Here’s a tip article clipped from a magazine regarding saving time and making the perfect roast beef. I’m not sure what the date is but the information below the tip talks about “saving marriages” so that indicates this is at least a few decades old (good food = happy marriage is not commonly found in articles over the past several years). Nice blast from the past! I’ve typed the article in full below as well as included a scanned copy.
Perfect Roast Beef
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Salt and pepper the roast which should be at room temperature, so take it out of the refrigerator the first thing in the morning.
Place the roast on a rack in a shallow baking pan and put it in the oven. Then roast for one hour at 375 degrees while you get ready for the day. Then — turn off the oven but do not open the oven door; if you do you’ll let out all the heat and louse up the whole process.
Trust me, it works — DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN! Allow three hours in the oven to complete the cooking. You can even let it go a bit longer if need be. About 20 minutes before you want dinner on the table, turn the oven back on to 300 degrees to warm up the roast. While it’s warming you can finish the rest of the meal.
THIS METHOD of roasting a roast may not save your marriage; that’s expecting a great deal from any roast, but it will save you time. You can entertain without worry and without the last-minute hassle that usually accompanies company for dinner. Start the roast at 2 or 3 p.m. and finish it off when the guests arrive.
It works with any size roast. I have used the process with equal success on a four-pound sirloin tip roast and a 10-pound rolled cross rib. It even seems to help tenderize the tougher cuts. A boneless rolled chuck roast cooked this way is fantastic. I won’t guarantee it will save your marriage, but it is good. The procedure even works with a roast that’s frozen solid; simply roast it for 1 1/2 hours before turning off the oven.