Chipped chopped ham is a Pittsburgh culinary tradition and one of those unique regional things you just can’t find anywhere else. So the fact that we made this recipe from Chicago was a little difficult. Oh? You’re not familiar with the term “chipped chopped ham?” Allow me to explain…
According to Isaly’s, the premier deli meat supplier in Pittsburgh, chopped ham is made from ham chunks and seasonings, all ground together and then smushed into a loaf. Then, it’s sliced super thin, making it both chipped and chopped. We found thin deli meat very easily, but we could not find chopped ham! We totally could have had some shipped to us here in Chicago, but we have poor planning skills, so we had to settle with ye olde thin ham.
Here is what Marguerite had to say:
Though it wasn’t in the instructions, Aaron decided to cube the ham. Cubing it certainly made it easier to “stuff” the buns more and get more meat on the sandwiches. I highly recommend this extra step.
For as simple as the sauce recipe was, it certainly packed a lot of flavor. We we’re both huge fans of these ham barbecue sandwiches and we’re planning on making them frequently (and maybe ordering some chipped chopped ham from Pittsburgh.) Serving them with some potato chips and Pepsi was *muah*
Her note about purchasing “good buns” for the sandwiches was ignored by us and boy was it a mistake. The barbecue sauce makes the buns beyond soggy. If you’re going to make this, get good buns. Also, it’s very important to use Heinz ketchup in the sauce. Again, it’s a Pittsburgh thing…
If you’re outside of the Pittsburgh area and don’t want to ship chipped chopped ham in (I totally don’t blame you if you don’t) the regular, thin sliced ham you can pick up in the deli section worked just fine for us. Now go enjoy some ham n’at!
- 1 lb chipped chopped ham
- 1/2 cup Heinz Ketchup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 8 sandwich buns
- Combine the ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and cinnamon.
- Put the barbecue mixture into a saucepan and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Add the meat and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Serve on sandwich buns.
Being a native Texan I never thought of ham & BBQ in the same sentence. Then we moved to Pittsburgh for nine years. I am testimony to how good BBQ ham sandwiches can be as well as how “Burghers” feel about their precious Isaly’s chipped chop. Trust me, you don’t need the Isaly’s to make a good BBQ sandwich. I made the mistake of saying that at the deli section one day and was nearly blundgered by a native. An older lady came to my defense saying she had lived there all her life and it had definitely changed (and not for the better) through the years. Apparently back in the day, Isaly’s had stores that sold the sandwiches. Once those folded so did the recipe. Bottom line is if you follow Margurite’s recipe using your own baked or deli ham you will not be disappointed.
Yunz wanna go Dâhntâhn an’ git some chip chopped ham ‘n ‘ât?
D’jeat’chet?
No. D’jyü?
S’gwēat!
How I miss Pixburgh so!!! Dying for some chip chopped ham. Thanks for recipe and history.
No sorry you made it wrong. 😉 It needs to be shaved chopped ham aka chip chop ham , so thin it literally is falling apart. ( the deli guy will hate you but that is imperative so apologize but it needs to be done ). It doesn’t have to be Isley’s but chopped ham is much better than other ham. We use an entire smaller bottle of ketchup, 1/2 a bottle of water , 1/2 c or so brown sugar, a squirt of yellow mustard( maybe 1-2 tsp) , a tsp of onion powder(sprinkle, not an exact recipe obviously, passed down for generations of Pittsburghers lol) , definitely no vinegar, a big dash or two of Worcestershire , no cinnamon😱. Put everything but the meat in a pot, or double boiler top if you have one. Break up the meat so it’s basically single slices, stirring it in as you go. That takes a while but you don’t want it to hunks. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat.
Simmer for an hr or hr and a half. Not too long or the meat will disintegrate. IE not a slow cooker recipe. Use CHEAP buns. You want to have a little sauce ( some might say the best part) on the bun with the meat, kind of like a Philly cheesesteak bun is wet and saucy. Relish if you want and some like brown mustard as condiments. Horrific for you but so so so good!
True recipe is Isaly’s 1 lb chipped ham 4 Tab vingar 2 Tab water 4 tea sugar 1/2 tea dry mustard 8 Tab of catsuip paprika to color
Made this on a whim. Had everything but some vinegar. Went to butcher and had him slice me a pound of smoked ham. Had to finally tell him to cut it as thin as he could. Just made enough for 2 small slider buns for trial run. Lightly toasted the inside of bun so wouldn’t get soggy. It was pretty good. On the slider buns would make good appetizer. Use regular buns for a meal.