There is a whole world of cooking that never made it into cookbooks. It lives in church basements and community halls where somebody’s aunt has been feeding a crowd for decades and never once owned a digital thermometer. The “church basement method” is simple. Multiply the weight of your roast by time, set the oven to a steady low heat, and follow one important rule. Don’t peek.

It works with everyday beef roasts like sirloin tip, chuck, rump, and top round, which means you do not need a prime rib to put something special on the table.