Grilled German Goetta Burger

A thick and meaty Goetta burger is grilled over hot coals until tender and juicy!

This recipe has flavor piled high! This recipe makes tailgating, game day, or any day of the week taste amazing!

When it comes to food, Cincinnati is known for two things, chili (we love our chili dogs) and Goetta! We love our Goetta so much, we have a weekend-long festival to celebrate it! This Cincinnati goetta recipe is a perfect way to celebrate all year long if desired.

With this easy goetta recipe you can bring the delicious flavors you crave into every bite.

What is Goetta?

Goetta is made from ground meat such as pork and beef. The ground meat is blended with oats and spices to bulk up the mixture both in terms of texture and flavor.

This is a German-inspired dish that was created to stretch out the meat over several servings. It was economical, accessible, but also delicious!

Goetta is most often fried in oil or butter then served for breakfast. But it works beautifully in sandwiches and burgers too! The soft flavorful meat patty between two slices of toasted rye bread really make it a filling meal fit for any occasion. It’s sure to become a favorite in your house soon too.

Ingredients

• Ground lean pork
• Ground beef
• Diced onion
• Quick-cooking oats
• Beaten egg
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic powder
• Dried sage
• Dried thyme
• Ground allspice
• Cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Melted butter
• Rye or pumpernickel marble sliced bread
• Swiss or Gruyere cheese slices
• Dijon mustard
• Sauerkraut

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

How To Make Goetta Burgers

1. To start these Goetta burgers, combine ground beef and ground pork in a bowl.
2. Finely diced onions, quick-cooking oats, and a lightly beaten egg are mixed in.
3. The spice mixture is a blend of garlic powder, dried sage, thyme, allspice, cayenne pepper, and salt are added next. I find the best kitchen tools for this work are your hands; don’t be afraid to get in there and mix it all up!
4. Form your beef mixture into 4 patties and prepare your grill.
5. Arrange your Charcoal and build your fire for direct grilling. The grill should reach 400 degrees F.
6. Place the burgers on the grill and cook them for 8-10 minutes, turning once.
7. Once the burgers have reached the desired degree of doneness, remove them and allow them to rest for 3 minutes.
8. Butter and toast rye bread slices, adding a slice of Swiss cheese to 4 of the slices. When the cheese has melted, assemble your burgers!
9. Place a burger on a slice of bread, top with sauerkraut. Add Dijon mustard to the remaining bread slices and top your burgers!

Recipe Tips

You can cook these burgers over medium-high heat on your stovetop too if you don’t want to use a grill. Although a grill will add in a nice smokey flavor you really can’t beat, the stove is much more convenient year-round and in bad weather.

The internal temperature of your burgers should be a minimum of 145 degrees F which is medium-rare and a safe temp to consume ground pork when given a 3 minute rest period. For a well-done burger, cook until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F.

FAQs

How long are geotta burgers good for?

These burgers are good for up to 5 days if kept stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Simply cook them up all at once and reheat them when ready to eat. This way you can enjoy the delicious taste all week long! Use leftover patties as a meat dish added to your breakfasts if desired. Geotta was originally breakfast meat, after all.

What is goetta made of?

It’s a combination of pork sausage or ground beef, oats, onions, and spices. It’s made to be an easy way to stretch the meat out into multiple servings keeping it affordable while keeping it flavorful as well. It’s the unique combination of flavors and textures that truly makes it unique.

What To Serve With Goetta Burgers

You can keep it simple and serve fruit or chips on the side. Or you can try serving this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, Bacon Wrapped Potatoes, or a Mixed Greens Salad!

Continue to Content

Yield: 4

Grilled German Goetta Burger

Print

A thick and meaty Goetta burger is grilled over hot coals until tender and juicy!  This recipe has flavor piled high! This recipe makes tailgating, game day, or any day of the week taste amazing!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground lean pork
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons melted butter, for bread
• 8 slices rye or pumpernickel marble bread
• 4 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine pork, beef, onion, oats, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and dried herbs and spices. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and use your hands to gently combine and incorporate all ingredients.
2. Form the mixture into 4 burger patties.
3. Meanwhile, prepare a grill using Kingsford® Charcoal, build a fire for direct grilling and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Place the burgers on the grill and cook them until browned and cooked through, flipping once halfway through 8-10 minutes total. For your safety, please reference the USDA safe cooking temperatures. Remove patties from the grill, allow to rest for 3 minutes.
5. Brush the bread slices with butter and toast them on the grill, a minute or two on each side. Add a slice of cheese for the last minute and let it melt slightly.
6. Spread Dijon onto half the toasted bread.
7. Place the burgers on the mustard top with sauerkraut and the other slice of toasted bread. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 770Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 201mgSodium 2050mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 7gSugar 5gProtein 53g

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