Emma Gardner selected a sizable ham carcass from a large container Jan. 18 at Burgers' Smokehouse and handed it to Jeff Rayl to begin the curing process.
Rayl, the manager of cooked products for Burgers' Smokehouse, was one of many employees to help more than 100 young 4-H members from the surrounding area learn how curing works.
The purpose of the lesson was to eventually have 4-H members enter their cured hams into county fairs this coming summer - maybe even the state fair.
Steven Burger, president of Ozark Country Cured Hams, said the whole process begins with selecting the perfect ham.
"After they pick the hams out, it is dipped in the cure to be absorbed into the ham," he said. "This is the way hams were preserved before refrigeration.
"The salt then preserves the ham, making it able to withstand various temperatures. After that, the ham is wrapped in paper to hold the cure and make sure it doesn't fall off."
Burgers' Smokehouse employees were on the scene to make sure Burger's words rang true.
Two work stations were set up for 4-H members to make their way through. At each station, one employee helped to rub the cure over the selected ham. The ham then moved to the next employee, who wrapped the carcass in Kraft paper. Their neighbor then swiftly wrapped the whole operation into a cloth bag to be hung. The final product will be aged and eventually have any excess cure or mold accumulation removed. After this, the ham has the potential to win at any area county fair.
The curing process may not be a new concept to some 4-H members, but the same cannot be said for Bryce Berendzen, Russellville.
"This is my first time learning how to cure hams," Berendzen said. "It was pretty cool. My favorite part was putting the rub on (the ham). I really like being in 4-H, because I get to learn a lot about agriculture."