Have you ever made goetta? Pointers and advice sought.

[Baker]

I've just returned from a trip to Ohio and, while shopping, bought me some goetta to take back home here to Kansas.

For those who don't know goetta, here's a Wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goetta

I never had goetta until about five years ago, while visiting with friends in Ohio. I'm not sure how well it would travel if I ordered online, and I noticed that there are recipes for homemade goetta out there.

My main concern is the oats. Recipes call for "pinhead" or "steel cut" oats. Is that like chopped up oatmeal, or are the recipes talking about whole grains?

As for seasoning the meat, most call for bayleaves, but the other seasonings vary. the Glier's goetta I've had isn't strong tasting, so I guess the spices are light in any case.

Do you have advice, or a favorite recipe to share? What I bought won't last long, and I'm in the mood to try making something completely new one of these days.

[Cheez_Whia]

Here's a thread about steel cut oats:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...2steel+oats%22

I get mine at the health food store in their bulk section. but you can sometimes find McCann's at the regular grocery store. Sometimes it's in with foreign foods, and sometimes it's with the regular oatmeal.

Make sure you get enough to try for breakfast if you do make your own goetta.

[Baker]

Thanks for the link to that thread! I've also posted about this on another board, and the folks there also pointed out I don't want the flattened stuff but chopped whole grains.

I can get bulk grains of many sorts at a local natural foods grocery, and they also carry Bob's Red Mill products, which are supposed to include cut oats.

How about seasonings?

[Baker]

Bumping this to tell how I've made my first batch of goetta. It's cooling in four pans as I speak, and I have high hopes for it.

I found the pinhead oats at a local natural foods co-op that I mentioned in the last post. I used ground beef and pork, in the following recipe.

http://old.post-gazette.com/food/20000831mailbox.asp

The only thing I did differently was add just a little sage, as I love sage and I saw it in a couple of other goetta recipes.

I'll cool it in the refrigerator overnight and hope to have some tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it sets up properly.