Name: Pittsburgh Style BBQ Ham Sandwiches
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 pounds ham (leftover roast ham or deli ham); 1 cup BBQ sauce; 4 sandwich rolls; 4 slices cheddar cheese; 2 tablespoons butter (room temperature)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These simple 10 minute BBQ ham sandwiches are a great way to use up leftover ham in a healthy, quick and easy recipe. Or use deli meat for an easy weeknight meal any time!

one Pittsburgh-style BBQ ham sandwich on a white plate with potato chips

Many years ago, my mother told me about something she made all the time when I was a little girl - pan fried apples. I don't know what happened, but I have no memory of these apples. It's like my memory is made of cheesecloth and fried apples just dripped away.

I remember telling a pastor at vacation Bible school that my favorite food was pork and sauerkraut, and he laughed.

I remember having cantaloupe and chocolate ice cream for lunch. (I'm pretty sure this was my mom's favorite lunch.)

I remember sneaking fresh chocolate covered cherries while my mom and Old Grandma made them.

I also remember hot BBQ ham sandwiches. I think hot BBQ ham sandwiches are a local thing to western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio because my ex husband had never eaten one until I made them one night for supper. He was impressed. You will be impressed, too.

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover ham after a holiday meal, but you can also use deli ham. If you go that route, either get it sliced thick (my favorite) or chipped, which is sliced thinner than thin (the authentic Pittsburgh-style). If you get something different, don't worry about it. The sandwiches will be delicious either way.

Why this is the best Pittsburgh style BBQ ham sandwich recipe

It's a simple and easy sandwich recipe. These sandwiches are as easy as making any sandwich; it doesn't get any easier than that! You start with pre-cooked ham, so all you have to do is heat everything up. The recipe is simple with only a few ingredients, so prep is very quick and easy, too.

The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in every grocery store I've ever visited.

These sandwiches taste great. The simple ingredients pack a big punch in terms of flavor. Tender ham, rich melty sharp cheedar cheese, buttery roll - all of it combines to make the best sandwiches you've ever eaten!

This recipe is easy to adjust. If you're serving it for dinner, make sandwiches on nice, big sandwich rolls, or if you want to serve it as an appetizer or to kids, you could use slider buns. King's Hawaiian rolls are really nice with this recipe because the sweet slider rolls complement the sweet BBQ sauce.

This recipe is versatile. Don't like ham? Use roast beef or deli chicken. Don't have cheddar? Use swiss or pepper jack. Not a fan of Sweet Baby Ray's? Use a different brand. You can literally replace any of the ingredients with something else and still have delicious hot BBQ ham sandwiches.

This recipe is easy to serve. It doesn't get easier than BBQ chipped ham sandwiches, and because they can be big or mini-sized, you choose whether they're a full meal or a party munchie.

What you'll need to make Pittsburgh style BBQ ham sandwiches

Equipment

10-inch stainless steel skillet - Any large skillet will work. It just has to be big enough to hold all the ham in a shallow layer.
Stovetop griddle - This is to toast the buns. I use my electric griddle, but a stovetop style is fine if that's what you have.

Ingredients

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

Ham - Authentic Pittsburgh-style BBQ ham sandwiches use chipped chopped ham from the deli. Chipped is a thickness of cut that is much much thinner than a typical "thin" cut. It's kind of shaved almost. It's so thin that you can almost see through the slices, and it all sort of clumps up in the package, making it nearly impossible to pull apart without ripping the slices. (Can you tell that chipped ham is not my favorite?)
Okay, so chipped is the authentic cut for these sandwiches, but I think there is a better way. I prefer mine with thick cut deli ham or with chopped leftover roast ham. This is a great way to use up leftover ham from Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas in a new and interesting way. It's great especially for spiral ham which tends to dry out, and the BBQ sauce prevents that.
Your favorite BBQ sauce - If you came here looking for a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce, I'm sorry. You're not going to find that here. The name of the game for this sandwich is a quick and easy 10-minute recipe, so I use a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's. (Not sponsored, just my favorite.) Use whatever easy BBQ sauce your family loves because that's the main flavor you'll taste in the sandwiches.
Sandwich rolls - Our favorite is brioche rolls but you could use anything from plain hamburger buns to fancy kaiser rolls.
Sharp cheddar cheese - This should be sliced.
Room temperature butter - I think part of the magic of these sandwiches is that you butter and toast the buns. Just smear some softened butter on them and place them buttered side down on a hot griddle. They'll toast in 2-3 minutes.

How to make Pittsburgh style BBQ ham sandwiches

Prepare the ham. Regardless of whether you have chipped ham, thick sliced ham, or leftover roast ham, you need to cut the ham. You want to make small squares or rectangles, so I guess it's chopped? Cut the ham into thin strips, then cut the strips into little rectangles.
Pin
Heat the ham. Heat a big blob of BBQ sauce in large skillet over medium heat. You don't need to put any butter or oil in because the BBQ sauce will prevent the ham from sticking. Toss the chopped ham into the BBQ sauce and add a bunch more sauce on top. Stir the sauce and the ham so that the ham is evenly coated. Continue to heat until the whole thing is a bubbly mess of amazing BBQ aroma.
Pin Pin Pin Pin
Toast the buns. While the ham is heating, butter the cut side of the rolls. Toast them on a griddle.
Assemble the BBQ ham sandwiches. Make the sandwiches by topping the toasted bun with a big spoonful or three of the hot BBQ ham, a slice of cheddar cheese, and the top bun.
Pin Pin Pin
Serve. Serve with homemade air fryer potato chips, carrot or cucumber sticks, or a warm bowl of cheesy cauliflower soup or potato chowder.

Variations & substitutions

Ham barbecue sandwiches are just the beginning! I love to serve barbecue ham with potatoes - over a baked potato, over mashed potatoes, over french fries or tater tots. When I serve it over potatoes, I melt a handful of shredded sharp cheddar over the top and serve it with a drizzle of ranch dressing. (If you've never mixed ranch and BBQ sauce, you're in for a big treat!)

As I said above in the ingredients section, you can use any ham you want. The traditional Pittsburgh-style BBQ ham sandwich uses chipped ham, but I personally prefer thick-cut deli ham or leftover baked ham. Any ham will work. Or go crazy and use sliced turkey, chicken, or roast beef. It will still taste great!

Use whatever brand of barbecue sauce you like or make your own if you have a good recipe.

Use whatever cheese you want. Extra sharp Wisconsin cheddar is my personal favorite, but you could use any mild or sharp cheddar, pepper jack, colby jack, swiss, or whatever you have.

Storing leftovers

Obviously, you shouldn't make the sandwiches until you're ready to serve them. Already-made sandwiches do not store well.

You can store the BBQ ham. Simply transfer cooled ham to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can freeze BBQ ham. Put the room temperature ham in a freezer container or plastic freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to a month. To serve frozen ham, move it to the refrigerator overnight to thaw and then heat in a skillet or i the microwave. You may need to add some additional BBQ sauce as it will probably dry out a bit in the freezer.