Take the beef roast out of the refrigerator 3 hours before you are going to cook it.
Cut the bones away from the roast and tie them back on with butcher's string (or get the butcher to do this at the time of purchase).
Sprinkle salt all over it.
Preheat the oven as hot as it will go (maybe 500 degrees F which is 250 degrees C).
Pat the meat dry using paper towels, because salting the meat releases moisture.
Sprinkle more salt over it and some black pepper.
Put the meat in a roasting pan fat side up and bone side down.
Put a meat thermometer into the thickest part (don't let it touch a bone).
Brown the roast for 15 minutes in the oven.
Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and cook it for 14 minutes per pound for rare or 16 minutes per pound for medium-rare.
These cooking times might vary depending on the thickness of your rib roast and your oven itself.
When the thermometer registers 115 degrees F (46 degrees C) for rare, or 125 degrees F (52 degrees C) for medium-rare, remove it from the oven.
The temperature will go up a few more degrees after you take it out.
Put the meat on a carving board and cover it with aluminum foil.
Let it sit for half an hour while you make any side dishes you are going to have.
Cut the strings off the roast and remove the bones (save them for making soup!)
Slice the meat into ¼ inch or ½ inch (½ to 1½ cm) slices across the grain.
