Isaly's was a Deli/Soda Fountain type shop that was in the Pittsburgh area for many years. There were quite a few of them back in the 50's/60's. They introduced "Chipped Ham". All it is really is formed, pressed ham (like a chopped ham loaf) but it's claim to fame is the way it is sliced - paper thin so that there are some slices that you could literally see through and "chips" of the loaf that are equally thin but did not quite make it to a whole slice. The Isaly company still makes the ham loaf and it's own Barbeque sauce for ham barbeque sandwiches. I have fond memories of stopping there as a child after church on Sunday. My dad would buy a pound of chipped ham and some provolone cheese (in my house on fresh Italian bread but mom would indulge us with Wonder Bread and mayo even though she detested both) and we would have the sandwiches for lunch as soon as we got home. The key was eating the ham before it hit the refrigerater; it always tasted best freshly chipped. Their ice cream was also to die for; lots of different flavors and you would occasionally get a chip of dried ice in there, too. If memory serves me correctly, they also had an off shoot restaurant called Sweet William's that was popular in the 70's/80's. It was a sit down restaurant that was more like a diner type place; no alcohol but you could get a really good breakfast, lunch or dinner at a reasonabe price; They had a "Swiss Salad" that was awesome!

This was one of those recipes that had lots of positive reviews. So, I decided to trust the masses.....and they were wrong. If you're reading the recipe and you're thinking to your self, "Self, this does NOT sound good." Listen to yourself--you're smarter than you think.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and it has been so long since I've had a BBQ chipped ham sandwich. I cannot WAIT to get off work now! Thank you so much!

Ham BBQ is the best! I'm originally from Western PA but now live in Ohio. I make it for big get togethers in a crock pot so it just stays hot and people can eat when they want to! Because of the high sugar content, you want to put it on warm or low after it's heated through.

I grew up in Cleveland, but my parents are from SW PA... we had this sandwich all the time when I was little. I was asking somebody about it the other day and they never heard of it. Thank you for posting this recipe, now I can show it to everybody!! Very good!!

Excellent recipe. I read the other reviews and have to concur that onions are an essential part of what I remember about Chipped Ham BBQ sandwiches. We use Heinz Ketchup of course and chili sauce with brown sugar and a tiny bit of liquid smoke. I will make this recipe as a change up for our recipe. Thanks for submitting it.

We've been making ham barbeques like this for a long time! The only thing we do differently is sautee a some finely diced green pepper and onion in a little oil first, then proceed with the recipe. These are super simple and very tasty~YUM! :)

Great, simple food!!! I grew up on these. Just a few changes the way my Mom made them. Start with Sauteed onions and add sweet relish. I miss Isley's chipped ham. You just can't order "a pound of Chipped Ham" at a deli in the South, you have to explain how to slice it. 9 of 10 times they still get it wrong. LOL Thanks for posting.

YUMMY! Being a Pittsburgh girl this is perfect for Super Bowl Sujnday! Great tasty sandwich!