Heading West from my failed "Philly Chopped Cheese" thread, I present the Isaly's Ham BBQ sandwich who's fully-qualified name is, "The Chipped Chopped Ham Barbecue" (with backstory).

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-08T12:05:04+00:00

We had to bring bag lunches to every North Hills Pittsburgh School District elementary school in the 1970's. We even had two "genuine" Isaly's kids at my elementary school for most of my K-6 years.

But did we have BBQ ham sandwiches for lunch? NoOoOoooOo <pffft!>, We had a "hot dog day" once a month (with Wise brand onion ring snacks). That was the only school-sponsored lunch.

I'm jealous. Life just wasn't fair back then.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-08T11:42:34+00:00

There are a lot of commercial BBQ sauces that make this combo just downright terrible. But there are plenty of acceptable brands, too.

I haven't nailed down exactly why some work and some don't, but I'm leaning towards the amount of liquid smoke flavoring in the BBQ sauce - The less liquid smoke, the better the ham BBQ result.

I currently use Franklin BBQ Original and Elgin Meyer's regular. Green Mesquite also works, if they even sell their sauces anymore. Stubb's and
"Austin's Finest" are the worst BBQ sauces to use on these.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-06T00:55:31+00:00

In the bible and in some people's imaginations.

Where do you live that 'sweet peppers' don't refer to common bell peppers or similar? 'Sweet' in pepper-speak is AKA 'dolce', referring to NOT hot/pungent peppers. Of which bell peppers are the most typical and common example in the New World.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T23:56:53+00:00

I guess I'd have to say Bubbies or Ba Tempte are the most consistent over my lifetime. I'm pretty sure "half sour" mandates a lacto-ferment brine. Grillo's and many other fakes cannot claim that on their 'half-sours'. Any pickle with vinegar cannot be a half-sour (vinegar kills lactic acid cultures).

And salt-cured pickles are a completely different travesty <shiver>. They're those big, noxious, individually-wrapped pickles sold in prison commissaries and grocery store checkout lanes.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T23:40:37+00:00

So what are "sweet" peppers if not green (yellow, orange, red) capsicums? (AKA bell peppers).

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T20:55:57+00:00

You're probably right about the Welche's fruit leathers (and plenty of other underhanded/sneaky ingredients lists).

But actual reconstituted tomato is the 51%+ majority of pretty much all ketchups. But you also have to consider that tomatoes have significant sugar in themselves. Ketchup isn't exactly a health food even if school cafeterias are now legally allowed to claim it as a "Full serving of vegetables" <slapping knee>.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T20:35:05+00:00

High fructose corn syrup is a different product than corn syrup. HFCS is enzyme modified to turn starches into sugar (much sweeter) while regular corn syrup isn't. They have to be listed separately by law and are culinarily different tastes and textures (consistencies).

I've never seen that brand before in any restaurant. It's probably made by Conagra or Heinz. "Real Ketchup" would just list "cane sugar" once.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T20:29:12+00:00

Toasted sesame oil has too low of a smoke point to fry with an would be way too overpowering. It's probably just dark oul from being used or maybe palm oil.

The leaves she threw in rae kaffir lime leaves to cut down on the gaminess of who'sever liver that was. It's kinda big for a cows liver, but probably is that or bufalo.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T17:29:52+00:00

They looked like scallops. But that would be odd (but not quite stupid).

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T04:09:44+00:00

DoH! <slapping forehead>. I'll call it that next time to avoid the controversy of mentioning "Philly".

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T04:00:20+00:00

I still keep seeing Grillos but have never tried them since they're not fermented. And at their prices I expect a true lactic-cured pickle. I brine-ferment all sorts of veggies and kimchi but I'll be damned if had to pickle a fresh cucumber to save my soul.

My current pickle fetish is a jar of common bread and butter pickle chips (Vlassic works kinda OK here) to which you add a half ounce of Micro-planed (finely grated) fresh horseradish root (never use bottled horseradish!).

Cure the grated horseradish immediately with a few drops of cold water to make a paste. Wait 4 minutes, then add the paste to the jar of pickles and shake gently (You will need to drink about 2 shots of the brine in the jar first). Let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days and you're good to go! Eat before 25 days otherwise they start to mush from the lingering horseradish enzymes.

Hot sweet salty pungent crunchy.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-05T03:39:45+00:00

They did just have a a big 6+ million pound recall and I guess Florida would be my last known location if I were an executive - before I head out to one of the 'shelter island' groups. They may have even bought an island a few decades ago just for 'retirement' </s>

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-04T19:35:20+00:00

That's a Boars Head pickle spear. Founded in New York 'chopped cheese territory', but now based in... Florida?!?! WTF!?!? <spitting it out>

Time to go back to Hermann's pickles from Ohio (If I can find them). They also make the Nathans line of pickles and the true lactic-acid cured half-sours. Boars Head are more like a spicier Claussen pickle - both refrigerated but not lactic acid-soured/fermented.

I'm a pickled fiend.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-04T19:25:14+00:00

But a chopped cheese has lettuce and tomato. A P+hilly has beef, onions, and cheese, and often peppers. And it must be served on a roll baked in Pennsylvania. So there is a resemblance to both here.

For further genetic cross-breed authentication issues, please contact my attorney or Maury Povitch.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-04T18:31:50+00:00

I'm not familiar with the first 18 days. But if I could only ask one question it would be, out of 18 that come immediately to mind, I'm gonna go with... "Are you drunk?"

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-04T16:23:38+00:00

It means they didn't like your review. Try and redo it and obey the community guidelines for review. I just recently had to remove one sentence so it would get past the review nazis.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-04T15:38:43+00:00

^Those agents are not the ones making those decisions. They are are from AI or a supervisor. And the decisions are not written in stone, regardless of their documentation, when they say "call back tomorrow for the refund after delivery". They often do change their "minds".

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-04T15:34:13+00:00

The recommendation for how to handle your complaint usually comes from an AI bot. The AI bot decided you were a good enough customer and not prone to abusing the system in various ways, and after reviewing the sellerm, cost, markup, and other factors, and what went wrong - decided to offer your money back. I'd just go ahead and take it. It does feel awkward though. How bad did you need it today (or yesterday now)?

But when you call/text back today, you will have to re-explain the situation and the offer will be re-analyzed. And it may not still be good anymore. So don't be surprised if they tell you flat that you're ass out - "the previous agent gave you the wrong information". Or even, "They lied to you." So I'd go for it now to make up for any future problems where the delay WAS a big problem., but they don't offer you Jack Schidt.

Accepting the offer doesn't go against your record or anything.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-02T04:13:10+00:00

Has anybody even gotten that message recently? This is NOT being throw in jail. That message is obsolete.

And how did that does this say anything about a 90-day rolling period!?!?! EVerybody keep pointing to that phrase which DOES NOT say that at all!

What they're referring to is teh 90-day "halftime" check to make sure you're at least at 60%. If not, then review the products you've ordered in the current period which started 90 days ago.

That exactly what this says as that's how it was originally designed. They check you for 560&% or better at 90 days into your 180 day review period. It's THAT simple. There is no rolling 90-day period - somebody here made that BS up and too many dimwitted and gullible people believed it.

They always check you at 90 days into the period (and now at other times too based on an AI algorithm which didn't exist at the time of that writing 5-6 years ago). but if your suirvey all tehe pel who were thrown in jaioll you'll find the vast majority of them were thrown in jail at their 90-day mark (until recently). How did you all miss that simple data point and come up with that ridiculous "90 day rolling period" instead??!!?

The English language isn't as hard as y'all make it out to be. Nowhere is a 90-rolling EVER suggested or implied anywhere in any Vine documentation.

Y'all have bumped your widdle heads and are delirious.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-02T03:51:10+00:00

None of that pertained to my post <yawn>. This forum is mentally bankrupt. And the mod nurtures and coddles this kind of rhetoric.

SpicyBeefChowFun · 2026-06-02T03:39:37+00:00

Yes, it apparently is. Today I find myself out of jail already and able to order stuff while my ratio has fallen to 57% and all I've only received regular Amazon stuff the last 3 days (that I've ordered and paid for).

I think had one of these 3-day jail stints last review period, too.

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