Ham Sells for Record $2 Million

State fairs are typically filled with cotton candy, fried goodies, ferris wheels and games. They are not usually a place where million dollar purchases are made, which is why The Kentucky State Fair boasted something pretty atypical in August: a ham worth $2 million.

Every August, citizens of Kentucky enter their very best hams into the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville. The winner of the contest takes home a giant ribbon. The ham is then auctioned off at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast & Auction, where the money raised goes to charity and the ham goes to the highest bidder. This year the winning ham weighed in at a whopping 15.89 pounds. The demand for it was so high that the ham was split between two different bidders!

Republic Bank and Bridgeman Foods shared the wildly expensive ham. Their dual purchase made the ham equal about $125,865 per pound! For a point of reference, the average ham from the winning company Broadbent B&B Foods in Cadiz, Kentucky sells for around $60, making this year's a record breaking ham. Beth and Ronny Drennan, who own the winning ham company have won this contest several times before. The victory in 2014 was their ninth win. According to Modern Farmer, the ultra expensive ham was dry cured with a combination of salt, smoke and time.

Watch the video above to learn more about this record-breaking ham! Then, check out the slideshow below to discover some wacky fair foods!

Image Credit: Kentucky State Fair

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