School Picnic Memories and Pittsburgh's BBQ Chipped Ham Sandwich by Cleo Coyle

Alice and Marc aka CLEO COYLE,
sharing school picnic memories.

When you were growing up, did you have a "school picnic" at the end of each school year? With Memorial Day weekend coming up, Marc and I found ourselves reminiscing about our childhood school picnics in Pittsburgh, PA. 

After spending nine months cooped up in classrooms, the school district rewarded the kids with a special day out at Kennywood, a little amusement park south of the city. 

This century-old park (founded in 1898) has several landmark wooden roller coasters that continue to attract national and international riders, including the American Coaster Enthusiasts.

Take a ride with us now in the
front seat of this landmark wooden
roller coaster, The Jack Rabbit.

To start the video, click the white arrow in the window below...

If you do not see the video window above, you can
"ride" the coaster on YouTube by clicking here.

One of the great picnic foods of Pittsburgh (and a fun retro Memorial Day weekend nosh for us) is the BBQ Chipped Ham Sandwich. 

"What is 'Chipped' Ham?" some of you may ask. 

We're sharing our answer (and recipe) again for the start of picnic season...and in celebration of the many happy memories of your own "school picnics," a wonderful community tradition.

👇

A Note from Cleo 

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

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When Marc and I first tried to order chipped ham at a New York deli counter, we were met with blank stares. Fear not, our recipe (below) will teach you how to order it at any deli. But first some background...

The idea of "chipped choppod ham" began years ago with a chain of regional stores called Islay's, a name you might recognize as the original producer of the famous Klondike ice cream bar. 

"Boston has its Baked Beans," Islay's proclaimed. "Philly has its Cheesesteaks. Pittsburgh, Ohio, West Virginia and surrounds? We have Isaly’s Original Chipped Chopped Ham."

SO HOW DO YOU "CHIP" HAM? 

When you order "chipped" ham, the deli person should shave or chip the meat against the commercial meat slicer blade. This is how your razor-thin sliced ham should look...

WHY SLICE IT THIS WAY?

By shaving the meat razor thin, the ham is more tender and has more flavor than if it were sliced more thickly. 

For hard-working families on tight budgets, this method of slicing ham (which is actually known as "Pittsburgh Style") is a smart way to make less expensive hams (like pressed ham) taste great. 

On the other hand, chipping ham does not have to be limited to cheaper hams. This process makes any ham, from Black Forest to baked Virginia, melt in your mouth with amazing flavor.

Now let's make that famous Pittsburgh sandwich... 

🍴
To download a copy of this
recipe that you can print,
save, or share, click here.

Click here for the
free recipe PDF.

🍔

The Pittsburgh-Style 

BBQ Chipped Ham Sandwich 

by Cleo Coyle

Makes 4 Sandwiches

Ingredients: 

1 pound of "Chipped Ham"
(Below, you'll learn how to order this at any deli.)

½ cup (8 tablespoons) ketchup

¼ cup (4 tablespoons) BBQ sauce

4 soft hamburger buns

(optional garnish) Relish, sweet or dill


Directions: 

Step 1: Order the Ham - Ask the deli staff to shave the ham razor thin. Explain that this is known as "Pittsburgh style" and reassure them that the ham should break up into pieces as they "chip" it against their slicer blade. You might even show them the picture below...

Any ham can be used for this sandwich. We've done Black Forest and baked Virginia hams, but don't be afraid to try less expensive hams for this sandwich. That's really the point, to make an inexpensive ham taste great. The chipping does wonders for the flavor and texture.

Step 2: Make the Frizzle Fry - When you get the chipped ham home, you’re ready to create your "frizzle fry" sandwich. (Okay, from here on, it's stupidly easy. But if you never made a hot dog before, you'd need directions, right? So here goes...)

A. Heat the Chipped Ham: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Break the ham up into the pan and stir until heated through.

B. Make your Quickie Sauce: Mix the ketchup and (your favorite) BBQ sauce in a small bowl and add to the skillet. (Some people add a little mustard at this stage. We don't, but it's an option, depending on your taste.)

C. Combine Ham and Sauce: Stir and cook for a few more minutes. The chipped ham should be evenly coated with the ketchup-BBQ sauce. The ham should be steaming and sticky.

D. Pile it high: Divide the ham up onto the four hamburger buns.

Garnish: My husband eats this simple sandwich with no other garnish, but many people in Pittsburgh add sweet relish. I enjoy it with dill relish. Pickled jalapenos and banana pepper rings are delicious garnishes, too. The tart heat nicely offsets the sticky-sweet meat. So garnish as you like and…eat with chipped ham joy! 

Click here for the
free recipe PDF.

☕

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries 

Alice and Marc in Central Park. 

Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

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Pittsburgh Dads, Kennywood Park, and School Picnic Memories from Cleo Coyle

It came! The first “coatless” day of spring. (Thank goodness.) My husband, Marc, who refers to our winter parkas as “space suits,” is not only cheered by the return of warmth, he’s downright nostalgic. 

I first met (and fell for) Marc here in New York City, but we didn’t grow up here. Our childhoods were spent (much like our amateur sleuth Clare Cosi) in small towns outside of Pittsburgh, PA, which gave us a common denominator of memories, including the culinary kind. 

Some of you may recall my past posts about recreating the Ohio Valley's Eat'n Park Fresh-Glazed Strawberry Pie or “Pittsburgh-style” Chipped Ham Sandwich... (Check out the comments on the Chipped Ham post and you’ll see a discussion that includes a bit of Pittsburghese.) 

My copycat Eat'n Park Strawberry Pie
For the recipe click here.

Well, when you grow up in Steelers’ country, the first warm day of spring usually means two things: excitement over the end of the school year and the annual picnic at Kennywood, a beautiful little amusement park that's been owned and run by the same family for over 100 years. (Along with New York's Rye Playland, Kennywood is one of only two amusement parks listed in the National Register of Historic Places.)

If you’d like to see what our annual
“school picnic” ritual looked like in this
adorable, landmark amusement park, watch
the “Pittsburgh Dad” comedy video below,
which was filmed on location at Kennywood… 

To play the video, click the little white arrow
in the center of the image below...

For those of you who grew up in the Ohio Valley, the comedian in the above video will have you falling off your chairs. I fell off mine and so did Marc. Although we didn’t grow up together, we both grew up with “Pittsburgh Dads,” and the video above looked very much like our school picnic with one exception—the food...

CARNIVAL NOSHING 

When we were young, we couldn’t wait to stuff ourselves with cotton candy, chocolate dipped ice cream cones, and bright red candy apples. Our parents, however, weren’t about to watch us turn green from riding roller coasters all day with a system full of nothing but sugar.

Their answer was the “picnic” part of the school picnic. They brought big coolers full of homemade food, and Kennywood provided beautiful shaded groves with old-fashioned wooden picnic tables for families to enjoy their own noshes. 

IN FOOD WE TRUST 

Cleo and her partner in crime writing,
her husband Marc. Together they write
The Coffeehouse Mysteries.

Speaking of nostalgia: Remember when you could plunk a big old basket down on a picnic table, spend a few hours on the park’s rides, and come back to find your food untouched, even the soft drinks still there? Okay, so the "good old days" weren’t always good—but the part where you didn’t have to lock every little thing down to keep it from being lifted? Well, I do miss that! 

As for my recipe today, it’s one of the items Marc’s grandmother always made for their family’s "school picnic" basket. With Easter dinner leftovers still sitting in fridges across the country, I hope this ham salad recipe comes in handy. If you make it, I sincerely hope you will... 

Eat with joy,

~ Cleo 

Cleo Coyle's
"School Picnic" Ham Salad

On school picnic day, the heavy steel cooler in Marc's family was packed with cold fried chicken, deviled eggs, potato salad, and (for dessert) homemade fudge. There was always another tasty treat in that cooler, ham salad and crackers for snacking. Here's our favorite recipe, based on Marc's grandmother's.

Too retro for you? No problem. Just call it "American Pâté" serve it with a glass of wine, and garnish those ham-salad topped crackers with slices of jalapeño and cured, pitted olives seasoned with Herbes de Provence. (Ooh là là!)

To download this recipe in a PDF document that you can print, save, or share, click here.

3 cups ham, fully cooked
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 heaping teaspoons dill relish (you can swap in sweet)
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 green onion, chopped (or 1 T. chopped shallots)
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard (or yellow if you like)
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions: 

Grind your ham slices with a blender, food processor, meat grinder, or (use the method of Marc's grandmother), a pastry blender! (See our photo.) Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Chill and serve on your favorite crackers or slices of crusty baguette. 

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Friend me on facebook here
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Visit my online coffeehouse here.

 

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling
works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
12 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 
To learn more, click here. 

 

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of 
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Mysteries, which Cleo writes
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