sauce for the meat mixture and separate the remainder into two equal portions: one for glazing and one for serving.
- In a pan over medium heat, drizzle vegetable oil and cook onion, celery, garlic and ginger for 10 minutes stirring regularly. Salt and pepper. Add shiitakes and continue cooking 3 to 4 minutes to soften them. Season generously, remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine cooled vegetables with ground pork and beef, panko breadcrumbs, egg, cilantro, salt, pepper, the reserved ½ cup General Tso’s sauce and sesame seeds. Mix by hand until obtaining a homogeneous texture without overworking the meat.
- Shape mixture into a meatloaf and place in a lightly oiled loaf pan.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake and cook about 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 155°F (68°C). Glaze the meatloaf 3 to 4 times with one of the remaining sauce portions during cooking to create a caramelized crust.
- Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before slicing. This step is essential, otherwise the loaf will fall apart. Serve with basmati rice, garnish with green onions and a generous amount of toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle with remaining sauce.
Not really. Sriracha is used in very small quantity (½ tsp) to add a slight background heat, not to make the dish hot. Kids and adults alike can enjoy it without problem. If you want more heat, double or triple the amount of Sriracha in the sauce according to your tolerance.
Absolutely. You can assemble the complete meatloaf, place it in its pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours before cooking. The sauce also prepares in advance and keeps in the fridge several days. Add 10 to 15 minutes of additional cooking if you bake the loaf directly from the fridge.
Yes, it freezes very well. Cooked and sliced, it keeps up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container. You can also freeze it raw in its pan, well wrapped. Thaw in the fridge the night before and cook normally. Freeze the sauce separately in a small container for optimal reheating results.
The pork-beef mixture gives the best result in terms of flavor and texture, but you can replace beef with ground veal or use only pork. Ground turkey or chicken also work, but the loaf will be drier. Then add 2 tbsp of sesame oil to the mixture to compensate for the lack of fat.
Both are sweet-salty, but General Tso’s sauce contains vinegar that gives it its characteristic sweet-sour side, plus oyster sauce for umami and chili for heat. Teriyaki is milder, mirin and sake-based, without acidity or heat. These are two distinct sauces that are not interchangeable in this recipe.
Plain basmati rice is the ideal base to absorb the caramelized sauce, but to bring this meal to the next level, I suggest my salade de concombre asiatique for a crunchy freshness that cuts through the richness of the meat, my Asian-style edamame beans as appetizer or side dish, or my salade de riz style asiatique for a complete and balanced meal. You’re going to love it!
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