Wow, old thread. Love the topic so I have to comment...

In addition to the odd roast here and there, I've done a rib roast for Christmas for the last 15yrs or so for my friends. Step 1 is to find a nice roast that seems to be well marbled. It's more forgiving if you overcook it. Next trick is to get a meat thermometer (~$10) so you can get a better idea of what the internal doneness of the meat is instead of relying on time/weight which is only good for a rough estimate IMO.

I did the rock salt once years ago. It was a hit. People thought it was good and moist. I found it a bit of a PITA so I haven't done it again but I've been itching to try again.

I normally give the roast a bit rub with spices, Worcestershire Sauce, garlic, etc. Then I just do an initial sear in the oven and do the remaining time at a moderate temperature. The sear is just to brown up the meat on the outside to give it some flavour. I haven't done the searing on the stovetop but I suppose it accomplishes the same effect with some differences.

Other factors to be aware of are initial roast temperature and additional doneness after you take the roast out of the oven.
I defrosted a roast a little too last minute once and popped it into the oven. Core of the roast was a lot cooler than the outside which resulted in the ends being more done than the middle which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you diners that like different doneness.

You generally want to rest your roast after pulling it from the oven so the juices "settle". If you are finishing your roast at around 325-350 anticipate that the temperature (aka doneness) will rise about 5-10degrees more while resting. Obviously, if you are doing the slow and low heat method, the temperature won't rise as much.
The roast doesn't have to be ready minutes before dinner. I normally target for the roast to be done about 30-45mins before dinner and let it rest wrapped in tin foil so I can work on the other items.

BTW, I was in Chapters Bookstore a few years back and browsed an Alton Brown book about roasts. Some of his tips sounded a bit odd to me (tho, don't ask me to recall which ones). I might have to see if I can find that book again to see if my opinion has changed.