These famous German-influenced sausage grain patties known as Goetta from the Greater Cincinnati area have a fantastic flavor and are an absolutely delicious addition to your breakfast!
You may not have heard of goetta, but it’s famous.Ā At least it is in Cincinnati where it’s practically a staple ingredient.Ā So much so the people of the Greater Cincinnati area consume over 1 million pounds of it ever year.Ā That’s 450 metric tons of goetta!
What’s more, there’s even an annual goetta festival, “Glier’s Goettafest”, that’s held every August near Newport, Kentucky and features goetta served every way imaginable.Ā Music, dancing and other entertainment adds to the occasion of celebrating this beloved food as well as the German-American heritage of the Greater Cincinnati area.
So what isĀ goetta (pronounced “getta”)?
Goetta is a mixture made out of meat, oats, onions and spices that is formed into sausages patties, fried, and eaten for breakfast.Ā The dish is of German origin and the name is a derivative of the German words Grƶtte or GrĆ¼tze (depending on the region), which translates to “groats,” but this dish is not known as Goetta in Germany.
The concept goetta is similar to Pennsylvania Dutch scrapple, Polish kishka and Scottish haggis in that, all these originally being peasant dishes, it was a way to make the most of every part of the animal – to use up the scraps – and to make them stretch to feed the most people possible.
In the case of goetta, it was brought to the Cincinnati area over a century ago by German immigrants from northern Germany.Ā While the version in north Germany would have been made more commonly with buckwheat, barley or rye (the grains most prolifically grown in that area), oats were substituted once the immigrants reached Cincinnati (which is the more common crop in that area).Ā Also, the original, peasant German version would have included more animal organ parts whereas goetta is made with the muscle meat only (when the German immigrants reached the United States they found that pork here was much cheaper).
There are several key spices in this that are essential to achieving the “old world” flavor that many German meats and sausages are associated with:Ā Mace, marjoram, coriander, white pepper, cloves and ginger.Ā Don’t omit or substitute any of these.Ā Include all of them and once you’ve tasted the final result you’ll be very happy you did!
Before we get started…
HOW TO FRY GOETTAĀ
Yes, this can be a point of frustration.Ā You’ll find forums online of people venting and lamenting and asking for help on how to fry goetta so that it doesn’t completely fall apart in the pan.
I’ll say it right now, it is challenging keeping the patties together when you fry them and that’s just the nature of goetta.Ā Goetta is not a firm sausage patty.Ā It’s a fairly soft and loose patty with a browned and crispy exterior.Ā And reducing the amount of water won’t help, neither will adding things like bread crumbs or eggs.Ā That said, there is a way to keep goetta from falling apart and to ensure the patties keep shape.
Here are 5 essential keys to cooking goetta correctly:
The first key to helping them keep shape is slicing them thickly (at least 1/2 inch thick).
The secondĀ key is to avoid using any oil whatsoever.Ā Oil will only make it soggier and fall apart more.Ā Just use a dry non-stick pan over medium-high heat.Ā Again, no oil.
The third key is waiting until the pan is preheated over medium heat and then letting them fry long enough on both sides to firm them up a bit.Ā Fry them for 5-8 minutes on the first side until the top changes color (it’s very light/almost white to begin with and will become a little yellower in color,) and the bottom is fully browned.Ā Then carefully flip it and brown the other side (this side will cook faster).
The fourth keyĀ is to avoid pushing or pressing down on the patties.
The fifth key is to leave it alone while it’s frying.Ā Don’t push down on it or try to move it before it’s fully browned on the bottom or it will stick.Ā Also, do not to overcrowd the pan.
Keep in mind, after implementing each of these tips the patties still won’t be “firm”, they’re not supposed to be.Ā Ignore the imperfections in shape or appearance, just shovel the goetta onto your fork and into your mouth and then chew it with complete satisfaction.
Equipped with these 5 Keys To Goetta Success, it’s time to make some goetta!
Goetta Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the broth, oats, water, salt, bay leaves and marjoram in a large pot.Ā Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s soft and the liquid is absorbed.
Add the meat, onions, garlic and spices.Ā Return to a boil then reduce to low, cover and cook for another hour, stirring occasionally.Ā If the liquid has not all been absorbed, remove the lid and continue to cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened.
Pour and press the mixture into 2 (9×5) greased loaf pans and let cool completely.Ā Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, cut into thick slices, at least 1/2 inch (otherwise they’ll fall apart), and fry them in batches in a non-stick panĀ without any oil.Ā Fry them on both sides for 4-5 minutes or until nicely browned.Ā Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Goetta (German-American Sausage Grain Patties)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups steel-cut oats (aka pinhead oats)
- 4 cups beef broth
- 4 cups water
- 3 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Place the broth, oats, water, salt, bay leaves and marjoram in a large pot. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's soft and the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the meat, onions, garlic and spices. Return to a boil then reduce to low, cover and cook for another hour, stirring occasionally. If the liquid has not all been absorbed, remove the lid and continue to cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until the mixture has thickened.
- Pour and press the mixture into 2 (9x5) greased loaf pans and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- To serve, cut into thick slices, at least 1/2 inch (otherwise they'll fall apart; I cut them inside the pan, if you invert the whole thing it will be very messy), and fry them in batches in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat without any oil. Again, do not use oil, use a dry, non-stick pan. Fry them on both sides for 4-5 minutes or until browned and crispy on the exterior. (See blog post for 5 Keys To Goetta Success.)
- READ THE BLOG POST FOR THE FULL LIST OF TIPS ON HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY FRY GOETTA.
Notes
Nutrition
S Fri says
Having been in the Army for 20 years pre internet, I had to make my own recipe. One from a cook book was similar to yours and like yours, is crumbly if not treated delicately. I found that 5 1/2 cups water or broth, 2 1/2 cups pin oats 1 pound of breakfast sausage and one pound of ground pork (no beef) and a whole minced onion solved the crumbly issue. Then whatever spices you like. I use sage, thyme, savory and bay leaves but looking forward to trying your spice combo.
Ann says
I was born in Cincinnati 70+ years ago. My grandmother and mother made Goetta at Christmas as do I. It is our holiday breakfast treat. I give it to my adult children. My grandmother used few spices but included onion,
celery and bay leaves. She made hers with a pork butt. Garlic and other suggested spices sound like great additions. Now I live in FL and we call it scrapple. We serve ours with maple syrup or ketchup.
Stephen Weisbrod says
As told to me by the national sales manager of Queen City Sausage who previously worked for Gliers:
Goetta has its origin in the Hanover Germany area from medieval times. It was brought to the Cincinnati area by immigrants from Hanover in the 1840s-50s. While the popularity of goetta has spread through city across all ethnicities, it is no longer eaten in Germany. My grandmother made goetta with pinhead oatmeal, ground beef,ground pork, salt, pepper and chopped onion….lots of onion. It was refrigerated but was then fried is a little bacon grease.
Peggy R. says
I’m from Germany, and I never heard of Goetta in Germany. Nobody I know there has ever heard of it! There is a dish called Gruetzwurst in Germany, which is very similar to this dish, just looks purple from added pork blood (we called it Tote Oma = dead grandma in school). My guess is Goetta is a modified version of this; it really is a Cincinnati dish, not German.
Mark says
Really love all the comments. I am also in my sixties and my grandparents immigrated from Germany. They lived in Springfield OH while most our their relatives lived in Cincinnati. In any event, gramma made goetta every year and we have continued the tradition for more than 40 years now. Interestingly, her recipe did not include any spices other than salt and pepper. She also only used water, no beef broth. It included onions but no garlic. It was fried per normal and we ate it with a healthy topping of maple syrup. So, I just made this recipe (hope gramma forgives me) and can’t wait to taste it.
Margaret says
I’m excited to try this recipe as the price of Glier’s has skyrocketed, and the days of getting it on sale for $2-3 off per roll are over!
My grandparents emigrated from Germany to Cincinnati pre-WW2 and I grew up on goetta. My solution to the crumbled goetta problem has always been to go with the goetta…
Crumble it! I make it as if it were ground beef. It loses nothing and is a breeze to serve over eggs, biscuits, or any traditionally served offerings.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Great idea, Margaret, thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy this recipe!
mary says
simple question…what do you use to grease loaf pans?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Mary, you can either use a paper towel to wipe the pans down with oil or spray them with Pam or similar (I spray them with avocado oil).
Cindy White says
This makes so much sense to me! My grandma made this. As a child my mind heard Getta Schnitzel. I’ve made it since she’s passed. I always thought it was pure german. My grandpa and her lived in Cincinnati! Now I get it. In Iowa where I live, we have breaded fried pork tenderloin sandwiches, pretty unique to our area. Now I get this as a Cincinnati recipe, not necessarily german. That’s why anyone from Germany that I inquired of this, looked somewhat confused. This is a relief for my mind, I’m 60 years old lol I’ve been looking for answers about this wonderful food for many years. I never asked my grandma duh! Very fun and informative article. I’m going to make my grandmas recipe for my family. And I’m going to visit Cincinnati, my dad was born there, and I’ve never been. Thank you!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Cindy, I’m glad this helped demystify the mystery :) Also, the breaded fried pork tenderloin sandwiches you mentioned sound like what we call Schnitzel sandwiches in Germany. Street vendors sell them in Germany. It’s simply German schnitzel (my recipe here) served on a crusty bread roll. Sometimes lettuce, and a slice of tomato and cucumber are added, sometimes a little mayonnaise and/or mustard. Delish!