The night before youre going to roast the prime rib, salt generously and let it sit in the refrigerator, uncovered, on sheet pan with a rack. This will allow some of the surface moisture to evaporate, making it easier to get a beautiful brown crust when you sear it. Four hours before youre going to roast it, take the meat out and let it get close room temperature.

Preheat oven to 225°F.

Season rgenerously with pepper on all sides and place on V-rack in roaster with fat cap facing up. Place in oven and cook until center of roast registers 100°F on an instant-read thermometer. For a 6 lb roast this should take about 2 hours or roughly 20 minutes per pound. (At end of this recipe the internal temperature should be 125 for medium-rare.)

Remove roast from oven and tent tightly with aluminum foil. Place in a warm spot in the kitchen and allow to rest while you increase oven temperature to highest possible setting (500°F to 550°F). But no more than 20 minutes.

45 minutes before guests are ready to be served, place roast back in hot oven and cook until well-browned and crisp on the exterior. Remove from oven, let set for 10 minutes. Carve and serve. Pass hot au jus and horseradish

Note: These are rough recollections of roast made for Christmas Eve dinner at Scotts in 2014.