This one I never would have thought of myself in a million years . . . pickle juice as a steak marinade.

It’s so simple it’s genius!

Here’s the lowdown from a really good blog post in Cleveland:

Brush on some pickle juice for a sweet splash of flavor

It makes me cringe [to] think of marinating a steak. Why put my hard-earned money into a piece of meat you’re going to slather with a marinade, a rub, or — heaven forbid — ketchup or A1? But I will admit that adding a little flavor to the beef is suitable.

Maybe it sounds odd, but a light brushing of sweet pickle juice during the last part of grilling a steak is a favorite in our house. The family picks are Sechler’s Sweet Orange Strip pickle juice or Vlasic’s Sweet Gherkin pickle juice. It’s a quick way to add flavor without losing the natural taste of the meat.

Before grilling, we put a little olive oil on the steaks, to keep them from sticking to the grill. Then we center them on a hot charcoal grill for two or three minutes on each side, to sear in the juices. Then, after moving the steaks to the side of the grill for slower cooking, we brush pickle juice onto the steaks.

When cooked, they still taste like beef, with a slightly sweet taste. Yum!

— Brenda Junkin

You can read this and other “sweet” ideas here:

http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/2008/06/mushroom_council_steak_is_deli.html

This amazing recipe for Cabernet Filet Mignon comes to us from WhatsCookingAmerica.net.

It looks absolutely divine. And . . . isn’t red wine the perfect complement to a spectacular steak? I think so.

Click here for the entire article on the Web. Or just read below . . .

My husband was in “steak heaven” with this simple and easy steak! You can either cook the steak by Pan-Searing or a very easy technique called Sear-Roasting. Photo shows the steak with some cubes of blue cheese on top.

Don’t forget to check out my Cabernet Filet Mignon dinner menu which includes this fantastic Cabernet Filet Mignon.

Cabernet Filet Mignon

2 (4 to 6 ounce) 1-inch thick filet mignon steaks
Olive oil
Coarse kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup cabernet wine (can substitute any dry red wine)
1 to 2 tablespoons butter

Buying Steaks:

Bring steaks to room temperature before cooking. Coat steaks lightly with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper (press in with your hands). Be careful not to over season, as the seasonings are to enhance the flavor of the meat and not to cover it up.

Using the Pan-Searing or Sear-Roasting techniques (see below techniques), proceed to cook your steak to your desired doneness. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness:

Rare – 120°F
Medium Rare – 125°F
Medium – 130°F

Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping any pieces of steak off the bottom of the pan and stirring them into the emerging sauce. Let the liquid boil until reduced to approximately 1/3 cup. Remove pan from heat. Add the butter and mix it in by swirling the pan. Pour the sauce over the steaks just before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

In a heavy frying pan (I use my cast-iron frying pan) over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sear the steaks, moving them with tongs a little so they don’t stick to the bottom, for 5 to 6 minutes per side. When the steaks are crusty-charred and done to your liking, remove from the pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. During this time the meat continues to cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven) and the juices redistribute; add juices that accumulate from resting steaks to Cabernet-Cherry Sauce). Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto individual serving plates.
 

We all know there are degrees of doneness for steaks — medium rare, well done, etc.

But did you know you can have yours blue rare? That’s a new one on me. So, here’s Dr. Tim Bennett’s descriptions of the many gradations of cooking steaks. I love it when I learn something new!

Raw – for some special dishes the steak is not cooked at all.  Most famous is perhaps steak tartare which consists of seasoned ground raw beef topped with an egg.

Blue rare – the outside of the steak is seared so that the inside is warmed; the steak will retain much of the redness of the uncooked meat.

Rare – the steak appears cooked on the outside and is very pink on the inside; the center of the steak, particularly on filets, will be red.

Medium rare – the steak appears cooked on the outside; the inside will be pink, especially in the center.

Medium – the steak appears cooked on the outside; the inside will be slightly pink in the center.

Medium well – the steak appears cooked on the outside and there will be traces of pink in the center.  The steak may taste slightly dry.

Well done – the steak appears cooked on the outside; there will be no traces of pink at all in steak.  The steak will taste hard and dry.

You can read Dr. Bennett’s full article here — and learn EVEN MORE!