Win Free Tickets to New Times Pairings (And We've Chosen Our Judge!)

By Melissa McCart Fri., Sep. 9 2011 at 7:16 AM

Congratulations to Kristi with a K for snagging the judgeship for The 4th Annual New Times Pairings. She'll be joining a panel of gastronomes to decide on the best dishes of the festival. Kristi won for this comment:

My name is Kristi and I would make a great choice for being a judge for your event. I can't say anything amazing like I've traveled around the world a million times and ate (and possibly puked) alongside the worlds greatest foodies, but that doesn't stop me from having trained for this event all my life. I've spent 10 years in my basement doing tongue push-ups, and having shots of pure food flavors injected directly into my bloodstream to be able to distinguish a good meal when I taste it.

There are times when it's been so bad for me that my friends won't let me anywhere near free samples (especially when it begins with frozen and ends with yogurt) without first tying a rope around my waist in-order to pull me back to the surface lest I go too deep. I'm all about taste, presentation, texture, and after watching a Korean soap opera about a pastry chef on top of doing a 15 minute presentation once for a job interview solely on cakes, I'm totally down for a good story behind certain platters (which I like to simply call a dinner and a movie). What can I say? Sometimes my inner food dork gets the better of me.

We've got one more pair of tickets to give away to the reader who writes the most clever comment in response to this question:

What is the difference between wet aging and dry aging?

We'll choose the winner on Wednesday for the Thursday, September 15 event at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

Otherwise, you can click on Pairings to get your $45 online tickets or pay $55 at the door. Deep pocketed readers can shell out $80 for VIP tickets that allow you in early, before the general admission crowds. Diners can sample eats from 3030 Ocean, ROK:BRGR, Yolo, Steak 954, and Bimini Boatyard, among other restaurants.

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New Times Pairings

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Lauren

wet aging-botoxdry aging- sun tanning

Max Zaslavsky

Beef Jerky vs. Roast Beef

Max Zaslavsky

An active social life

Max Zaslavsky

20 years and hormone replacement therapy

Laura

Big industry meat producers vs. small artisanal meat producers.

llh22r

http://www.lovetoshopping.org

llh22r

http://www.lovetoshopping.org

Fast Eddy

As most educated palettes can testify, the main difference between dry and wet aging lies primarily in the choice of retirement community. While there are certainly varietals dispersed throughout the world, the two predominant examples are found in Florida and Arizona. The Wet Process (found in Florida) and it's high humidity generally is agreed to be identifiable by the brownish hue it produces, as opposed to the more golden tone elicited by the Dry (or Arizona), Process. While spirited argument exist between aficionados who have a decided preference for one over the other, both produce high quantities of golf, bridge and cruising. Notably, the final outcome of the two processes is remarkably similar.

Poor Typist Eddy

arguments

Malaquite

Assisted living facility in Seattle, vs. retirement community in Phoenix.

Malaquite

And I'd like to apologize for that one right now.

Mons

Wet aged beef is vacuum packed in plastic within 24 hours of slaughter, and allowed to sit under refrigeration for approximately one week. The vacuum packed meat is then cut into more manageable sizes, like steaks and roasts, and sent to market.Dry aged beef is allowed to hang in a refrigerated cooler for a minimum of two weeks. The beef may be loosely covered in muslin, but it is not sealed, which means that moisture in the meat is allowed to escape. Consequently, dry aged beef shrinks, concentrating the beef flavor, but the dry aging also softens the meat, resulting in a rich flavor and buttery texture. A gray and moldy layer appears on the outside of dry aged beef, and must be trimmed away before the meat is cut and sold.