Early Salting

• Take the rib-eye roast out of the refrigerator 2 hours ahead of time. This reduces the meat's chill for a more even and efficient cooking. Pat sea salt or coarse kosher salt liberally over all the beef's surface. In addition to the crunch, large grains most effectively pull moisture out of the meat and flavor it. Salting well in advance -- you can even do it up to a day or two ahead of time -- ensures that the drawn-out, seasoned moisture has time to be reabsorbed so the meat isn't dried out.

Bring on the Peppercorns

• In the last 20 to 30 minutes of the beef sitting out, preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat peppercorns on the roast to taste. Black peppercorns are most common. Because they're the most pungent variety, don't be too heavy-handed with them. White peppercorns are milder, so can be used more liberally. Mixing black and white tempers the taste but lengthens the time it lingers in the mouth. Green peppercorns are quite tart, but the flavor tends not to linger in the mouth as long as black pepper's. Like white peppercorns, red and pink are less pungent, and also a little fruity. They're less common in the U.S., generally appearing in pre-mixed peppercorn blends.

Ready to Roast

• Use a shallow, sturdy roasting pan for this dish. Cover the bottom with foil to keep meat drippings from cooking on, unless you want to deglaze the pan afterward to make gravy or sauce. Place the rack in the pan and grease it with cooking spray or oil. Put the rib-eye on the rack, fat-side facing up, and place it into the center of the oven. Cook it at 500 F for 10 to 15 minutes to develop a crisp exterior resembling a sear. Then, turn down the oven temperature to 350 F to finish cooking more gently, without charring the outside by the time the large cut cooks through.

Determining Doneness

• Because cooking times vary, the meat's internal temperature is the surest way to tell when the roast is ready to come out. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking a roast to medium, or 145 F; this should take approximately 2 hours. The key to preventing an overdone roast is accounting for the fact that its temperature rises about another 10 degrees during resting, so take the rib-eye out when a meat thermometer indicates it has reached 135 F at the center. If you prefer, take it out at 115 F for rare, 125 F for medium-rare, 145 F for medium-well or 155 F for well-done. Rest the roast for 15 minutes before cutting into it to prevent moisture loss.