Correct.. Searing in no way seals in anything other than the misconceptions in one's head. Searing results in caramelization of the meat.

We do the high heat then low heat.

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.

I've done the high heat to sear the roast, then turn down the temp method, but I find the slow roast, turning up the oven at the end to finish it method (like the Alton Brown method) yields the best standing rib roast for my preference, which is an even degree of rareness radiating from the center to the outside. This method along with the dry aging in the fridge yielded one of the best, buttery soft rib roasts I've ever tasted.

A friend of mine swears by the method of coating the roast in fresh-ground black pepper, high-temp searing for 15 minutes, then turning the oven down, which yielded a very tasty roast. Until I tried the Alton Brown-type method, this was my preferred method.

Another vote for Alton's method. The fridge dry aging has worked well on other cuts, too. And I have a flower pot in my basement that comes out only for rib roasts.

I guess I'm a sucker for the quick sear in a hot cast iron skillet (requiring careful work with heavy tongs, and not to seal in moisture, but to "pre-develop" the caramelization which leads to truly flavorful drippings and outside bits), then a low and slow approach in the oven, with a well-marbled standing rib, even below 300F. That approach does tend to begin to melt out some of the internal streaks of fat, "self-basting" the interior, while the high heat methods seem to hasten the process so much as to leave the fat almost intact. "Frenching" the rib ends is alwaysa neat trick, and I believe improves cooking (and sure makes it easier to hold for gnawing).

The rock salt method, IIRC, came from a foodie in Dallas, David Wade, once associated with Nieman's, who also gave us a much appreciated condiment, now rarely available, a "powdered" Worcestershire. Rock Salt is a lot of trouble, but does seem to prevent mositure loss.

One technique I forgot to mention that I haven't used for a while is putting a strip of fat on top of the roast with the theory being that it provides a bit of extra basting ooomph if your roast isn't marbled enough. Your butcher/supermarket will generally give you the fat strip for free. Anyone else do this?

Frenching the rib ends sounds like a bit of an effort but I think I have to try that at least once. I love the look of it on rack of lamb. Never thought to try it on a beef roast.

Maybe I've missed it from others, but must strongly advise allowing the roast to come to room temperature before cooking. Failing to do so can result in well done ends when the thermometer indicates the center is "just right" (actually on its way to just right").

For me, the step is useful for any cut, but mandatory with a standing rib.