Blanching short ribs

I noted in a few posts complaining of smelly short ribs after 72 hours (which happened to me), there was a recommendation to sear or blanch them prior to "bathing" them.

I'm going to go with "blanch" over "sear" as my wife's pregnant and would prefer to reduce the possibility to bring in any bacteria and this strikes me as even safer but my question is regarding technique:

Would I just dip the short ribs straight into boiling water or simmering water (I assumed boiling...?) for 5 - 10 seconds? Or put it in the bag first and then do that?

From an "effectiveness" standpoint, the former strikes me as stronger.

Thanks!

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Marc_34938

I've experimented with blanching various types of proteins before sous vide. I've used the method you're leaning toward (submerging the protein in boiling water for several seconds). It works well. Make sure you boil a generous amount of water compared to the mass of the protein you're using, though. Adding a cold protein to boiling water will decrease the temperature. The water will also become a little cloudy and white or gray filaments will appear around the meat after several seconds. I believe these are proteins from the surface of the meat that are released into the water and quickly coagulate under boiling temperatures.

Michael_93748

Good to know on all accounts. Won't get freaked out when my short rib starts to look like an alien!

Jane_SnP_113293

It would be better to boil it for 3 to 5 minutes. Choose a medium size pot and fill it with a moderate amount of water. Submerged the ribs. That's can somehow eliminate the bacteria that causes the smell.

Michael_93748

Yes, the 72 hours still had some aroma (I won't use pepper next time). The 60 hours did not.