Pittsburgh Ham Barbecue Sandwiches

Submitted by CookingONTheSide

"There are various versions of this recipe on zaar, but this one is my favorite. The key ingredient is the chili sauce, preferably Heinz. In Pittsburgh, Isaly's "chipped chopped" ham is the brand of choice but it is hard to find outside of western Pennsylvania. The best alternative is to have the butcher slice the ham very thin (almost like shaving it), and then chop all those slices coarsely. These sandwiches are a hot and sweet treat with a little spice and a Pittsburgh favorite. I got it from a local Pittsburgh cookbook."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 lb chipped ham
• 1⁄2 cup onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet relish
• 1 (12 ounce) jar chili sauce
• 1⁄2 cup water
• hamburger bun

directions

1. Run the ham under hot water in a colander for about 30 seconds to get some of the salt out of the ham, but not too long.
2. In saucepan, mix all ingredients, making sure the ham is well coated.
3. Cook for about 20 minutes.
4. Serve on hamburger buns that have been buttered and toasted.

Reviews

[LauraKay]

I grew up eating these!! This recipe is as close as I can find to these classic sandwiches my great aunt use to make me.

 

[Pittsburgh Room]

This is a great recipe! Growing up in Pittsburgh gives you a great understanding of Ham BBQ sandwiches. I have recently wrote the Pittsburgh Cookbook where you can also find another similar recipe. I don't use the chili sauce in mine, but definetely have to have the Heinz product to make it authentic, and shaved or( chipped ) ham.

 

[sklhczech]

This is the best recipe!! I made this for a surprise 25th birthday party last weekend for my oldest daughter. We had a "potluck" buffet and this was the hit of all the food that was there! I used a whole precooked boneless ham (about 4 pounds), sliced it as thin as I could with my electric knife, and then coarsely chopped it. I doubled the sauce except for the chili powder, put half the ham in my crockpot, stirred in half the sauce, then added in the rest of the ham and the rest of the sauce and stirred it all together. Cooked it on low in the crockpot for 4 hours and then turned it on the keep warm setting for the party. It made 32 generous sandwiches making it this way plus enough for those who didn't want to eat it on a bun. All that was left at the end of the night was the sauce! It is so easy to put together and make using the crockpot. I have made several copies of the recipe already so am sure this will be served at our get togethers in the future! Thanks for a great recipe that is a welcome change from serving sloppy joes or barbecued pork loin for get togethers!

 

[irisbobbie2004]

I grew up in Pittsbugh/Aspinwall/Blawnox area. Bard's in Aspinwall and Islay's in Blawnox both made this ham barbecue sandwich. Brought back great memories. Both stores made a simplified recipe of this sandwich. <br/><br/>Shaved Chipped chopped ham (sliced VERY thin), Heinz's ketchup and Nances Chili Sauce to taste. Heat for about five minutes, place on fresh buns and you're ready to go!.

 

[embutterfly75]

I grew up in Pittsburgh and I just didn't think this tasted like any Chipped Ham BQQ I've ever had. It was missing a key ingredient for me and I just can't put my finger on it.