Wafer-thin chipped chopped ham simmered in a sweet tomato barbecue sauce and piled on a soft bun. A Pittsburgh deli-meat tradition rooted in Isaly's chipped ham.

Isaly's, the western Pennsylvania dairy and deli chain, gave Pittsburgh chipped chopped ham, a pressed ham shaved into wafer-thin ribbons. Home cooks and church kitchens simmered the chipped ham in a sweet ketchup-and-brown-sugar barbecue sauce and served it on soft buns, a cheap crowd-feeder known as a ham barbecue or a 'gob' sandwich. It remains a nostalgic Pittsburgh staple at home gatherings, picnics and old-school counters.

Where to eat Chipped ham barbecue in Pittsburgh

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Make it at home

Serves 635 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 700g chipped chopped ham, shaved thin
  • 200ml ketchup
  • 60g brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • Soft sandwich buns

Method

  1. Whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard and vinegar in a pan.
  2. Warm the sauce over medium heat until it bubbles.
  3. Add the shaved chipped ham and stir to coat.
  4. Simmer gently 15 to 20 minutes until the ham is hot and the sauce clings.
  5. Pile onto soft buns and serve.

Editor tip. Use real shaved chipped chopped ham if you can find it; regular sliced deli ham is too thick to soak up the sauce.

Common allergens: Gluten.