GOETTA…you say WHAT!!
What is Goetta, that is the question I got the most from my friends that are not from this area (Greater Cincinnati/Northern Ky area) when I told them I was going to blog about Goetta. Now in my house I felt like when we had Goetta is was a breakfast treat, we didn’t have it all the time and usually only in the wintertime.
This is taken from Wikipedia –
Goetta is a breakfast sausage of likely German-American origin that is popular in the greater Cincinnati area. It is primarily composed of ground meat (pork, or pork and beef) and steel-cut oats. Pronounced gétt-aa, ged-da or get-uh Americanized pronunciation, this dish probably originated with German settlers from the northwestern regions of Oldenburg, Hannover, and Westphalia who emigrated to the Cincinnati area in the 19th century.
The word “Goetta” comes from the Low German word götte.
Goetta was originally a peasant dish, meant to stretch out servings of meat over several meals to conserve money.
The modern popularity of goetta in Cincinnati has led to it being called “Cincinnati Caviar”. Glier’s Goetta, the largest commercial producer of goetta, produces more than 1,000,000 lb (450 metric tons) annually, around 99% of which is consumed locally in greater Cincinnati.
I must say I’m not a fan of Glier’s or for that fact any other brand except my Mom’s, oh and they have a Fest called Goettafest 🙂
In the Greater Cincinnati area, there have been annual celebrations since 2004 with the central theme of Goetta.
The “Original Goettafest” is an annual cultural and culinary celebration held in Covington, Kentucky (where my Grandmother grew up), just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. Covington has a rich heritage of German immigrants and this festival is held in MainStrasse Village, an area of Covington a few blocks from the Ohio River.
Goetta is typically formed into small loaves, and then cut into squares and fried, often in the oil left over from browning the meats or in bacon drippings. Traditionally a breakfast food, goetta is often served with apple butter, ketchup, mustard, syrup, grape jelly, honey, or eaten by itself.
More recently, goetta has become an all purpose food eaten with any meal. New goetta products in the Cincinnati area include goetta burgers, goetta dogs, and goetta pizza. Yes Goetta Pizza…one of our local pizza places (Newport Pizza) has a Goetta Pizza, with Goetta, fried potatoes, onions and fried eggs, there might be more on it, I can’t remember, I wanted to try it till then told me they used Glier’s and well NO 😛
Yes I come from a part German background, my Dad’s Mother was actually born in Germany and came to Covington, Ky when she was a baby.
My Mom told me that when my Grandmother would make goetta, she would roast a pork butt then grind it herself with one of those old hand grinders. I was like what…wow!!!
We didn’t do that in our house, but I must say I think my “Mom’s” is the best, I don’t care if you follow this same recipe, I can tell her’s from anyone else, so I called on her to make this goetta.
Well she didn’t really make it she instructed me and I made it at her house.
Now my Mom does follow the recipe on the back of the “Dorsel’s Pinhead Oatmeal” bag in some ways, but add’s Jimmy Dean’s Pork sausage. And she makes her’s in the microwave, now you can make it on the stove or in a slow cooker too it you want.
I do apologize for the making of pictures the lighting in her kitchen was not the best.
Ingredients
She uses this 5 quart glass pot
She chops her onions (I gave them this chopper one
year for christmas, my Dad loves it!! 🙂 Add salt, pepper, onions, bay leaves
then add oats then 6 cups of water give a stir add lid
cooking in microwave for 30 minutes….stirring after 15 minutes
this is what it looks like after 30 minutes pork, beef & pork sausage
Take out bay leaves, this is the tool she used to get all the meat fully incorporated
This is fully incorporated…cooking again for 30 minutes
Stirring after 15 minutes again then after 30 minutes your done
We put it into large loaf pans, and refrigerate it for up to 2 months
I made some small loaves too
Now in prepation to cook it, really is to each own, I think it depends on how you were introduced to it.
My Mom likes it right after it was made (before you form it into loaves) in a bowl with a drizzle of maple syrup.
My Dad eats this way, this is the way I eat it too 🙂
Goetta, bread, butter and ketchup (Heinz Ketchup only)
Yes I am Ketchup snob!!
I use a non stick skillet on med till it get brown and crispy then I add a touch of butter
I toast my bread butter my bread
then I add the crispy brown goodness!!!
Then drizzle it with Heinz Ketchup
usually no fork or knife is needed, just pick it up
and eat it like pizza
But I did use a fork and knife this time 🙂
Then it was gone and it was OOOOOO so GOOD!!!!
This is the recipe on the back of the bag
1 pound lean ground beef To a 5 quart glass microwave pot add onion, salt, pepper, bay leaves and oatmeal, stir in water. After the 30 minutes add all the meat and with a potato masher mix in meat and make sure it is fully incorporated. Cook another 30 minutes covered in microwave again stirring after 15 minutes. Then take mixture add it to loaf pans, packing down as you add it, chill then, and wrap with plastic wrap and foil. Once completely chilled, slice in about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick pieces and fry. Serve it up with or however you like!! And I hope the one’s of you who have never tried this will give it a try!!! Enjoy!!!My Mom's Goetta
1 pound lean ground pork
1 pound Jimmy Dean’s Hot Pork sausage (she prefers this brand and like it hot, I got the regular not hot and I loved it)
1 med – large onion, diced
3 bay leaves
3 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 cup Dorsel’s Pinhead Oatmeal
6 cups water
Cook in the microwave for 30 minutes, covered, stirring after 15 minutes, continue to cook just watching so it does not boil over, if it start to boil over just give it another stir.
Come Cook With Me 