Marinades serve many purposes. Often they are used to tenderize tough cuts of meat, others just to add flavor. In Chinese recipes, they are designed to add texture in addition to flavor.
I recall a meal in Montepulciano, Italy, in Tuscany: red wine braised rabbit over creamy polenta. What made this dish so memorable was that the meat was bursting with flavor straight through to the bone, a rare occurrence in many US restaurants. When preparing dense cuts of meat (leg of lamb, whole beef tenderloin, short ribs or veal shanks), I like to begin marination the night before cooking. This gives the marinade ample time to penetrate the meat and ensure that every bite is flavorful. [[As a side note, I was quite impressed to see cook eat FRET does this too, as she describes in this post]]
For my style of cooking, I’m more concerned with adding flavor than tenderizing meat. I add salt, pooh-poohing the notion that it will draw out the moisture. And just in case I’m wrong, I add olive oil… so what the salt taketh away, the olive oil giveth.
For 1 whole beef tenderloin:
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 tbs. chopped fresh sage
1 tbs. chopped fresh thyme
2 scallions, cut into rounds
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tbs. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, and simmer until the shallots are soft and translucent
2. Add the herbs and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the spices are aromatic. Remove from heat.
4. Let marinade cool before using