There are a couple of brands of steel-cutoatmeal around but the fact is, it's the single integral ingredient in making goetta, (pronounced "GET-ta).
Goetta is a dish mostly of the Cincinnati, Ohio region where it was originally popularized in the United States. (Cincinnati is a very German city, originally called "Porkopolis" for the numerous slaughterhouses and sausage-makers located there.) Goetta is a sort of loaf-type scrapple, utilizing sausage, ground beef and other meats for a base. Some pals of mine often make it up, using organ meat from deer that they harvest.
I cannot assert that goetta is a huge favorite of mine but I occasionally imbibe in the sausage-type which is okay. It takes a great deal of time and trouble to make but when it's finished, you cut slices from a loaf of goetta, fry them in a bit of cooking oil or in a great knob of melted butter, and then pour pancake syrup over it, or, if you're a Hillbilly like me, good sorghum molasses. Most generally, I serve it alongside eggs-over-medium or with scrambled eggs. This dish has somehow become a big item in deer hunting camps and I know guys who will eat it three times a day during hunting excursions.
Goetta has a long cooking time which is why regular rolled oats won't work in the recipe. In any case, you won't be making goetta without the steel-cut oats... at least not very good goetta!
This is an awesome product, tastes great, good for you... what more can you ask for?
The Best - Though I've Found an Acceptable Alternative
McCann's steelcut is the best, no question about it, but when the price increased to more than 22 cents an ounce, I decided to try Trader Joe's Country Choice steel cut oats ($2.99 for a 30 oz. can - 10 cents an ounce). These oats aren't quite as good as McCann's, but they're pretty darn close in these times of austerity. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, give them a try.
A friend recommended McCann's to our family. We'd only stocked various brands of instant oatmeal. Breakfast had been perfunctory with instant oatmeal just another option among cereal bars and yogurt smoothies.
We prepared McCann's on the stovetop for a Sunday breakfast. We added a tablespoon of brown sugar and a splash of Drambuie to each bowl.
Wow.
Now, we eat McCann's 2-3 times per week (although, we save the Drambuie only for weekends). We regularly receive four cans of McCann's SteelCut Oatmeal through Amazon's Subscribe & Save program.
McCann's has a very different taste and texture than Quaker instant oats or other quick oat products, but it will grow on you. It takes a few more minutes to make, so a little planning is required if you're an up & go kind of morning person, but it's worth it. It's quite filling. The tin cans are neat. My first order arrived with one can popped-open and the oatmeal spilled into the box, but Amazon sent a new can, actually four new cans, at no charge. And in many reorders I've never had that problem again. Why shop anywhere else!
based on 199 reviews
