Getting goetta to set up
Pre covid I was in Cincinnati and fell in love with Goetta, an oatmeal based scrapple. I cannot find it in the DC area so I started to make my own. The basic recipe is 3 cups of Irish steel cut oatmeal (or pinhead) in 8 cups of water. Simmer covered for 2 hours. Add a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork and some salt. Stir it in and cook covered for another 1 - 1 1/2 hours. I have started to use a heat diffuser since the oatmeal was burning to the bottom of the pan (gas stove). So only twice I have gotten it correct. The other 20 or so times it did not set up or set very loose. Or it has a meatloaf texture, like I cooked it too long. It still tastes good and I deal with it but I would like a consistent product. I use a good fatty pork but an organic ground beef with a lower fat content. Is less fat an issue? I have made scrapple but since that is corn based the corn gluten seems to set up consistently. Any thoughts?
Comments
Hi Randall - We've never made or tested goetta so I don't know that we have any specific suggestions. That being said, my guess is that there is either too much water added or it's not being cooked until it's thick enough. I found this article from the Cincinnati Inquirer about goetta and both call for cooking the oats in a slow cooker. This might be helpful for maintaining a low, slow temperature. Keep in mind, however, that the ratio of oats to water will be different in a slow cooker since there's little to no evaporation there. I'd follow one of the recipes designed for it rather than translate your recipe to a slow cooker. One note in here I found relevant - "The mixture, when cooked, should be thick enough for a spoon to stand up in without falling over and be difficult to stir." This is probably key to it setting up after refrigeration. For a stovetop version, many folks online have had success with this recipe from the bag of Dorsel's pinhead oats. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.