The Savvy Yinzer’s Guide to: Chipped Chopped Ham

True confession: The Savvy Yinzer didn’t grow up in Pittsburgh. But he is married to a native Pittsburgher who grew up on chipped chopped ham. If you ever try to order it at a deli counter outside western Pennsylvania, the baffled person behind the counter will likely offer you regular sliced ham instead, genuinely unsure what you’re asking for. Chipped chopped ham isn’t a generic deli product — it’s paper-thin, almost feathery shavings of goodness that cascade softly on your sammich when properly prepared. So consider …

1: It all started when an Isaly’s employee named Claire Hatch joined the company in the early 1930s. He looked at a ham sandwich and thought, “Hey, why not try slicing it super thin?” Isaly’s began as a farm-fresh dairy operation in Mansfield, Ohio, before expanding to across Ohio, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, selling deli meats, cheeses and ice cream.

2: The meat is a combination of ham, ham trimmings and seasonings, ground together and molded into a loaf. That loaf is then sliced thinner than paper — “chipped” — creating a fine texture that often falls apart when handled. The sammiches and ice cream were wildly popular; the Oakland Isaly’s location alone had up to 30 clerks working the counter.

3: Isaly’s stores functioned as common ground throughout Pittsburgh’s ethnic working-class neighborhoods. Families from Polish Hill, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, Homewood and more all had their own Isaly’s, all serving the same ham barbecues and Skyscraper cones. Isaly’s heyday ran from the 1930s to the 1980s.

4: Craving chipped chopped ham today? A handful of standalone Isaly’s locations still operate in the Pittsburgh area, or just go to the Giant Eagle deli counter and ask them
to “chip it.”

5: A common preparation was to “frizzle fry” the ham in a pan, then mix it with a thin barbecue sauce and serve it on toasted buns. “The Slammer” was frizzle-fried chipped chopped ham topped with American cheese and grilled onions. Isaly’s official suggested toppings were pickles or relish and shredded cheese.